I have some somewhat urgent dental work I need doing and my cheapness is conflicting with my desire to avoid extreme pain and dis-figuration.
I don't have health insurance as it seems like a waste of money when we have pretty decent coverage via medicare in Aus anyway, however in this case I'm not sure the free work done by the dental hospital (Sydney CBD, Surry Hills I believe) will be good enough to justify the savings.
My last 6 dental visits were all in Thailand because I was there anyway and they have a reputation of being good despite the significantly lower price tag and what you might expect health care to be like in a third world country. The exception was my most recent clean and polish which turned into a nightmare situation of agony. After that, which may or may not have been the result of one younger, incompetent surgeon with limited English skills, I was seriously reluctant to get back in the chair.
It looks like I'll need at least one or two extractions from the lower back set of teeth.
How would you, my fellow bargain hunters, handle this situation?
I agree seeing the dentist is expense. A normal check up for me involves sitting in the chair for 30 minutes or so, and paying $200. I would much rather do this once a year and keep my teeth in good nick. I think you should goto a quality dentist and ask for a quote to get the work done. You cannot make a decision without knowing how much it will cost you.