The pandemic has been hard on dental health. Among other sources, the New York Times has reported that many people are delaying dental care due to cost, lack of insurance, fear of exposure to the virus, and limited appointments. This has all resulted in horrible pain from teeth grinding, jaw pain, cracked and chipped teeth in need of urgent repair, and root canals needed to battle harmful infections.
Many dentists require full payment of the estimated work before they begin treatment, which can further delay receiving care. At Binc, we have seen these concerns repeatedly over the past year. The number of dental health related requests have increased 22% in the past year and the cost of the treatment has also gone up. One quarter of dental practices have raised their rates in response to the increased costs of practice due to costs associated with the pandemic, as reported in December 2021 in the dental journal Dimensions of Dental Hygiene.
Living and working with tooth and mouth pain can be extraordinarily difficult. A bookseller had diligently saved money for months to pay for their needed procedures, but they would need to live with debilitating pain for many more months before they had enough for the dentist to begin treatment. They could hardly concentrate due to the pain, let alone continue to smilingly work in the bookstore day after day. The pain and worry were taking over their life.
Exhausted by their struggle they called Binc and hesitantly explained they needed help paying for a root canal, tooth extraction, and additional painful but necessary treatment.
You made it possible for Binc to immediately pay the remaining balance so the bookseller could start treatment right away. The different procedures needed will take over three months to be completed, but once they are all finished, this bookseller will finally smile again without pain.
*Confidentiality is a core component of any assistance Binc provides. Some events may have been compressed and details might be included from another story to protect the confidentiality and privacy of all those who receive assistance from Binc.
“Binc is amazing! They have helped me get groceries when the power was shut off in my area and my groceries spoiled. They helped me with moving costs (which can be astronomical where I live). They also did a matching grant that helped me a buy a reliable car. I am so grateful”
— A bookseller you helped**
**Quotes may be edited for length, clarity and to help preserve confidentiality.