I once avoided asking my father for money for the dentist, out of pride, as a tooth infection was developing.

By the time I finally did break down and ask him, it had advanced to the point where my nervous system got permanently altered by the pain levels I experienced.

I finally broke down and asked him when it got too much for me to handle. But by that time, it wasn’t at its peak yet. The pain peaked after I started the antibiotics.

I guess the lesson was: a problem will continue to develop after you take steps to solve it. In my case, waiting until the pain reached a level I couldn’t handle meant that the maximum pain level was well above what I could handle.

The lesson I learned is this: The problem does not go away magically the moment you decide to ask for help. So don’t wait until the last second to ask for help.

Like, call the fire department long before the fire gets out of control.

Oh my GOD yes. The pain now is a FRACTION of what it'll be the longer you put it off! And trust me, at some point you will be forced to go if you don't choose to go yourself. Just go. They won't judge you for starting now.

Currently the non-availability of dental care in the budget is the biggest visible sign of poverty.

Remember that while dentristry is an essential service, it is mercenary and thus priced out of reach of our bottom 30%.

Some things are important, but importance is only half of the prioritization.

Also, floss.