Save Your Money for the Beach House

I suppose one could blame a lot of things – genetics, Irish ancestry, the lack of foresight of a childhood dentist who might have predicted crowding problems, four pregnancies draining one’s calcium, and a host of other old wives tales but the fact of the matter is I don’t have the best teeth. Yes, I visit the dentist a lot, every three months to be precise, for the last twenty years and I don’t seem to ever be able to complete treatment since by the time work gets done, it’s time for another exam and more procedures. At one point, friends were convinced I was having an affair with the dentist. 
While it might appear that I have a habit of outstaying my welcome once treatment ensues, more realistically, probably not, since my husband swears that we could have quite a beach house with what I have spent to retain all of my teeth over the years. That means there are a few dentists out there digging their feet into the sand on me. 
About eight months ago, in order to prevent a descent into poverty since I needed so much work, I began getting treatment at Columbia Dental School. There are other similar type opportunities in the area, NYU and UMDNJ come to mind, but Columbia was where I ended up. The upside is the cost is less than a third than of what private dentists tend to charge for the same services. My husband even received a free root canal because the senior to whom he was assigned needed to complete one more to graduate. They do not generally ask for payment until long after services are completed and you have the benefit of multiple dental professors and opinions on the best options for your situation. The downside is probably more obvious – a little harder to get to from the suburbs than pulling into your private dentist’s driveway and calm facility, additional waiting time while more senior dentists are required to sign-off on the student’s seemingly every move sometimes, and a very clinic type atmosphere where your pain or lack of tolerance thereof don’t seem to take the highest priority.
All in all though, there’s something endearing about developing a patient/doctor relationship with a humble and fresh, not quite full fledged dentist. My initial skepticism and fear at a dental student navigating a mouth with quite a bit of baggage has evolved into respect and fond affection. At the holidays, when he told me would be gone for three weeks because he was going back home to Korea to see his family, I found myself thinking of him around when his flight would be taking off as I would one of my own sons, and wishing for his safety. I imagined how happy and proud his family must be when he goes back home. As much as I liked and respected other dentists I have had, I don’t remember giving any of them any additional thought after I managed to flee the building. 
And the dental students text you – to make appointments, remind you of appointments, and to check on you post more serious procedures. I think I like the lack of formality and unpretentiousness of it all while receiving work I think is at good as if not superior to work I have had before. 
The bottom line, if you need dental work that is going to cost a whole lot more out of your pocket than you want or your insurance covers, consider helping to educate the next generation of dentists. And save your money for the beach house.