A few weeks ago, I realized that it was time for me to visit the dentist. I hadn't been to the dentist in over 5 years, but I was starting to feel some sensitivity in some of my upper teeth so I set about figuring out where to go and how much it would cost. We don't have dental insurance, so I checked out the possibility of buying a membership in a dental discount program. Initially, looking at the percentage of some of the discounts, I was sure the thing was a hoax. Some of the discounts were around 50% off the regular charges!! But after calling one of the dentists that participates in the program, I discovered to my delight, that it was the real deal. I had already looked into purchasing private dental insurance, but most of the private dental insurance I found had waiting periods for any dental work, and the co-pays for the procedures I was envisioning I needed were exactly the same as the discounted cost through the dental discount program. I picked one of the dentists that was on the list and since this dentist had a couple of good reviews online and she was right down the street, I figured it would be a good match. Inwardly I was terrified of what she might say, but I was prepared for the worst. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as bad as I was envisioning, and as a bonus, the dentist was really gentle and kind. Instead of the multitude of root canals and crowns I was CERTAIN I needed, I just needed 4 fillings, one of those a filling replacement in a molar on my upper right side, and the rest in between my teeth on the same upper right side. Even though it took quite a long time, I had all those fillings done in the same visit, and at about 50% of the regular cost. Now that I've chosen a dentist, and learned about the value of dental discount programs, you can be sure I won't wait another 5 years before returning to the dentist!
