Is DIY Dentistry the Key to Saving Money?
When we don’t take care of our teeth and gums the cavity creeps come-a-calling, this makes saving money at the dentist a difficult proposition. The negative consequences of not adhering to a daily dental regimen of brushing for 2 minutes 2x per day AND making sure to floss each day take root in our mouths…but could sooner rather than later affect the rest of our bodies as well.
Aside from tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease, the overall health connections between poor oral health and overall health continue to be identified and studied. When it comes to saving money at the dentist, prevention is our best bet for a healthy mouth – and healthy body too.
Saving Money at the Dentist Starts With Prevention
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Did Ben Franklin know how much that little ditty of wisdom would relate to saving money at the dentist?
If we consistently take care of our teeth and gums with daily DIY dental care, we will definitely save money when it comes to visiting our dentists for our bi-annual checkups and cleanings. Instead of root canals, fillings, and perio scaling, we can zip through our twice yearly trip to the dental chair with minimal interference.
Prevention will save us all more ducats than dental deal shopping after more serious dental work is needed. And when we’re talking health, do we really want to be shopping for deals?
4 Ways to Save Money at the Dentist
1. Keep regular dental appointments for routine checkups and cleanings – not to mention oral cancer screenings.
2. Save money at the dentist by brushing and flossing everyday.
3. Eat cleaner and reduce intake of sugary (and even starchy) foods and/or drinks & save more money on dental care.
4. Chew sugarless gum with Xylitol after meals to limit tooth decay and plaque buildup to save money at the dentist.
Miss a dental appointment and the health of our teeth and gums suffers, which starts the chain reaction of plaque buildup and tooth decay, or even tooth loss. Treating those oral maladies will cost us more money than simply keeping those regular dental appointments to ensure every minor dental health problem is spotted and treated before becoming a larger (more expensive) oral health and potentially overall health issue.
Is the “Saving Money at the Dentist” message coming through loud and clear?
Taking care of our teeth and gums with daily brushing and flossing, eating healthier foods, and keeping regular dental appointments are all easy obvious things we can do to save money at the dentist, but chewing gum – where does that fit in the dollars for dental health equation?
Xylitol tastes sweet but, unlike sugar, it is not converted in the mouth to acids that cause tooth decay. It reduces levels of decay-causing bacteria in saliva and also acts against some bacteria that cause ear infections.
Prevention is key to saving money on dental health care; spending more money on oral health (and overall health) cures will certainly result in lighter pockets. ‘
Tis better to be pennywise than pound foolish when it comes to saving money at the dentist!
Got any more tips for saving some Benjamins on dental health?
