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.