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Dental Pain and the Barrier of Cost
Interviewer: If you've ever had a bad toothache or other dental issues, you know how much it can take over your life. It's hard to eat. It can be hard to focus, hard to think about anything else when you're in pain. But for a lot of people, getting care isn't as simple as booking an appointment because they're worried about the cost. But the good news is no matter your financial situation, there are real options available, sometimes even free.
Dr. James Bekker is from , where he works with programs designed to help people who might think they can't afford care, afford care.
Dr. Bekker, I know that you're very passionate about this topic, so I'm really excited today to share your insights with our listeners.
Dr. Bekker: Well, Scot, thank you for giving me the opportunity to visit, and hopefully we can give good ideas to the public on how they can access dental care where it's convenient for them.
I've had the privilege of being able to serve as a dentist in this community for many years. I'm a pediatric dentist initially and practiced in the private sector. Now, I am at the 香蕉视频 of Utah at the School of Dentistry as the Associate Dean for Professional Community and Strategic Relations, which is a wonderful place to be because basically we serve the underserved here at the 香蕉视频 of Utah.
I've also been involved with organized dentistry, serving as president of the Utah Dental Association and a member of the Utah Oral Health Coalition. So many opportunities, and through it all, I have come to have a great appreciation for the need and the benefit of good oral care for all of our community.
Shifting from Emergency Fixes to Preventive Care
Interviewer: So when we say affordable care, as I was thinking about this, that could mean something different for a lot of people. For some people, it's perhaps a little less expensive. For some people, they don't have insurance. For some people, they can't afford any amount of dental care.
Can we talk about affordable care in terms of depending on somebody's financial situation? Is that how you think about it generally?
Dr. Bekker: Yeah, and I think that's one of our main messages that we want today, is no matter what your situation, there are avenues for you to receive good oral healthcare, good dental care.
Many people feel like it's beyond their reach or it's unaffordable. And so they default and just go to an emergency room when they have a bad toothache. They get a short-term fix for a problem, but not a long-term fix. If we can move people to identifying what we call a dental home and a place where they can go to have preventive care and care for those emergencies, it's much more cost-effective. In the long term, we improve oral health.
Interviewer: And it's just so much better for the patient to avoid these issues altogether, right?
Dr. Bekker: Long-term solutions are much better than short-term fixes.
Care Options Through 香蕉视频 of Utah School of Dentistry
Interviewer: So let's start out with this idea of how does the 香蕉视频 of Utah School of Dentistry provide care to individuals who might not be able to afford it? Can you explain some of the programs and how they work?
Dr. Bekker: We kind of have categories for every situation. Of course, at the School of Dentistry, we have wonderful dental students who are working on patients and providing oral healthcare. Every dental student is supervised by a licensed faculty dentist who is overseeing the care. And I think that the care that is received in this setting is some of the very, very best because every step is perfect. Every step is monitored and watched because it's an educational process. So if you come to the dental school to receive care, it is at a tremendously discounted rate.
We also have the general practice residency at the 香蕉视频 of Utah Hospital, where we have dentists who have graduated from dental school who are going on for advanced training, and they provide dental care for more complicated cases. That is also at a reduced rate, although a little bit more than what the dental student rate would be.
And then we have our faculty practice, which is our extremely excellent and well-trained faculty who have the opportunity to practice and see patients as a part of their experience here at the dental school. People can access that faculty practice, which is about at the rate of usual and customary fees.
No Insurance? How the Oral Health Assistance Program Helps
Now, everyone should know that there are people who don't feel they have any insurance or any money or any ability to access care. And for those, we have what we call OHAP, which is Oral Health Assistance Program. That is an endowment that has been established here at the school where those who have no ability to pay for their care can apply for funds, and their care is paid for free from that endowment.
Now, those funds are in great demand, so we have to work with people and do what we can to meet their needs. But there is that avenue as well.
Mobile Clinics and Outreach Across Utah
We have our mobile clinic that goes around the state to underserved populations and provides care free to those who have no ability to pay for that care. So that's another avenue where we have an outreach throughout the state.
Expanded Medicaid Dental Benefits for Utah Adults
Another thing that I would add would be the 香蕉视频 of Utah has partnered with the Utah State Legislature, and we provide dental care to all adults in the state that have Medicaid benefits. And so that's about over 220,000 eligible patients.
The dental school and our associated clinics couldn't possibly cover and provide that care throughout the state, so we have dentists from the private sector that have become associated providers with the 香蕉视频 of Utah School of Dentistry, and they provide care in their own offices in their own communities throughout the state for all adults who have Medicaid benefits.
We started out small in this program. We did blind and disabled patients, then we did drug abuse, substance disorder recovery patients, and then we did the elderly. And as of April 1st of this year, that dental benefit will expand to all adults in the state of Utah.
How to Find the Right Clinic for Your Situation
Interviewer: You mentioned a lot of resources that 香蕉视频 of Utah provides, 香蕉视频 of Utah Health, 香蕉视频 of Utah Dentistry. Is there a place or somebody that somebody could talk to? I mean, it could seem a little overwhelming to figure out what would be best for them.
