Tom Segura: I know someone with a prominent dead tooth and you just want to be like. Why do you have a car? You should fix this first!
Joe Rogan: Yeah, yeah. Dead teeth are weird, right? It’s like…there’s something about it that signals to you that there’s something wrong with that person. When you see a person with a missing tooth you’re like…oooh…what other bad decisions are you making.
Tom Segura: Yeah…right. One of the first things you notice is a wonky eye and…TEETH! And you know, for a lot of people, it’s expensive. But my thing has always been when someone says…well it’s…whatever…thousands of dollars…I say. Go into debt!
Joe Rogan: Your life might improve.
Tom Segura: Exactly, it’s worth it.
That was a short exchange between Tom Segura and Joe Rogan on a JRE podcast episode (#1405 at ~55 minutes in). If you listen to the clip, you’ll see that they were obviously exaggerating for comedic effect, but…Tom is actually making a real point in there somewhere.
Tom Segura, for those who don’t know him, is a stand-up comedian and popular podcast host. He also happens to be a big advocate of oral health! He and his wife (also a stand up comedian), often talk about dental topics on their podcast, “Your Mom’s House”. One recurring segment on their podcast is called “dental updates”, which is always funny. Tom even named one of his comedy tours “No Teeth No Entry”. So obviously Tom likes to joke around about teeth, but he’s actually pretty serious about oral health.
Behind the jokes and comedic exaggeration, Tom is making two important points.
- Don’t underestimate the impact bad teeth can have on your life.
- Don’t take the option of financing off the table.
Four ways to make dental treatment more affordable
- Maximize your dental insurance benefits
- Join your dentist’s membership / discount plan
- Ask for cash discounts
- Complete your dental treatment in phases whenever possible
Three “financing” options if needed
- Personal credit cards
- In-house payment plans
- Third party financing (e.g. CareCredit)
Should you sell your car to fix your teeth? Only if you have to.
Mark Frias, RDH