Take Your Pet (or Yourself) to the Dentist for Less

If your pet has terrible breath and rotten teeth, you probably need to take it for a dental visit. Since the vet bill for dental cleaning and surgeries usually run several hundred dollars, this is not a prospect that excites thrifty folks. Luckily, Peggy over at the Kitty Blog has a bit of information about saving money on dental care this month.

I want to stress that dental care is important for people and for pets. Neglecting your teeth can lead to all kinds of things, including problems with heart disease and the same is true for your pets. If you can’t afford dentistry, focus on preventative care like brushing your pet’s teeth daily and feeding a diet that includes things for tartar control, like crunchy biscuits.

If you are having problems with dental care costs for people and don’t have dental insurance, you might want to do what my family did growing up – head to a dental school and let the students do cleanings and minor procedures at a reduced cost. The professors were always standing by overseeing things, so we got great care for about half the cost of a traditional dental office.

The drawback is that it is really time consuming because most dental schools require you to make a visit to give your dental history first and then schedule the dental care visit. Then, because the students are doing procedures they haven’t done a thousand times already, they are usually very slow and cautious.

Do you have any tips for saving money on dental care for pets or people?

Photo by Manny Proebster/Stock Exchange