Dr. Bekker: Absolutely. And this is an easy one because there's a number you can call. Well, you can go on the , and it will give you a number. You can call 801-58-SMILE, and that will connect you to our operators. You can explain your situation, what you're looking for, and they can get you connected to the right clinics.
Interviewer: Perfect.
Dr. Bekker: Or, for instance, you can go to the Medicaid website for the state of Utah, and there's a link there where you can click on it, and you can find an associated provider in your community close to where you live, anywhere in the state.
Other Affordable Dental Options in Utah
Interviewer: And then beyond 香蕉视频 of Utah, are there some other affordable dental care options that exist in the state that people should know about?
Dr. Bekker: There are, and people can always check in their specific community. We have donated dental services here in the Salt Lake area. There are donated dental services in Davis County. There are some donated dental services in Utah County. So along the Wasatch Front, we have donated dental services that they can access.
There are also federally qualified healthcare centers that they can connect with and receive that care. You just have to look at what's available in your own community.
Another good resource would be to call the . You can just go on the website, Utah Dental Association, or their number, which is 801-261-5315. Someone at the Dental Association can guide you to finding that care in your own community.
What Are Sliding Scale Clinics?
Interviewer: I've heard of clinics that refer to themselves as sliding scale clinics. Can you explain what that means if a patient finds one of those clinics and thinks that might be a good option for them?
Dr. Bekker: Absolutely. It is a good option because they can go in and, depending on their income, they can qualify for a certain amount of discounts where they would pay some of the usual and customary fee, but not all of it just based upon their income. And that's what the sliding scale is.
Working With Private Dentists on Payment Plans
Interviewer: And then there are a couple of other things I noticed when I was doing some looking around for these affordable options.
One was there are some private dentists with payment plans that they might offer some no-interest financing, which might make it more accessible to some people that are able to pay, but just maybe not all at once.
And then also dental savings plans, like these membership-based programs, and then they give you discounted services. So you pay kind of an upfront fee. Can you talk about those? Are those good options?
Dr. Bekker: Let me address the first one, where you would go into a dentist and you would get a treatment plan based on your needs, and then you just prioritize those things that are the most important and need to be taken care of first.
You work with that dental office so that you take care of the most important things. Maybe you work that out a little bit at a time, over time, so that you're doing the most important things and then following through with other care.
Most dental offices will work with you as you create a treatment plan, and then you can work with it over time. Most of them will do that.
Are Dental Savings Plans Worth It?
Now, Scot, the second question you had was about what we would maybe call a managed care plan where some dental offices will say, "If you pay us a certain amount each month as a set fee, then we'll just take care of your dental needs." And that varies from office to office. You just have to ask whoever you are talking with or whatever provider you're talking with if that's something that they ever do or if they're interested in.
Where to Start if You're Feeling Overwhelmed
Interviewer: We talked about a lot of possible places people can go look, and I'm going to be the first to admit that this could be a little overwhelming, right? There are kind of a lot of options out there. You might have to do a little bit of work to make sure you find the option that's going to work for you in your particular situation.
But if you could just kind of summarize maybe some of the places that people might want to start, that would be really, really helpful. What would you recommend?
Dr. Bekker: Of course. First and foremost, contact the 香蕉视频 of Utah School of Dentistry, and you can be guided from there to clinics in your area or associated providers.
You can also call , which is a free resource, to find low-cost dental services. You can check online with the , which is a full list of affordable clinics across the state. There's . There's the Association of Utah Community Health, which is . I think all these links will be available.
One Patient's Story and the Power of Restored Oral Health
Interviewer: I would like to end on a story, Dr. Bekker, of somebody who came in and perhaps they'd been putting off preventative care, putting off an issue for a long time, and then realized that they had some of these options. What was that like for them in your experience that you saw?
Dr. Bekker: So this is such a great question. Thank you for asking, because we see this over and over and over where people come in, and they're really down for a lot of reasons. They may be challenged with housing. They may be challenged with employment. And a lot of it comes back to their oral health. If you can't eat, if you can't talk, if you can't present yourself to people, your health is bad, and you don't have opportunities.
So they go through a program where they get their teeth fixed, and it changes their life. They oftentimes are able to get a job. They're able to improve their financial situation where they can get out of housing challenges and into permanent homes or permanent dwelling kinds of options. All those things improve.
Over and over and over, we see, as you improve oral health, your general health improves, and so many aspects of your life improve.
Those who are in a drug program, overcoming addiction, when they get their teeth fixed, the rate of recidivism, or going back to drug usage, drops tremendously because they're able to move forward with their life. We have seen this in very dramatic ways. It is one of the ways that we help people move forward from challenges in life.
Interviewer: If you've been avoiding the dentist because of the cost, you just don't think you can afford care, whether that's preventative care or taking care of some sort of a chronic issue, I hope that these resources are helpful to you. I would highly encourage that you follow up on them and get the care you need, because you will be amazed at how much it can really change things in your life.
Dr. Bekker, thank you so much for being an advocate for affordable dental care for everybody and being on the podcast.
Dr. Bekker: Thank you so much for having me.
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Dental health is crucial, but not always affordable for all budgets. James Bekker, DMD, from 香蕉视频 of Utah School of Dentistry, offers an insider's guide to finding and utilizing low-cost dental services.
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