How does one pay for dental in the US without dental insurance?

lol no tax payer funded dentistry in the US?

Yup what he said, cash up front and they usually give you a discount for it.

I'm 43 and saved my whole life, and I observe excellent nutrition so that I don't need a dentist much. That's how I plan to go about it.

I'm over the 120% poverty line but I still struggle in life, even though I live alone.

I was approved by CreditCare, but with their 29.99% interest rate, that's a Mafia type loan.

Not only this, but complete reconstructive costs are 45k with a loan that is impossible to pay for the rest of your life (and that doesn't even include the additional interest on top of this with using CreditCare or other such loans to subsidize the final costs).

I guess there's always the special rate of somewhere near 35k if you have that type of immediate cash in your back pocket.

Is it just not possible anymore?

Is there any way to get through such a horrible system?

I'll never understand how dental or eyes will never be covered with even a premium health policy in the US.

For each of those two conditions, you need more insurance and more money. :(