Getting Emergency Dental Care Without Insurance

Too many people try to force themselves to live with intense tooth pain and other oral health problems for one simple reason: they don’t have dental insurance, and they’re afraid that they won’t be able to afford treatment. When you have a true dental emergency, you can’t afford to avoid care for very long without making your condition worse. As such, you need to find a viable way to get the care you need without breaking the bank. Luckily, you have more options than you might think.

What are My Options for Paying for Emergency Dental Care Without Insurance?

Many dental practices offer financing options for patients who don’t have dental insurance plans as well as those who have a hard time meeting their out-of-pocket costs even with their current coverage. Financing lets you pay for your care in monthly installments rather than a single sum. This makes it much easier to fit the necessary payments into a monthly budget. Many practices offer financing through CareCredit, which offers several payment plans that come with little or no interest. You’ll be able to pick a plan that suits your own financial situation.

You might also consider looking for a dental school that has a clinic where students offer treatments. These clinics often come at a reduced price, and the students are closely supervised at every step of the procedure. You might also be able to find a nonprofit clinic near you that specifically serves patients with no insurance.

What Should You Look for in an Emergency Dentist?

Of course, cost can’t be your only concern when choosing an emergency dentist. The quality of the care they offer and their ability to meet your needs in an urgent situation need to be taken into account as well. A good emergency dentist will:

• Have plenty of experience and excellent credentials
• Offer many types of procedures under a single roof so that they can address many different kinds of emergencies
• Put your comfort first by offering different types of dental sedation
• Be able to schedule an appointment for you as soon as possible
• Have a calm and caring demeanor to help you through a high-stress situation

Since an emergency would be a bad time to go shopping for a new dentist, you should go ahead and search for one now using the criteria above. If you find a practice that you like, reach out to them and ask what options are available for uninsured patients.

It’s normal to be worried about being able to afford your dental care, but you should never be stuck in a bad oral health situation because of your budget. Take the initiative to make sure that you’ll be able to get the treatment you need right away.

About the Author

Dr. Travis A. Markle has spent close to two decades helping patients in Tyler protect their smiles. He’s participated in hundreds of hours in continuing education over the past decades so that he can provide state of the art care in all kinds of situations. At his practice, Southern Oaks Dental, he can treat a variety of dental emergencies thanks to the numerous services that he provides, and he offers financing to make paying for care less stressful. To schedule a consultation, visit his website or call (903) 597-7902.