The Budget Room

The desire to maintain high standards of oral health needs to be weighed against expenses. On average, someone who goes to the dentist will provide the dentist with $800 of revenue, some of which is covered by insurance and some of which by individual payments. There are also costs associated with the purchase of dental products, for example electric brushes, and night guards molded to individual mouths.

A possible strategy for managing personal costs is one that centers on satisfying basic dental hygiene and health needs before embarking on cosmetic and other enhancements. While there are cases where cosmetic and functional needs coincide, there are also cases where the two can be separated, the cosmetic need being one that can be postponed until a later date. Your dentist would be happy to provide you with a reasoned cost and benefit analysis for the best decision from a financial standpoint.

An example of this might be the following. Suppose one is afflicted by a large cavity that has affected a large fraction of the enamel of a tooth. There may be two options. In one, the cavity is filled and a porcelain cap or metal cap covers it for further strengthening and protection. In the other, the cavity is filled and left alone. The first option is more expensive and longer-term, but the second is much less expensive and also lasts many years.

There are also some elective procedures that one can either forgo or modify. One good example is teeth whitening. Whitening can be done via the classical, traditional way with carbamide peroxide soaking. New treatments using lasers have started to spring up also. However, many people find that the laser cleaning, while more expensive, offers only marginally better results than peroxide. This is a patient-by-patient decision.

Procedures may cost a lot of money at once, but buying oral health products is a drain on finances over time. To save money, look for bulk discounts at large wholesale suppliers like Costco. Buying toothbrushes or electric brush refills at the supermarket misses out on leveraging your money with volume purchases. However, make sure to replace a brush when the bristles start fraying as it’s an indicator of reduced brush efficacy.

When shopping for fancy equipment like electric toothbrushes, you will find prices vary a lot as these items have a range of technical sophistication. Look into the long term costs as well. The motorized base of the toothbrush is a high fixed cost but lasts a long time. The replacement brushes and batteries will end up costing more, as this is the pricing strategy to maximize profit for the manufacturer. Account fully for both immediate and recurring expenses.

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