Same problem in the US -- small group and individual insurance just doesn't cover dental work. But dental work isn't really that expensive, at least not compared to medical work.
Budget $300/yr for your two checkups, and you will be fine. (Even a root canal is not that expensive. I think it was $1200 for a specialist to do it.)
I found out the hard way there are many things you still have to pay for yourself. For example, a doctor prescribed me Advair for asthma-like symptoms I was experiencing. It costs $200 per unit, and as someone who recently quit their day job to start my own business, it wasn't in the budget. So I just went without.
Good doctors respond pretty well to your budget constraints. There's likely another option for you, you should ask. It may not be quite as effective, but I bet it's much, much cheaper.
Or, you could buy from an evil Canadian pharmacy that sources generics from some place like India. We spent two years doing that for my wife's Singulair, it saved us a fortune.
Good doctors respond pretty well to your budget constraints. There's likely another option for you, you should ask. It may not be quite as effective, but I bet it's much, much cheaper.
Tangentially related fact: in the US, doctors don't do this since it poses a significant risk of lawsuits.
My doctors all have. "I can't afford that medication, is there something that's available as a generic that I might be able to use instead?" has worked really well for me.
I've also had their front offices recode stuff at lower rates when I explained my high deductible health plan.
"Doctors don't do this" is a little broad. Anecdotally, I have had a doctor refuse to prescribe a less expensive medication, but more often I have had doctors be sympathetic to paying out of pocket. Sometimes they may not even know how much a medication costs.
Well, if you were in the American system and didn't have insurance, you'd have to pay for all that stuff plus everything else. So, be thankful for what you have :)
Budget $300/yr for your two checkups, and you will be fine. (Even a root canal is not that expensive. I think it was $1200 for a specialist to do it.)