Unlike the UK dental treatment in the USA is paid for either by a fee or insurance. However many people in the country are often unable to pay for treatment or even afford to pay insurance premiums.

But one practice in the town of Gulfport in Missouri has come up with a new idea to help patients get the care they need. The practice is introducing a variety of finance options.

As well as the usual options available to those who can afford to pay, the surgery has also negotiated other short term and long term options from a number of providers. The length starts from just 3 months but it can last as long as 18 months.

The clinic offers patients a wide range of treatments from normal dentistry such as tooth extraction and fillings to more cosmetic treatments including implants and veneers. It also offers patients something called the ‘comfort zone’. This is a lounge where patients can relax. It features free internet access.

President Obama introduced a new Bill in the US Congress a couple of years ago in order to help patients get medical treatment. The aim is to help those in particular who struggle to either get insurance, or are denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Whether the new rules which are due to be enforced in 2014 include dental access is not known.

Dentistry like medical treatment is expensive in the USA. But it appears that dentists are more prepared to come to better arrangements than their medical counterparts.