A beautiful smile? It’s worth the money

How many times have you been turned down for employment, relationships, or other life moments due to  your smile?

Too many lost opportunities come from not keeping proper dental hygiene. Just because it costs money to see your dental practitioner is no reason to avoid keeping a healthy smile and practising good oral health.

Sure, you might be lucky and be blessed with perfect teeth through incredible genetics in your family tree; but for the most part, unless you visit the dentist at least once a year for check-ups to make sure your teeth and gums are in good shape, and to prevent the possibility of cavities, gum disease, or a host of other oral health issues, the roulette wheel is spinning.

Research conducted by Tesco has found that people refrain from going to the dentist not because they are afraid of the drill but because dental health proves to be too costly for common people.

How can one afford high dental care unless they have some health insurance that covers dental insurance as well? The Tesco Dental Insurance statistics show that over a third of those surveyed have not been to the dentist in the last 18 months and one in ten surveyed people have not visited the dentist in the last five years.

One of the reasons for this saddening data is because of the lack of local NHS treatment centres. Without dental insurance, affording high cost of dental treatment becomes difficult and so patients stop visiting dentists.

Moreover, even if NHS treatment facility is available, they are located so far away that it takes days to secure just a place with a NHS dentist. Despite such grim condition, there are people who travel for miles for their dental treatment.

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For an average UK adult, earning barely a sufficient amount to survive, the NHS is a one – stop solution for their dental problems but since they are so far situated, it is difficult for a large number of UK adults to access them. What is needed to combat this situation are more dental care centers that provides dental care treatment at affordable cost or sufficient dental insurance schemes for the general public.

According to the Citizens Advice Bureau, you are entitled to free NHS dental treatment, including check-ups, if, at the start of the treatment, you:
• Are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit. Your partner and children will also be entitled to free treatment. If you are getting Working Tax Credit and/or Child Tax Credit, you may be entitled to free dental treatment, depending on your income
• Are under 18
• Are 18 and in full-time education
• Live in Scotland (check-ups only)
• Live in Wales, are under 25 or are 60 or over (check-ups only)
• Are pregnant, or have had a baby during the last twelve months, and hold a valid maternity exemption certificate. This includes if you have had a miscarriage after the 24th week of pregnancy, or your baby was stillborn
• Are a prisoner.

Wow! That’s pretty tough criteria to qualify just to get your teeth checked. Then what?
Additionally, if you feel the need to go beyond preventive or restorative dental procedures to maintain good oral health, cosmetic dentistry can help enhance your smile. Naturally, it will cost more as specialty dentistry often is more expensive.

According to the Cosmetic Dentistry Guide online, cosmetic dentistry involves dental procedures with the aim of improving the overall aesthetics of your smile. This is often referred to as a ‘smile makeover’, ‘Hollywood smile’ or ‘wedding smile’.

A beautiful smile can have numerous effects on an individual’s self-confidence, self-esteem and personal relationships. The recent increase in media focus on the smile, with TV shows such as Extreme Makeover, has created a public awareness about cosmetic dentistry and its accessibility.

Common cosmetic dental procedures include teeth whitening, veneers, crowns, white fillings, single-visit cerec restorations, orthodontics, gum reshaping, and dental bridges. Many cosmetic dental practices now offer facial rejuvenation in the form of a non-surgical facelift, using a combination of Botox and dermal fillers such as restylane. If you are considering cosmetic dentistry to enhance your smile, you should seek the advice of a cosmetic dentist, and it’s always advisable to check their credentials.

Seeking quality dental care at affordable rates can be a challenge, especially if you don’t want to wait for months to see a dentist. Options can be dental tourism – going out of the country to get care at cheap dental care (this option has its own issues), private dental insurance, or discount dental programmes.

To find any of these types of plans, you can source the internet for the option that suits you best, or you can get a referral from someone you know that can steer you in the right direction and provide first hand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t based on your budget. Since many people have limited funds to use for dental care, it is very important to make the best use of personal money to take care of ongoing oral health problems or just to maintain a healthy smile.

One very good dental discount scheme that is very affordable can be purchased through Healthy Discounts (www.healthydiscounts.co.uk), sponsored by Munroe Sutton. With more than 1,000 locations across the UK, you can purchase an inexpensive membership for just a few pounds per month to visit any practitioner and receive immediate savings of 20%. If you have a cash plan from your employer, you can use Healthy Discounts to receive even greater value by combining the savings.

Both individuals and families can take advantage of the discounts as often as they need without worrying about over use of the programme since there is no limit on the number of visits. And, there is no waiting. Very simply, it’s plug-and-play for dental. And, optical discounts are included as a value added component at no extra cost. Find a participating location, book your appointment, and save money right away. Now, that’s something to smile about!

The cost to keep a healthy smile is not cheap. But avoiding the dentist has far reaching health repercussions beyond just ugly teeth and bad breath. There is plenty of research available that shows lack of proper dental care leads to serious health issues, many of which can be detrimental to your everyday health and worse. When planning your budget, make sure to include a trip to the dentist at least once or twice per year. As well, include some extra in a rainy day fund in case those fizzy drinks you’ve been gulping have created little holes in your tooth enamel.

Knowing you have good teeth and gums goes a long way to provide peace of mind, good oral health, a healthy lifestyle, and a smile that makes people glad they know you. A beautiful smile – it’s worth the money.

 

 
 

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