A mother revealed the honest reason she was forced to take her son out of America for a minor operation.
In a video, TikTokgossipgalnews user, a mother of a 14-year-old girl, explained that she was trying to find a doctor in America for her son who wouldn’t cost her thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, due to America’s lack of affordable healthcare, it was forced to look elsewhere.
She took her son to Portugal to do a simple dental job after the high cost of her work in America.
“Daring American Dentists, Let Me Tell You What Happens” The teen boy’s mother started in her own video. She explained that she is currently in Portugal to take her son to the dentist because something happened during his birth that stained his front teeth brown.
The stain on his teeth led to some self-esteem issues, so I decided to seek a solution from a large number of dentists in the United States.
“When he was six, I started asking dentists, ‘Hey, can we fix this?'” And I had at least six American dentists tell me it would be thousands of dollars.”
The prices she was receiving ranged from $10,000 to $15,000 for a basic teeth whitening procedure. Hear astronomical prices From American dentists, she learned that she would not be able to afford to have his teeth whitened in the US.
During her trip to Portugal, she took her son to have his teeth cleaned. During the visit, she mentioned to the dentist what she had been told in America about the price and was shocked to hear the Portuguese dentist laugh. .
They said, ‘Oh, yeah, we always know just by looking in the mouth, who has American dental work because it’s always the most expensive with the (worst) show, and it’s really bad work. Then they went to tell me that the problem could be fixed for 20 euros.
The teenager’s mother noted that she was surprised that the price of teeth whitening outside America was close to $22 in US dollars. She claimed that a Portuguese dentist was able to remove brown stains from her son’s teeth without having to give up an arm and a leg to do it in America.
The lack of affordable healthcare in America remains a difficult problem.
Since the median household income in the United States is $87,864, as of 2023, that means the median income of an American household Spends at least $4,393 For out-of-pocket health care costs. The United States is one of the only countries that It does not offer affordable healthcare options to its citizens.
In 2021, US healthcare spending will reach $4.3 trillion, which is Averages to about $12,900 per person. By comparison, the average health care cost per person in other rich countries is only half that.
For dental work, specifically with dental insurance, the Average cost for small issues, such as cavities or teeth whitening, $978. Without dental insurance, costs can average around $1,007 or more.
Because of the lack of access to affordable preventive care in this country, it can lead to undiagnosed and untreated conditions, which can lead to higher health care costs in the long run.
Related: I don’t have teeth – but my husband still thinks I’m pretty
In the comments section, many people shared the same frustrations the mom of a teenage boy had when it came to the high cost of health care in America.
“We have dental insurance – two cleanings and it covers $2,000 a year. That barely covers anything (because) doing anything is so expensive!” One TikTok user pointed out.
Another user added, “My kids’ teeth cleaning just went from $99 to $250. Baby’s cleaning is literally just fancy toothpaste. I’m so crazy.”
The unfair reality of the health care system and the prohibitive costs of simple procedures remain important topics of discussion among Americans. It’s disheartening that people, like this mom, have to resort to seeking care outside the country just to save themselves thousands of dollars.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
This article originally appeared YourTango
