Certainly, keeping teeth healthy is taking a backseat to the deadly virus. When lives are at stake who would want to think about teeth? You surely know how to keep your priorities straight. Right? But let us not forget. A child crying on his bed at night because of a toothache is one of the most agonizing sounds you don’t want to hear.
Know that dental disease is the “most common” health issue American children are facing. Worse, dental decay affects the poorest children in the Land of the Brave.
So even if COVID-19 ransacked America and gut it to pieces, we still need to attend to our teeth. And your children are no exception.
To start, we’ve listed for you various options that you can look into to save some. Along with these, we’re giving you a lowdown on what makes each option viable. The best part comes next: decision-making, the ability to choose which is most fitting. There really is no wrong or right when choosing. So long as you have the best interest of your family at heart, your decision should be a good one.
Dental schools
Surprised? Don’t be, dental schools have been offering free services for some time now. And you’re in luck. There are a total of 67 dental schools in America, at least one in each state. So you shouldn’t worry you would not find one. Whether you’re in California or in Hawaii, a dental school is within your reach.
Dental schools over the years have proven to be one of the cheapest options. You can get dental cleaning for free. And perhaps your child can even get a free tooth extraction.
The downside? Dental schools are learning institutions. So don’t expect a polished dentist to take that tooth out for you. You’d be handled by a trained dental student. But no worries, you’d be getting what you came for. And that’s good enough.
Government Programs
Know that private health insurance doesn’t usually offer dental health insurance. And it’s also putting added costs to many employees. Nevertheless, lookup. What many people don’t know is that there are government programs that cover this.
One good example is Medicaid for children. They offer a wide range of dental benefits for children. Such as maintaining dental health, and also helping with tooth restoration.
Another good program is CHIP. This is more on a state level. Find out if your state offers CHIP dental packages. All these government programs for children have requirements. You can find out about them here.
These government programs can certainly give you a lift when it comes to keeping your children’s food cutters up to the task.
The downside? These institutions offer a set program of services. So if you have a tooth project that’s not within their list, you have no option but to source it somewhere.
Private Dental Clinics
You might raise an eyebrow at the thought of getting your child into a private dental clinic. It’s true. These practices will cost you a bit more. But when you want the best teeth for your child, there may be no better place to get it done than in private practices.
Their advantage is these professionals are the cream of the crop. They may be able to cater to your child’s needs better. This is especially true if your clinic is just near your place. It would be a blessing to have a dentist nearby.
Plus, you can get a much fuller range of services with them. For instance, you can’t expect government institutions to do your child’s dental braces. But these practices can get it done right on time.
Donated Services
Thanks to the goodwill of some organizations out there many children now have access to dental services. For example, there is the Give Kids a Smile in collaboration with the American Dental Association. Their duty is to provide kids with dental services.
And they prioritize people in need or underserved children. With this, your child can smile confidently when facing the world.
There are many other non-profit dental organizations that offer this assistance. All you need is for your child to qualify for this. And there you go. You wouldn’t have to spend an outrageous amount just to help keep up with your child’s dental health.
Finding an affordable means of tending to your child’s oral health is certainly worth looking into. But then again you must remember that preventing tooth decay is still a top priority.
So before thinking about where to bring your child, make sure you have healthy dental habits factored in. Once your child prioritizes his teeth right from Day 1, keeping those pearly whites should be a breeze.
