Chinese-Canadian female, age 28
When I was a child, my family had really good dental insurance from my dad’s work and I went to the dentist twice a year. After my dad passed away, we no longer had dental coverage and my mom had to pay out-of-pocket. I was getting braces at the time, but because we couldn’t finish paying for the rest, I didn’t get a retainer after my braces were removed and my teeth grew back crooked. Every time I went to the dentist, my mom always had to negotiate beforehand for the services I would get based on what we could afford. I usually didn’t get all the dental work that I needed. I had to get my wisdom teeth out, but because of the cost the dentist recommended that I go to the Children’s Hospital because it would be covered by MSP. I was put under general anaesthetic and they pulled all 4 wisdom teeth out at once. It is not necessary to put children under general anaesthetic to have wisdom teeth extracted, and it probably cost the health care system more money for hospitalization than for wisdom teeth extraction at a dental clinic with local freezing. When I was in university, I got some dental coverage through the student health plan, but it did not cover everything and I always ended up having to pay for the rest. I don’t go to the dentist as often as I should.
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