5 Places You Can Do Dental Check up at Low Cost

One of the reasons a lot of people don’t check in with a dentist when they have dental complaints is because of the cost of dental treatments. With the increasing inflation rate in the country, the cost of products and services have equally increased. The average Nigerian can hardly afford health care services and the majority don’t have health insurance.

Many people are looking for where they can access affordable dental services in the country. If you are among such people, then this article is a must read for you. You are going to discover that there are still places in this country where you can do a dental check up at little or no cost. But before I show you these places, it is important you understand why you need to go for a regular dental examination.

Why Go for Dental Check up?

Globally, there is a high rate of oral diseases. About half of the world’s population are suffering from dental diseases according to the World Health Organization. That is why experts recommend that you see a dentist at least twice in a year.

Let me show some reasons why dental check up is important for you. 

1. You Get Educated on Preventive Measures to Adopt

Prevention, they say, is better than cure. Nobody wants to be spending money treating health issues that are otherwise preventable. One good benefit of seeing a dentist is that he will give you proper oral health instruction that will help you prevent common dental diseases like caries and periodontal or gum diseases. 

The cost of a dental check up is nothing compared to the amount you will spend on dental treatments if you have a dental problem.

2. Guarantees Early Detection and Treatment

When a disease is detected early, it usually does not cost so much to treat and the treatment outcome is also good. For instance, early detection of dental caries will require a simple filling to treat it. If, however, the decay is allowed to progress, it could cause severe pain requiring either a root canal therapy or an extraction if the tooth is badly damaged and is no longer restorable.

3. Saves Time and Money

Contact time for dental examination is quite shorter compared to time spent on the treatment. Likewise, the cost of dental check up is way cheaper than what you would spend if you were to undergo a dental procedure. It is necessary to say at this point that it wiser to see a dentist for routine check ups than for one dental emergency or the other.

Reasons People avoid Regular Dental Check up

Despite the pricelessness of routine dental examinations, many Nigerians still wouldn’t see a dentist except if they are having obvious dental problems. One would wonder why this is so. Here are some of the reasons. 

1. Ignorance

Many people especially those in the rural communities lack the awareness that they are supposed to see a dentist at least twice every year. This is mainly as a result of poor oral health awareness programs in such areas.

2. Lack of Access to Dental Facilities

There is an insufficient number of dental facilities across Nigeria with most clinics concentrated in the cities and towns. The implication of this is that the majority of the people in the rural communities can not access dental care except if they move to a nearby urban city or town. This is really worrisome for a country with over 200 million people.

3. Dental Anxiety

There are a couple of reasons people may be afraid of visiting the dentist. Some individuals developed anxiety because of negative things they heard about dental treatment while for a few others, it is because of a bad experience they may have had during dental treatment.

 A lot of people are scared of the dental clinic. To them, the dental environment represents pain. 

4. Fear of High Treatment Cost

With the current economic situation, the average Nigerian is scared that they cannot afford the cost of dental check up. So they prefer to manage their dental problems on their own rather than visit the dental clinic. People prefer to use home remedies that will help with their dental issues to paying for dental appointments.

Where to Do Dental Check up at an Affordable Cost

Regardless of the rising cost of things in the country, there are still places where you can do a dental check up at a very low price. In fact, there are oral health programs where dental health professionals will check your mouth at no cost. 

1. Oral Health Awareness Campaigns

Organisations like Nigerian Dental Association and Colgate organise oral health outreaches across the country. There are also foundations in the country that partner with dentists  and associations like Christian Medical and Dental Association to organise dental health campaigns in the rural communities.

These oral health awareness campaigns are usually free of charge. They offer services like free dental examination, scaling and polishing, tooth extraction, and fillings among other things.

2. Community Dental Clinics

The government set up a couple of dental clinics in the communities with the aim of enabling the people there access dental care. These clinics are usually an offshoot of the Community Dentistry Department of university teaching hospitals across a number of states in the country. In these clinics, dental check up and treatment are very accessible and at an affordable cost too.

Government teaching hospitals normally post resident doctors to these clinics from time to time in addition to the consultant community dentists who are always on ground to offer quality care.

3. Hospital Management Board (HMB)

The state government has set up dental centres in the hospital management boards across the country. Services at these centres are very affordable. If there is a dental centre that is part of HMB close to you, do well to maximize it if you are looking for an affordable dental centre.

4. University Teaching Hospitals

Generally, health care services in the country are way cheaper in government hospitals than in private clinics Although most of the dental centres in the teaching hospitals have done an upward review of their prices due to the inflation in the country, there are some centres where the cost of dental check up is still less than five thousand naira.

Despite the relative cheaper cost of examination and treatment, teaching hospitals offer quality services and care. There you can find different levels of experienced doctors ranging from resident doctors, consultants, and professors in different fields of medicine, surgery, and dental specialties. There are also experienced nurses and other clinical and non clinical staff.

If there is a government teaching hospital close to you, feel free to use their services. You can use the facility for routine dental check up and treatments, and for other health needs.

5. Private Dental Clinics

There is this general notion that private dental clinics are not for the average person. While there are high class dental clinics that offer premium services, a number of private dental clinics are quite affordable

So instead of generalising, I will suggest you check out those dental clinics within your area. You may likely see one or two where you can check up your oral health at a very affordable cost.

Conclusion 

Regular dental check-ups are essential for maintaining good oral health. Don’t let cost deter you from knowing the state of your oral health. Despite the skyrocketing price of things in the country, there are still places you can get quality care at little or no cost. It will be in your best interest if you can take advantage of such places for your health care. Remember, a healthy mouth is a healthy body.