Are teeth considered healthcare in your country?
I'm American and in addition to our messed up healthcare system. Teeth are simultaneously so important that I have to see a specialist (dentist) for routine care, but so unimportant that it's not included in my healthcare coverage. Is it like that elsewhere?
I think dental, hearing, and vision should be covered by a government program. But I am in the US, we are still fighting to get socialized healthcare.
Even healthcare in the US isn’t healthcare. I’m in the US.
I'm in the UK. We're covered up to 18, then again if you're pregnant or I think a year after birth. Apart from that medical care is heavily subsidised, so say a root canal is £230 or something like that, but anything cosmetic is private and pricey.
That's true in theory, but less.so in practice. In our area there are no dentists accepting adult NHS patients so unless you're registered already then your only option is to go private. This seems to be increasingly common and is making dentistry private by the back door.
Sadly not in Canada, but the Federal NDP party is pushing for it. They don't have much power here, but they recently worked with the Liberals (current government) to at least partially cover dental care for people with lower incomes, as I understand it.
So for Canada at least, the answer is No, with a tiny sliver of Yes.
Nope, not in Sweden either, but some parties (left AND right) are pushing for it.
All tooth-related healthcare is free as long as you're 23 or younger though, but after that it gets expensive.
I get simple things paid, but larger things are on my own. Germany here. But, I was not at a dentist since years, not since my dentist tried to push me towards a wisdom teeth removal even though my two are perfectly straight and healthy all because "I may not clean so well back there". All I wanted was some pain medication to get through the worst days of them pushing out.
Not a good rationale not to ever again visit a dentist. Have you considered changing your dentist?
My two wisdom teeth are fully at their final place now and I can't complain.
And I have to say in full honesty that I stopped caring about my body that much, it's deteriorating anyways in so many ways. I brush my teeth, that should be enough.
Norway: No.
Japan: yes. Most dentist appointments are quite cheap.
In Spain, where we have medical care for almost everyone, we do have dentists on the public payroll. However, they are limited in what they can do. For example, they extract teeth in preparation for surgeries. Public health dentists are also available for other types of extractions if the tooth can't be saved and they are available to examine patients who went to a private dentist and something went wrong. It's very limited. If you want a root canal, a crown, a cavity filled, etc. you have to pay a private dentist. Basically, if the public health system considers a dental procedure elective, you have to go to a private dentist for the procedure. The public health system considers pretty much 90% of dental procedures elective. Personally, I think this is unfair. I don't think a root canal should be considered an elective procedure. It saves a person's tooth, which is necessary for eating. Then again, imagine how complicated things would get. You'd probably have to wait on a waiting list for a root canal, then go to a private dentist for the crown.
Also, it's important to note that private dentists are not nearly as expensive as American one (I'm originally from the USA), My last recent root canal with crown included cost me about 300 euros. We don't rely as heavily on dental insurance here, so the prices are reasonable. When I get my teeth cleaned with a checkup, I pay 70 euros. It's wonderful.
In Spain, only if you have a mental disability above or equal 65%, or if you need a wisdom teeth removal. Otherwise, it's almost a luxury.
In Australia we also consider teeth to be luxury bones, so they aren't included in our health care
It's a miracle the emergency department is still free with the way our country has been going.
I had a lipoma removed for free under Medicare a couple of years back, much to the shock of at least three doctors who insisted that it couldn't be done.
Mind you, now I'm 20 months into a 90-day waiting period to have my gallbladder removed...