The average person spends about $980 annually on their oral health. Do you know how much people with no dental insurance spend on their oral health? About $1007. With or without dental insurance, dental care is expensive. But you are probably paying more than you should for your oral health without even realizing it. Here are some tips on maintaining oral health on a budget.
Maintaining Oral Health on a Budget
You probably waste money on oral health products all of the time and don’t even know it. The best method for maintaining oral health on a budget is to realize that you were programmed by oral health corporations and their advertising long ago to waste money every time you brush your teeth.
Here are four effective techniques and remedies for maintaining oral health on a budget.
Use a Pea-Sized Amount of Toothpaste Before Brushing (And Use All of the Toothpaste in the Tube)
You have been programmed by fancy commercials and smiling, attractive models to cover the top of your toothbrush bristles with as much toothpaste as possible. And you probably still don’t even realize it.
Every time you cover the top of your toothbrush with toothpaste, you deplete it quicker and need to buy new tubes quicker. All you need is to put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush each time you brush your teeth.
Most of the ingredients in toothpaste are inert – toothpaste is an enamel abrasive and nothing more. You need to brush your teeth every day and after meals, but you don’t need to cover your toothbrush bristles with toothpaste to maintain oral health.
The average price of premium toothpaste ranges from $4.13 to $6.47. The typical toothpaste tube contains six ounces to eight ounces of toothpaste. And a lot of supermarkets mark up the wholesale price of toothpaste by as much as 45%.
Typically, toothpaste is up to 50% water and cellulose, which is wood pulp. The other 50% is made of chemical abrasives. (The main abrasives are aluminum and silica particulates and other chemicals) Think about that – you might pay $6.50 to get half of the stuff you need in a toothpaste tube.
The average person might use six toothpaste tubes in a year. And many use too much and don’t even bother to use up the tube entirely, so they use too much and then throw away the leftover.
You might be paying $40+ for toothpaste annually, and perhaps, even more, depending on the number of people in your household.
To cut that cost by half or more, only place a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on your toothbrush each time you brush. And squeeze every ounce of toothpaste out of the tube before you throw it away.
Buy Generic Oral Health Products
Brand name and generic products are made from the exact same products. When you buy Pepsi, Coca Cola or any corporate brand name product, you are paying extra for the brand name. You could buy a generic product, whether it is soda, fashion, or cleaning products at a fraction of the price.
Every time you pass the oral health products aisle at the supermarket, you are probably hearing some catchy jingle or catchphrase in your mind. This compels you to buy the more expensive and brand-name oral health products.
Maintaining oral health on a budget can be as simple as always remembering to buy generic. Generic consumer products and food are usually 40% cheaper, or more, than brand-name products. You can potentially save $530 annually by buying generic products only.
Just make sure that the generic products you use contain fluoride. Flouride strengthens tooth enamel, prevents some of the acid-producing bacteria on your teeth from proliferating, and reduces tooth decay significantly.
Skip the Tooth Whitening Products
The only justification for using tooth whitening products is if you have a career-defining or important meeting or project that demands you look your aesthetic oral best in a short amount of time.
And even then, tooth whitening products are designed to be extreme short-term solutions. But some people treat them like they should be life-long oral health maintenance routines like brushing your teeth and flossing.
Tooth whitening is just a process of temporarily bleaching stains and blemishes, like coffee, yellowing, or nicotine stains, on your teeth. Teeth whitening uses enamel-friendly bleach or peroxide to accomplish this result.
Additionally, bleaching a stain does not necessarily remove it.
You have to use teeth whitening strips twice daily for two weeks or more depending on the product. And a two-week supply can cost as much as $50. So, anyone who decides to make teeth whitening a part of their oral hygiene practices on their own could end up spending hundreds or more annually on these products.
Using these products can gradually degrade your enamel and cause treme tooth sensitivity to cold or heat. Maintaining oral health on a budget can be as simple as just brushing your teeth, flossing, and cutting down on enamel-staining foods.
Always Get Regular Dental Checkups
You should always get a regular checkup at your dentist at least once a year and perhaps even twice. A regular dental checkup is always affordable and may even be fully covered by some dental insurance plans.
A dentist can predict some nascent but worsening issues with a regular checkup that might save you some money in the future.
Maintaining oral health on a budget is easy if you listen to your dentist and always go to your scheduled dental checkups.
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Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.