Free dental care day highlights families’ struggle to afford dental service in El Paso County

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- One nationwide dental company provided Coloradans with free service Monday morning as part of its annual tradition.

KRDO spoke with patients at Comfort Dental, and researched to see just how many people in El Paso County are struggling to afford dental care.

When it comes time to making financial cuts, dental care takes a hit all too often.

"I think a lot of the times it's the last thing people think about until it's a pain,” said Chrystal Fiyak, one of the patients taking advantage of the free visit.

Taking care of your teeth isn't cheap.

The average cost of a cleaning is $130. Add x-rays and it jumps to $200.

Some people don’t have that kind of money to dish out twice a year for their teeth, especially when those visits line up with the holiday season.

"I just couldn't afford it,” said Fiyak.

"Everyone wants to take care of their families and buy presents and everything like that, so their health ends up taking her back burner,” said Trisha Garcia, a dental assistant at Comfort Dental.

That's why Comfort Dental has an annual free care day right before Christmas, providing free dental care to anyone who walks through the door.

With hundreds of people taking advantage of the offer here in Colorado, we wondered just how many local patients are putting off their oral care.

About a quarter of the people in El Paso County didn’t see a dentist last year, according to the 2019 Colorado Health Access Survey.

Nearly 18% of those people said that's because they couldn't afford those routine cleanings.

And -- the more serious the issue, the more it costs.

Christina Resnik, another patient, needs dentures. She says it’ll be a major blow to the bank account.

"I have Medicaid, but I mean it covers only so much,” said Resnik. "I don't know what I'm going to do until I can either save up the money, or find someone that's going to do a payment plan."

Until she figures out how to manage the price tag, Resnik will remain like so many others: uncomfortable and in pain.

"When I get these 2 teeth removed, I won't be able to eat. Like I only have my front teeth so I'm going to be literally on a liquid diet after this,” she said.

While it may be expensive, dental experts tell KRDO, worst case scenario you can end up in the emergency room with a serious infection if you skip regular checkups.