Dental Care Should Be Part of Universal Healthcare

[Orrex]

28. I agree about "purely cosmetic," but...

I've never had a dental plan that covered "white" fillings at the same rate that it covers conventional metal fillings, on the grounds that "white" fillings are cosmetic. Which is bullshit.

I agree that whitening and cosmetic-only treatments shouldn't be covered, just like elective plastic surgery shouldn't be covered.

Like countless other people I suffer the repercussions of years of inability to afford dental care. There's a group here on DU who like to shake their heads and chastise people for not brushing/flossing, and if that were the whole story then perhaps such scoldings would be justified. But when you crack, chip, or break a tooth, or you lose an existing filling, then all the flossing in the world won't do you any good, and that's when the problems really set in. A $200 procedure that you can't afford can easily turn into a $2,000 procedure.

Years ago I had a coworker who underwent about $90,000 worth of shoulder surgery, and he only had to pay the $25 copay for the initial visit. At about the same time, I had to have a root canal and crown that would have cost (IIRC) around $900, for which I wound up paying more than $750.

It is preposterous that dental care is so expensive.