The dentist will see you now, even on nights and weekends.
Although the recession has officially ended, people are still feeling its effects and cutting expenses where they can — dental work included.
According to the American Dental Association, Americans spent less on overall dental care and out-of-pocket dental expenses between 2008 and 2009 — the first decline since government analysts began tracking health spending almost 50 years ago.
Dentists here are trying expanded hours and offer new benefits to lure patients back.
Kaz Zymantas, a dentist at Premier Dental Center in Naperville, hosted two free-dental-care days in the past two months during which he and four of his staff members donated their time for people who otherwise could not afford dental work.
About five or six people took advantage of the free day in February, but 29 patients took advantage of the free care earlier this month.
“I’m doing OK — I’m not doing great,” Zymantas said. “But I know patients and others are in a disadvantaged way.”
One of his patients, Tanya Mueller, said in an email that she had “horrible tooth pain” that she couldn’t afford to take care of.
“Ultimately I could have developed a serious infection, but thanks to Dr. Zymantas and his wonderful staff I was treated with a pulpotomy, and the pain subsided very quickly,” she wrote.
Naperville dentist Beata Lezerkiewicz, who already works nights and weekends, recently started offering new and uninsured patients a benefits program that covers annual exams and discounts on other services.
“A lot of people are putting it off, hoping they get that job, hoping insurance will kick in, hoping something will change to make it easier for them,” she said.
Consumers nationwide have delayed getting medical and dental care because of recession-related drops in household income and loss of health insurance, the American Dental Association reported in February.
Lezerkiewicz said procrastinating on dental work might save money in the short run. But she warned it will cost more to fix bigger problems in the future. -(We at KK Dental, couldn’t agree more, recently bad dental hygiene has been linked to Stroke)
“It’s like not fixing a hole in your roof,” she said. “Then your roof collapses, and you have a big expense. Our mouths are like that.”
Her new benefit charges an annual fee but comes without the extra cost and paperwork of an individual insurance plan.
“Buying insurance as an individual is just outrageous … and you’re still paying for some of the work,” Lezerkiewicz said. “The insurance industry is not geared toward individuals at all, not in the dental and medical fields. A lot of people just can’t afford it.”
Her patients have jumped at the opportunity. After getting Lezerkiewicz’s mailer, some people literally were calling to enroll the next day.
Not all dentists can provide such a program. But most are willing to work on a payment plan, especially with longtime patients, Lezerkiewicz said. She encouraged people to think of their dental care in the long-term.
“Instead of being so overwhelmed by it and thinking you can’t do it and just ignoring it, sit down and get a plan to get it done — maybe over a longer period,” she said. “But it gets done, and it’s controlled.”
- Katie Foutz
Source : Click Here
We, at KK Dental, implore Dr. Zymantas’s efforts to alleviate patients fee issues. Lets face it, even it the economy is technically over, there are still about 10% of us on average that do not have a job. There are probably a lot more people who are being underpaid, or are working jobs that aren’t in their field of expertise. At KK Dental, we have started a group on account where we will be sending out great money saver deals every week! Please visit our group on page by clicking here and follow us. Dental Hygiene is very important. Please do not take this lightly! Support the cause on group on!
Thanks,
Dr. Kulkarni DDS
www.kkdentalcenter.com
www.facebook.com/kkdental
40.486215
-74.451818
