Dental health was one of the make or break challenges we needed to overcome for Dave to maintain his independence. He wasn’t interested in brushing his teeth. As a result, six month dental check-ups typically revealed up to three cavities, which could be quite costly. As mentioned in my post about health benefits, Medicaid pays for dental visits, but finding a dentist that accepts Medicaid can be an arduous task. This post describes what I call our “dental adventure” and how it led to finding a dentist we are happy with. A subsequent post will detail Dave eventually got into the habit of brushing his teeth regularly.
The Art of Dentistry
Medicaid covers dental care, but only if the dentist accepts what Medicare pays. Because it reimburses dentists at a much lower rate than private insurance, dentists who accept Medicaid are few and far between. In our small town, I have found only one dentist who accepts Medicaid. Over the years that dental office has changed hands several times. Some dentists have been good, others not so much.
One particular visit made me question the wisdom of receiving dental care at this particular office. After Dave’s cleaning that day, the dentist reported to me that Dave would need crowns on 4 back teeth, and that he had 8 cavities. I knew his dental hygiene was bad, but this seemed extreme! So, we embarked on a quest to find out the truth about the dental care he really needed.
I took him to the dentist he had as a child for a second opinion. The reason he does not see that dentist is that, with 3-6 cavities per year, he can’t afford the fees. I was astonished when the dentist reported that he didn’t need any crowns, and that he had five cavities, not eight. But I was dumbfounded to learn that the cavities (except for one) were in different teeth than the ones the first dentist said needed filling! Off we went for a third opinion. The third dentist also said he needed five fillings. Three of these matched the second opinion. But two of them were not in the same teeth as either the first dentist or the second! It seems that dentistry is more art than I ever imagined. Who knew?
Finding a Dentist
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I built a spreadsheet, with tooth number down the left side and columns for each of the three dentists, to help me visualize the different recommendations. The second and third opinions were somewhat similar, but they were both very different from the first one. Neither of them mentioned anything about crowns. I was convinced that Dave would not return to the dentist, even though they were the only dentist near us that accepted Medicaid. My next quest was to find another dentist that Dave could afford.
I spent many, many hours over several months searching the internet for dentists, and exploring dental insurance options. Finally, I found a local dentist that accepted a Dental Discount Plan, which is not insurance, but still reduces the cost of dental procedures. We purchased a plan for Dave and went to see the prospective dentist.
When the new dentist came out after his first examination of Dave’s teeth, he told me Dave had a single cavity that needed to be filled – in tooth #12, the only one that all three other dentists had agreed on. And that was it. No crowns. No additional cavities. As we walked out of the office, I recall being so stunned I could not speak for several minutes. We had found our dentist.
Dave still sees this dentist. The dentist recently stopped accepting the Dental Discount Card, but Dave is now brushing and flossing his teeth regularly, so we he doesn’t get cavities very often. In my next post, I’ll describe how Dave got into a habit of regular teeth brushing.