= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
GabrielDuquette comments on More shameless ploys for job advice - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (26)
I'm paying ~$500 over a period of several months to my local dental college for a consult, x-rays, a cleaning, one regular filling, and two small fillings. Do you require something more radical?
For a consult, x-rays, a cleaning, and 3 fillings in the greater Boston area, it was more than $750 dollars, and in the last calendar year I also required a crown and I am still paying off the debt on that. In total it was more than $1200. That may not seem like a lot, but on a graduate student stipend, that is a lot even spread out over 12+ months. In general, though, I don't have access to funds that would cover dental emergencies. I try to take good care of my teeth, but having a fall back plan of "I'll just pay out of pocket at a cheap dentist" seems bad to me.
I understand your concern, but it may unrealistic to have your security cake and eat it too. Do you have a reason to believe dental emergencies will occur in the near future?
Well, given the amount of cake he's eating...
Isn't one of the main points of insurance specifically to have financial security for things you can't predict? Hedging against health risk? I don't think I will be abnormally prone to dental problems in the next year, but we're also talking about lack of dental insurance for the next 3-4 years, over which it is more likely that I will need things that would massively cheaper with insurance than without. I also don't have much of a lifeline with extended family; they couldn't really afford to help much.
I went without a dental appointment for 13 years before this one. I've heard similar numbers from many friends. You may be overestimating the likelihood of a problem, especially if you are young. Are your wisdom teeth out already?