The New York Times recently reported that more than 100 million people in the U.S. don’t have dental care and that roughly 35 percent of Americans haven’t seen a dentist in the last year.

Several dentists in Montana decided they wanted to do what they could to remedy America’s dental care problem, according to NBC. Coming from Billings, Broadview and Laurel, these dental care professionals decided to hold Give Back a Smile, a one-day free event for individuals without coverage.

“I don’t think anyone really enjoys coming to the dentist, but everyone we’ve had in here have just been very thankful and very grateful,” Dr Christopher Hirt told the news provider. “These are the sort of toothaches that have been keeping people up at night they can’t function, they can’t eat, and they’ve just been so grateful for us to get them to a place where they can just resume a normal life.”

Read more about this at Dental Corp.

“In an overwhelming majority of cases, implants to replace lost teeth are by far the best long-term solution for maintaining a healthy mouth. Also, because they rarely need to be replaced, in the long run they are more economical than bridges.

“Bridges are not the standard of care anymore,” Dr. Lawrence J. Kessler, a periodontist and associate professor of surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine, told me in an interview. “For most people who lose teeth, implants are the treatment of choice.”

“About half a million implants are placed each year in this country. On average, the total cost of an implant to replace a single tooth is $3,500 to $4,000 (more if other procedures are required), or about one-third more than the cost of a bridge. But while bridges have an average life span of 10 years, an implant can last a lifetime.”

It’s true that the procedure is expensive, in part because it is expensive for the dentist and also because it is basically a permanent fix for the patient. But as Jim points out, the interesting part of the article are the comments that followed. Many readers were resentful of the cost. Some blamed the insurance companies for treating implants as “experimental”, which is pretty absurd. Therefore, they refuse to cover the treatment. Others blamed the dentists for charging so much for the treatment.

Other readers defended the dentists, however. One stated: “To the person complaining about fees- you pay for the dentist’s time, skill, care and judgment, not an item off the shelf. The dentist didn’t get the skills by purchasing knowledge and skill pills off the shelf. If you are unhappy with the dentist go find one that makes you happy. Having no concept of ALL the costs incurred by the dentist, you’d be ashamed of complaining about the wonderful dentistry you received.”

How do you view dental treatment? Do you resent the insurance company for not covering certain procedures? Do you resent the dentist for his fees? Do you subscribe to the notion that you’re paying for years of expertise so the cost is worth it?

To read more about this story check out the Wealthy Dentist.