I got a quote at the dentist that my mouth would cost like 20k to fix (it's really bad, every generation of my family before me has no teeth). I really just want to not look like the way I do when I smile, as I'm missing a front tooth. I also have a recurring infection that I keep delaying at the ER because Medicaid covers the antibiotics but I can't actually afford the dentist. I've tried looking for dental schools but in my area there isn't a program that offers the free thing if you're a test dummy for a student. I'm not sure what to do and my worry is that if the infection gets bad enough I'll just have to accept early death due to lack of care. In the USA if it's not obvious enough already.
Any dental schools in your area?
There is one up here, but from those I have talked to who have tried it, they still had to pay around 1200 bucks which unfortunately is still too much for me.
$1200 is in the insurance range! I bought dental insurance for wisdom teeth extraction (surgical). $60/m, off the top of my head it will pay out 70% of the operation up to $2.5k a year. The yearly maximums don't go much higher than that. Extractions will still cost me a couple hundred bucks but much less than sticker price. But to prevent people gaming the system like I am and buying insurance only after they develop problems, they have a waiting period of 6 months before you can use it. You should see if the dental school accepts insurance and start shopping for plans.
I'll definitely keep this in mind! Thank you!