When living on a low income, you know just how much you have to prioritize. Dental care and non-life threatening health care are two items that may not be in the budget regularly. If your teeth are bothering you and you know that you need one or more fillings, you will need to go to see a dentist at some point. Being very low income, you will need to figure out how to see a dentist that will not cause you to have to go without other needs. Here are some ways to deal with dental care when you are low income.
Find a dentist with a sliding scale
In order to make sure that your finances stay in order while receiving dental service, you should look for a dentist that works on a sliding scale. Sliding scale payments mean that you pay based on your income. This will allow you to go in for your service, yet pay a minimal amount if you have a lower income. Ask your dental practitioner to give you pricing based on your provable income. When you go to the office bring your paycheck stubs or other income benefits to show just how much you make per year.
Ask which medications are necessary
After your filling, your dentist will likely assign you medication that you may take. Some will offer a prescription for antibiotics, which will be necessary to make sure that you do not get an infection after having your teeth that were worked on. Medication that you may be able to skip on taking and paying for is the pain medication. If you would like to save money by not taking the pain medication prescription, be sure to ask your doctor what over the counter medications you can take with the antibiotics. There may be some over the counter medications that will not mix well with specific antibiotics, so ask for a list of thing you can take before leaving the office.
Ask about dental credit
If you can apply for and receive credit for the dental work, whether from the office itself or from a company that offers credit to utilize for medical bills. A payment plan will make it easier to get a proper cleaning and get all fillings and pertinent dental care performed. Being able to pay a little each month means that you can pinch a little off of your budget each month, rather than having to perform the task of saving a huge chunk at one time.