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January 21, 2007
Q: Finding Dental Treatment for Medicare Patients
Q:
I have a patient who needs to have dental treatments after head and neck cancer. The patient has medicare only, and they will not pay for this specific treatment. Do you have any funding for patients like this? Do you know who else may have a foundation dedicated to these patients?
A:
Let's Face It is an information service only, and does not have funding for clinical care or treatment. However, we do provide information on how to find funding or care.
For the first step, please check the Let's Face It section on financial matters:
http://www.dent.umich.edu/faceit/lifestyle/financial.php
Secondly, another thought would be to contact a nearby dental school. Many dental schools have community support programs or can provide low cost treatment from students or graduate students for patients with special needs.
Last but not least, there is an organization that provides support specifically to patients who have or are recovering from head and neck cancers.
Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer, Inc (SPOHNC):
http://www.spohnc.org/
Many times, even if the organization does not provide funding, they will provide support groups or ways to talk with other patients. For many questions, other patients can be a rich and powerful resource for information on questions related to practical matters, such as this. Often, someone else may have been in the same situation and discovered a solution.
Posted by pfa at January 21, 2007 10:12 AM