Should I go to the dentist if I do not have dental insurance?  To maintain dental health it is necessary to see the dentist for dental cleanings and to check for cavities and gum disease every 6 months.  These visits are called preventative care.  

Annual costs for preventative care will range in costs from $350 - $500 depending on certain individual needs and differences in costs from one dental office to the next.  Most often, if an individual does not go to the dentist for preventative care, dental diseases such as cavities and gum disease will be the result.  The treatment necessary when preventative care is not performed can include fillings, deep cleanings, root canals and crowns.  Fillings costs $200 - $500, Root canals $1000 - $2000, crowns $1000 - $2000 and the list can go on.  

Rarely will one ever save any money by avoiding the dentist.  In fact, the monetary costs of not going the dentist will be far greater.  Obviously, sitting through these procedures is not fun and it is not good for teeth.  Additionally, once a procedure has been done to the tooth, it is likely another procedure will need to be done in the future.  For example, fillings last on the average 5- 15 years.  

The truth of the matter is when you do not have dental insurance it costs fewer dollars and makes more sense to do dental preventative care.