8 Best Dental Retraction Liquids & Pastes

Bestselling Dental Retraction Liquids & Pastes in 2023

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Dental Robbery - An Industry That Gouges the Poor

Ways that the dental industry gouges the poor and uninsured.

Well it is that time again… For those of you new to my articles, I focus on the issues of those in the high low income and low middle income brackets. I'm 31, an adjunct instructor for a technical school, I have three degrees in various things and I live life as best I can.

Today I am going to relate an event that happened to me recently. Through my job I don't get dental (or any) insurance. I've mentioned in previous articles that I have some tooth problems and now, thanks to income tax season I am… Or at least I thought I was… About to get one of the most painful things in my life tended to.

The problem: A wisdom tooth.

The budget: $1,000 (My tax refund.)

To make a long story short, it came in crooked like most wisdom teeth tend to. The surface broke through the gum line but it grew a cavity and eventually broke. This exposed a nerve and I can't even begin to describe exactly how painful that can be.

So I made an appointment with a local dentist.

This resulted in a two week wait in which the tooth had deteriorated even more. Going into the dental office I waited to be seen and finally was. They took an x-ray and then poked around in my mouth for a bit before determining that I needed antibiotics to clear the infection and then they would schedule an extraction in two weeks.

The cost breakdown:

X-Ray: $20

Office visit: $50

Antibiotics: $30

Total budget remaining: $900

So, taking the antibiotics (which, after a few days did indeed ease the pain) and waiting I bided my time. Two weeks passed and soon I found myself once again in the dental office. The tooth had continued to break down and I was quite ready to get this puppy removed now. It is important to note that the dentist is well aware that I don't have insurance and that I was doing this on a tight budget, I can't stress that enough. That should have been taken into account.

This time they say it has deteriorated worse, but the infection is gone. This time they plan on taking another X-ray before they start due to the deterioration. So they go through the process once more and then the dentist returns to my examination room and looks into my mouth to say, "I'm sorry, I can't extract this, it has degraded too much. Let me give you a reference to another dentist."

So they make an appointment, give me a pain medication prescription and I am sent on my way. In two weeks time I'll see their reference and have this removed. Finally after months of pain I'll be able to eat comfortably. That, at least, is the plan.

The cost breakdown:

X-Ray: $20

Office visit: $50

Pain Medication: $25

Total budget remaining: $805

So the weeks pass, this new dentist is in another town so I have to drive over an hour to reach them. I also have to take a day off of work to do this resulting in a loss of around $80 in wages; this is not accounted for in the budget, however. The day arrives, I finally will have this offending tooth ripped from my jaw and my pain will finally end.

It is important to note that I have been exceptionally polite. I am a bit irritable, though I am in pain, I apologize in advance before every conversation and I try as hard as I can to not be snippy at all. I must say that I am losing that battle though, as I am in constant and seemingly never-ending pain by this point.

The new dentist smiles and greets me. He says that he understands when I explain to him that I do not have insurance. He seems to really care and understand that I am hurting and on a budget and that I need to get this taken care of now. He explains that before we can begin he needs to take an X-ray.

I sigh and explain to him that I have already paid for two of them but he explains to me that he needs a special type of X-ray that does the whole mouth. I sigh and agree, despite being told that the X-ray will be $85 on its own. By this point I have spent nearly $200 and have had no actual work done, but if this is needed then so be it.

The X-ray is taken and I am once more led into the examination room. The dentist enters the room and tells me to open my mouth. He takes a tool out and smacks one of my teeth very hard with it. Not the one that is giving me any pain.

He asked me if it hurt, and I responded no, to which he jabbed it two more times, still I felt no pain. I do tell him that the tooth I came to see him for hurts like the dickens though. He explains that the full mouth X-ray revealed that there was an abscess below the new tooth, likely due to the infection from the wisdom tooth that is touching it. He recommends a root canal, which he can do for $1,200. I sigh and tell him no, I can't afford that, but I really need that wisdom tooth taken out. He smiles and explains, "That tooth is too close to the nerve I can't remove it. Let me refer you to an oral surgeon."

I sigh, I am hurting, and this news has me upset. This dentist knew the background situation of this tooth before he started. He explains that at least the x-ray he took will be good for the surgeon to use to deal with the tooth. I nod, though am concerned about finances. They inform me that removing the tooth will be more expensive than a normal extraction and offer their apologies.

The appointment is made and once more two weeks will pass.

The cost breakdown:

X-Ray: $85

Office visit: $65

Pain Medication and more Antibiotics: $55

Total budget remaining: $600

This now has lead to six weeks of pain since I had the first visit to have this taken care of. I haven't had a decent meal in six weeks, I am in constant pain, and my work performance has suffered. I am irate, angry, and snapping at people for things that I really shouldn't. It has even become difficult to drive due to the distraction.

This new guy is a full blown Oral Surgeon and once more I am forced to take time off from work, once more I have to drive over an hour out of town to this doctor. Hopefully this will be for the last time.

Once more I tell the surgeon that I don't have insurance. Once more I tell him that I am running low on the money that I have to spend on this. He nods, he smiles, and once more we begin. This time, fortunately I don't need an x-ray as we already have one. He opens my mouth, he looks at the x-ray, he makes recommendations (he also recommends a root canal for that one that doesn't hurt but apparently has an abscess) and then he says to come back in a week.

I am given my bill and I ask, directly, how much it will cost to have the tooth removed. He explains that I will have to pay for anesthesia and other costs. All in all it will cost $50 for the office visit, $400 for the extraction, and $250 for the anesthesia.

The cost breakdown:

Office visit: $50

Total budget remaining: $550

Unfortunately, the cost to come exceeds my budget. So, with a heavy heart I am forced to call the Oral Surgeon and cancel the appointment. Angry and in pain, still unable to eat properly, I return to my daily life.

You might wonder why I am writing this, and there is a simple reason. This is the plight of the uninsured in the U.S. We are trodden on and we are forced to suffer because medical professionals charge literally for nothing.

In my case I have been urged from the Oral Surgeon not to cancel the appointment but to seek financing. He is concerned that the infection, particularly the abscess can lead to other issues. This, apparently, can even spread to the brain. I am more than a little afraid so I have sought, unsuccessfully, financing.

The problem with this story is that it is 100 perrcent true. $1,000 was insufficient to remove a tooth. There are four separate office visits and fees involved that ultimately lead to nothing. We live in an amazing country; it is a land of opportunity, unless one is poor. If one is uninsured, and poor, but is working hard (I work Monday through Friday, and I have side work I do on Saturday and Sunday.) they are cast to the curb.

I hope this article sheds some light to the haves of our country. I hope this gives you a glance into our lives. I hope that someday these articles help someone else.

That is my dream anyway.

Thank you for reading.