Minneapolis Dentist | I don't have insurance and I can't afford the dental care I need. What resources are available to me?

It is possible that what you cannot afford is the dental care that is available in your area. There are other avenues in finding good dental care that will not close out your bank account, nor force you to charge the expense to your credit card. Here are some of your options:

Talk to your local health agencies. They might be scheduling free dental clinics in your area for minor treatments like professional cleaning, extractions, or fillings

You can also approach hospitals, clinics, or institutions who have their ear to the ground on free dental treatments

Search for dental grants or free dental consultations on the internet

You can also consider buying a dental plan which is different from a dental insurance. For one, the dental plan is really a discount plan which means you pay a small membership fee, and get a card that will automatically entitle you to a certain discount percentage from any of its accredited clinics. This does not even have to be limited to dental care, but spill over to other medical concerns.

Two, dental plans will not inhibit treatments nor expect you to have a waiting period before being able to avail of the discount. The minute you pay the membership fee, you can walk over to the nearest accredited clinic and use the discount card.

There are also some oral care companies that regularly have free dental clinics to promote their products. You should log on to their website and register for free updates. They will put you on their emailing list, and you get first hand information on new products, free products, and free treatments.

You can also try talking to people in your social and family network. Recommendations and referrals can get you a huge discount on dental services. You just need to swallow your pride and ask.

The one thing you should avoid at all costs is trying to seek cheap dental services from an underground source. This means going to a dinky, dark clinic where the person performing the dental treatments is unable to produce legitimate and legal papers on certification, or even medical training. The effects of a botched dental job will mean a tremendous expense on your part, and this will take you back even further.

If you are willing, there is one last option you can consider. It means spending money, but not as much as you imagine. This is going to a place that offers medical tourism. Usually these places are out of the country, and in countries that have cheaper labor and costs. This does not mean inferior service or mediocre dentists. It's just that dental care, as in other medical care procedures, in the United States have gone from bloated to luxurious. It is expensive, and by traveling to a place that offers it at a fraction of the cost, you get to have your dental needs attended to properly while enjoying a vacation of sorts. Of course, you will need to choose your destination properly, and make sure that everything is above board.

Everyone needs toothpaste to take care of their teeth. You just can’t brush without it unless it’s an unusual situation, and there’s no way of getting any toothpaste. There are different kinds of toothpaste, each one specific to meet a certain need.

This implies that you have a special condition which requires buying something other than the usual over the counter, supermarket brands. To find out which kind of toothpaste is best for you, you should talk to your dentist. However, if this is not possible, then here is a brief guide to help you make your decision.

For Sensitive Teeth

Toothpaste for sensitive teeth are for those who teeth ache when you eat something cold or too hot. This toothpaste contains additional ingredients such as potassium nitrate which is a salt element that stops the nerve from being too sensitive by preventing the pain stimuli from traveling along the nerves. Another ingredient is strontium chloride which plugs holes or pores along the dentin layer to prevent to pain from reaching the nerves. In other words, this toothpaste aims to desensitize your teeth.

Whitening Toothpaste

This is a toothpaste supposedly to make dreams come true by promising a better and whiter smile. They can be very abrasive so watch out which brand you choose. If it destroys the enamel, then you have a bigger problem that a not-so-white smile. The tooth enamel is the part of the tooth that stains. Imagine a thin piece of paper and a stone. If the stone is rough on the paper, it will cut a hole through the paper, damaging it irreversibly. This is the same concept. Thus, you need to take extreme care about which whitening toothpaste to get. Talk to your dentist to find out your other options.

Children’s Toothpaste

Children, especially toddlers, will want a sweet tasting toothpaste to make the entire brushing activity more appealing. You need to chose one that is not too sweet because they might swallow it. While children’s toothpaste may be safe to swallow, it might start a habit. As such, use a small amount, the size of a pea, to teach your children to brush with this type of toothpaste. Transition slowly, and they won’t notice the difference.

Supermarket Standard Toothpaste

Here’s when it can get a little complicated. There are tartar control, fluoride enhance, total protection, anti-bacterial, and even all natural toothpastes. Ideally, you should get a toothpaste that has all of it - fluoride, tartar control and anti-bacterial. If there is one you can find that has it all, then that’s the toothpaste you should get. Try the small size first to test it, before upgrading to the larger sizes.

A list of the ingredients you should look for in your toothpaste are:

Abrasives that are not too harsh to help you remove stains from food or drinks

Flavoring and Color - This just it taste and look better

Fluoride - to prevent tooth decay

Anti-bacterial agents and enzymes

For all-natural toothpastes, there are other ingredients you will be surprised to find such as ginger, oil, or seaweed extract.