Dental care for someone with very low income?

Factual Questions
1

Can anyone point me towards a program that can help people with very low incomes get dental care? I’m in Massachusetts. The last couple of years I’ve only earned about $14 thou (gross) because I’ve only been able to work part time. See, I take care of my mother who has Alzheimers, and she needs more and more care. I’ve been able to get by, barely, because she pays half of the living expenses, and I don’t have a car. I live close enough to the job to walk & take a bus.

I’m in my fifties, with no children, so I don’t think I’m eligible for Medicaid and I’m too young for Medicare, and even if my employer offered health insurance I doubt I’d be able to afford the premiums.

My situation is bad: I haven’t seen a dentist for over twenty years. I’ve always been afraid, and then money got too tight. And the longer it got the more work I knew I needed and I didn’t have the money anyway. My teeth hurt often, but I’ve been able to take aspirin and after a few days it’s stopped.

Yes, I know this isn’t good. In fact, I’ve got two teeth that have broken off down to the gums over the past few years. It’s just that I feel so trapped – how do you find a dentist that will let you pay him off in small monthly payments? (I really would. I paid the bills from my cancer surgery in full – it took me over five years, but I did it.) And from things I’ve heard over the years, I don’t need just a dentist but an oral surgeon because of the teeth broken off so low.

So things have gotten worse over time. Now, well, my teeth are hurting so much I can barely sleep or eat. If I forget and inhale through my mouth, just that air touching my teeth make them throb.

Right now the whole left side of my face hurts, from my temple out to tips of my front teeth. This has been going on for more than four days now. In the past, the pains always went away within two days or so. I’ve been taking aspirin and tylenol for the pain, but I can’t do that much longer. See, since I can’t eat, I’ve been taking the aspirin on an empty stomach, and now my stomach is hurting too. I’m sure it’s irritation from the aspirin.
Sorry to be going on so long, but I don’t know where to turn.

2

Ivylad needed extensive dental work, more than we could afford. I remembered a program through a local university, where the dental program allowed students and interns to do dentistry, under the watchful eye of a licensed dentist, of course.

We found an office in Orlando(ish) associated with the University of Florida. It’s a bit different, in that these are licensed dentists who are trying to get a bit more experience under their belt before hanging their shingle. You have to apply, they have to verify income, and they are very strict about not missing appointments. If you miss two you’re out of the program, because it is in such high demand.

See if your state universities have such programs available.

3

Massachusets has a statewide information and referral number. Such services have information on community services, health care, child care, and more. They should know of any low cost dental services.
See here for info :
http://www.unitedwaycm.org/what_we_do/mass_211.htm

4

I had work done at the Circle Campus School of Dentistry years ago. $150 worth of work for about $20. They were fantastic.

In addition, my son is uninsured and had a horrible tooth issue that required a root canal. I found a list of TONS of dental clinics in Chicago that will do the work based on a sliding scale. I’m sure if you’re in a metropolitan area (or even not-so-metro) there are places that can help you. Good luck!

5

Forgot to add…Get yourself to an ER. You have an emergency issue and they can get you on antibiotics and refer you to a dental clinic. They’re great resources for that sort of thing.

6

For starters- as **Kalhoun ** said - go to the ER now. Your condition will only get worse otherwise, and quickly.

In my less-solvent days, I got decent care at the county dental service for free, and lowish-cost service at a dental college.

Looks like the direct contact to find a county / public health clinic in Massachusetts is:
Bureau of Familiy and Community Health
250 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617)624-5943 FAX:(617)624-6062

Also, have a look at this site for info on Mass Health and dental schools.

Be prepared for a *long * wait at the county clinic, and be prepared to document your lack of income.

Dental schools are a good choice if you need something like bridgework or crowns that falls outside the scope of a free clinic - they generally chage a nominal fee to cover the price of materials.

I’d like to think that your ER visit will “fast-track” you into a program that can get you the help you need, rather than just walking into the clinic and saying you have a toothache.

7

One thing I’ve learned to watch out for is Western Dental coupons. They imply that you can get “dental insurance” for $75. But then you go and find all the exceptions. Things like x-rays that are required and not fully covered.
And in my case the dentist saw I had two crowns and decided that he would be able to sell me some more. He wanted to replace one of the existing ones and add three more. Ten grand of work that wasn’t covered.
Well of course I got a second opinion, and surprise, a clean bill of health.
I had a dental student roommate in college, and have no illusions that they are above such shenanigans.

8

Are you in the Boston area, or do you mind saying what city or town you can get to?

9

One thing I would like to add: As soon as your teeth are all fixed, get regular checkups. They are much less costly than having to shell out for crowns, root canals, etc.

I had about $7,000 worth of dental work done 20 years ago. Since that time, I have gone every six months, and I haven’t had another cavity. Find a dentist you like (God Bless Dr. Stern) and go every six months. Prevention is better than treatment.

10

This Access Catalog (PDF or Word) has a section on dental care with listings of clinics. Some of them require that you are a MassHealth recipient.

11

I came in to suggest this exact thing. I use our university for many things, especially cheap healthcare. If I’m sick, it’s straight to the university clinic before I even think about going to a real doctor. I also go to our dental area for teeth cleanings and such. Our school only has a small program for hygenist and such, so they don’t do much beyond cleanings and a few other services, but a larger school should definitely be able to help out.

Brendon