Are you in dental despair? No dental insurance or green to pay a dentist for a cleaning let alone the tooth that is now causing an earache?

Don’t despair. You have several options to help ease the pain in your mouth and your pocket book. The following are a few options to help.

1. Check out the local dental schools in your area. Many dental schools offer deep pocket discounts to be their test patient. Don’t grind your teeth just yet. There are licensed dental practitioners that oversee anything from cleaning to procedures that are more extensive.In addition, at a fraction of the cost, its well worth the extra time you will spend in the chair during the instruction. Think of it as paying yourself and hourly wage. Because a cleaning at a regular dental office may cost $119 and up (not including x-rays and other procedures) compared to $20 or $30 you might spend at a dental school, you have made quite a bit of money for your time. How much money do you normally make an hour?
2. Look for dental deals. Type “free dental clinics” in Google to find dental clinics in your area that offer free services. Many times, they have offers such as, “Tuesday free cleaning day.” “Monday free toothbrush clinic day.” As well as other such incentives.
3. Find dental plans that are affordable. A few programs I know of are GE Wellness Plan. A family plan with GE is $189 per year. Aetna Dental Access has a plan that costs $149.95 a year for the entire family. And Smile Dental Insurance (you will need to call for a quote, but it is very inexpensive.)
4. Look for a dental student who is about to take their dental hygiene boards or dental exams. They might even pay you a small fee. The great part of this deal is they will do the work free, even if they pay you a small fee.

Therefore, if your tooth is bothering you, your teeth look gray when you smile, or you have not been to a dentist since you were a small child, you can get help with the work your need.

Here are a few simple ideas to help you save money and leave behind budget busters.

Think about switching deodorants. Believe it or not, the less costly no-name brand deodorants are often just as effective as your name brand type.

I am a picky eater, but I also realize that there are some combinations of food that I will never taste the difference. If you give me a tomato sauce made with my favorite, more expensive tomato and then one with a less expensive mealy tomato, I will probably taste the difference.

However, if you are mixing yogurt in your favorite smoothies or butter that is on sale versus your less expensive brand into a cooked item, you most likely will never taste the difference.

The same goes for pasta and many other food items that you eat. If you aren’t going to taste the difference, but only know the difference in your head, why not switch?

Buy stamps at Costco or Sam’s Club. Believe it or not, they can give you a better deal than the Post Office.

Why pay more for “printer” paper for school, when regular, inexpensive by comparision, white copy paper works just as well. For great bargains I suggest Realiable. Their phone number is: 800-735-4000.

One last easy tip. While it may seem very obvious because the high cost of gas has become prohibitive, it still behooves you for me to say it, ditch the high grade and get into low grade gas. Always consult with a mechanic who is not biased to your vehicles manufacturer before you do this, but I have always run my vehicles, even when they said “high octane only” gas on low grade gas. I have never had a problem and in fact, most mechanics who do my tune-ups think the car is brand new.

If you change your oil every three thousand to six thousand miles and get regular tune-ups, you will be okay. My mom agrees and she’s been driving my entire life!

There are many more strategies to use, but this will get you started!