If you’re poor, pregnant, or a child, you’ve basically won the dental lottery. In the UK, the NHS offers free check-ups and fillings for under-18s, pregnant women, and new mums for a full year after birth. Yes, that means if you have a baby, you get free teeth for 12 months—it’s like a weird, crunchy baby shower gift.
In the US, it’s a patchwork quilt of confusion. Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental, but Medicaid sometimes does—if you live in a state that hasn’t decided teeth aren’t “real” body parts. Surprising fact: Alaska has a program that pays for your dental if you’re Native American or a veteran. The rest of us are left Googling “how to pull a tooth with string and a door.”
