I'm on my phone and it's very hard to use the quotes so...
Jenna- I can not really speak for the ladies that are looking for a dentist to barter with but I would assume that they realize a dentist wouldn't barter for the full amount of the work they perform. As MP said, the dentist is going to mark up products 2X or 3X what they cost him, I would think if a provider found a dentist to work with them that he would still charge but maybe cut those mark ups out and only charge her what he pays for them... I would think that this would be more along the lines of what these ladies would expect. If I'm wrong and they do expect a full barter, then I would agree that it will probably be impossible to find a dentist to do that.
MP- I read your post just fine. You were saying it's stupid of them to give us their personal info. Then you basically stated that if they did barter their services with us, we could go back later and blackmail them for services... So I'm saying that even though I haven't bartered with any of them, I know these dentist, doctors, lawyers personal info. So, if I were the type to do it, I could out them just because they pissed me off. My point was they don't have to barter their services to loose their license, they could loose it just because I had their personal info and I took it to someone.
I need work done as well.. I had braces as a teen, I had 4 teeth on the sides of my mouth that were pulled to make room. The last thing they were waiting on was just for those gaps to close. Then i decided to join the Marines right after 9-11 and was gone 2 weeks later, I had to take my braces off before going to boot camp and the spaces were not all the way closed yet. Now i have been looking for a way to get that work and a few other minor things done and it is difficult to find an affordable way to do it.
The dental school in Houston most likely operates like Baylor in Dallas... I'm from Dallas and I went a few years back they approved me to do the work for very little. The problem was that they wanted to do unnecessary work just because that's what their students needed practice on. You can't just say... Do this and this but not this... You have to agree to the entire treatment plan or they will not even touch your mouth. Care credit is fine for those with good credit but I'm sure a lot of people have bad or not enough credit. I've applied but I basically have no credit.
With all that being said... All I'm saying is that most of these ladies have probably tried finding a way of getting help and haven't had much luck. So, once again, I can't blame them for asking.
Originally Posted by JordanAllen
Care Credit will approve anyone. They are like the Ugly Duckling Auto Sales of the medical industry. They will jack you for interest and you will pay 4 times as much by the time you are through paying them off but I have seen them give credit to people who couldn't qualify for a secured credit card. I only know 1 person they denied and she then she got a letter from them 3 days later, stating they were able to approve her.
Oh no wait, they offer a zero interest plan but as soon as your late with a payment ------> 29% retroactive. It's so ugly.
If you don't do a straight barter, then you're asking a dentist to not only barter, but to do the work for barter credit or you would have to be willing to do the barter sessions upfront before you got your dental work.
I think it's possible, and posting is the best way to find out but I'm just suggesting that chances are pretty slim, so they should start exploring other, more viable options. You can also call the dentist offices and ask them what, if any, programs they have for uninsured or low income patients because some do have their own private plans, and they can also refer you to organizations that might help.
St Vincent De Paul (??) in Phoenix does a lottery every couple of months where they pick 1 person and that person gets their teeth fixed completely. I've also seen ads in craigslist offering to pull your wisdom teeth for free if you're willing to take some experimental pain medication LOL. . I considered it but chickened waaay out.