Dental care is critical at any age. If you don’t take care of your teeth, your overall health is going to suffer, as you experience oral pain and difficulty consuming certain foods. If you’re an older adult, it’s especially important that you care for your teeth. Too many seniors end up needing dentures if they neglected their teeth throughout their lives. As an older adult, if you need to seek out a dentist Newport Beach, then you should be aware of the options available to you if you’re on a fixed income.
What Are The Options?
If you’re in pain and the high cost of dental care is a deterrent to you, there are a few avenues to explore. You can look into financing. Many dentists will set up payment plans with reduced prices based on need. You can consult with the public health department in your county. Many of them have dental clinics that provide services for adults with lower incomes. Community clinics are another way to go. They often have free services or reduced cost programs of which you can take advantage.
You can go to a dental school. Many of them offer excellent care at a low cost. There is sometimes a stigma in going that route, but it is usually unwarranted. If you’re a veteran, you can go to the VA, and ask them if they have any connections with clinics. Often they do. Finally, if you’re living in a nursing home, you can attempt to get dental services included as an incurred medical expense. That will probably make the payments more manageable.
As you can see, there are several different options available to you. As an older adult, there is no reason that you should continue to suffer dental pain. Choosing to ignore discomfort because you are wary of the dentist or because you don’t feel you can scrape the money together is an unwise choice, as problems are more likely to get worse than to go away. You should fix whatever is happening with you and get the recommended twice a year tooth cleaning. Healthy teeth are necessary for good quality of life.