is there a cheaper way to get teeth cleaned w/o insurance?

[joenali]

I just saw a sign when I was riding my bike yesterday that offered cleanings for $350. I say you've got yourself a deal with &130. How much cheaper would you expect to find?

[cheeseandcrackers]

i see groupons and livingsocials a lot for deals like these

[papie]

I was going to say dental school...150 seems pretty reasonable.

[pinkplasticdoll]

I know you want to avoid dental school but my university has a dental hygiene program and they are always begging for people to come in so that they can clean their teeth. It isn't a dentist program just a dental hygienist program.

ETA: I just looked up the program and they do cleaning,xrays and deep cleanings ranging from $25-$75 depending on the procedure. The cleaning is just $35.

[tizzy]

I've seen groupons for teeth cleaning, so that may be a cheaper option.

[Deleted]

If you liked the previous dentist and dental hygienists, then I would stick with them. They'll have your old file and x-rays in case they notice anything strange and need a comparison. And, if they tell you something looks problematic then hopefully you'll feel you can trust them and work out a plan on what to do. If the cheaper place tells you that you need X, Y, and Z, then I can imagine you'll be in a situation where you may need a second opinion anyway.

[adhdfashion]

$130 doesn't sound like a bad price to me.

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[chickadee77]

Jul 8, 2013 12:12:09 GMT -5 @aliciaroset said:

I don't have dental insurance for a stupid reason that's complicated (I'm not negligent I promise!) and I really need my teeth cleaned. I called my old place and it's around $130 without insurance which isn't that bad, but I'm wondering if there's anything else out there that's cheaper. I want to avoid the dental school if I can because they require at least two visits for each new patient and my time is worth $$ to me, you know?

We don't have dental, either (H's job doesn't offer it and it's waaay too expensive to do independently). My dentist gives a 10% discount for paying out of pocket, but I have to ask for it. Worth a shot!

And that price isn't horrible if it includes an exam and x-rays, too. Pretty reasonable.

[Deleted]

Our clinic cash price for a cleaning with no fluoride is $95. Try finding a corporate dentist maybe? Private practice = more expensive.

[penelope]

All I know is that you have to get it done. I didn't have dental insurance for 5 years, so I paid for my kids and skipped out on mine, figuring I brush and floss all the time. Yeah. Now I have insurance, and I have to see a specialist because that just isn't enough. I so, so, so wish I would've just added to the monthly payments. Now, I am going to be in a world of hurt. (both physical and financial, insurance only covers so much....)

[snickers]

I would think $130 would be as cheap as you would find it. Sorry

[leancuisine]

Ditto on Groupon/Living social. Do you get the newspaper? Sometimes local dentists put out coupons for a $50 cleaning, generally "for new customers only". I have seen similar deals with optometrists too.

[sergey]

Yeah, what you found already is probably your best bet. Random related story- my new dentist sent me a bill for $650 for my recent service, including x-rays, cancer screening, cleaning etc with a note saying my insurance denied me and I needed to sort it out with them. Luckily it was a simple error and was quickly fixed but I couldn't believe when I later got the 'what we paid' statement from insurance and they were only billed $150 by the dentist for what they would have asked me $650 for. It's a very swanky dentist with a great mountain view from the chair but damn!