I think she should see a dentist - should I say something? (siblings, relatives)

[DaniellaG]

No you should not. I am thinking this person is already self conscious and you will only hurt her feelings by saying anything.
I also question when a stranger wants to say something along these lines to someone that they don't know. Is it really out of care and concern or more about being nosey or that you are person who always has to say something even if it is not your place?

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

Well for starters, you can go to a clinic at any major university with a dental program for almost free.
(snip)

Originally Posted by BOS2IAD

Well for starters, you can go to a clinic at any major university with a dental program for almost free.

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I tried looking into that. The hours that dental students work with patients are very limited. For example, I was told that I could only come in Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Plus, if I needed extensive work (which I did) I would have to come once a week at the same time. For example, every Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Not everybody is able to do that. In my case, the job I had at the time would have meant taking time without pay plus if I insisted on taking this time off, I would have been told "no".

Not to mention, not everybody lives near a dental school.

Depending on the area where the clerk lives, she might not have a job with those benefits you mention.

All this is a moot point. The OP asked if s/he should say something to her, and the answer is "no".

We live near a very large dental school. First of all the costs at our dental school are not "almost free" but are 50% what a regular dentist in our area would charge. A $3,000 root canal that would take one two hour scheduled appointment and a brief scheduled follow-up appointment with your regular dentist would take several visits and you would not have a scheduled appointment. You either are assigned 8 AM or 1 PM and you just sit around and wait, with the dozens of other patients, until someone can see you and it still would cost $1,500.

Yes, dentures that would cost $6,000 from your regular dentist would "only" cost $3,000 but we were told to expect it to take many half day "appointments" and probably "a lot" more pain.

Now, it is true that once or twice a year the dental school has free clinics for homeless people and people in extreme poverty. I was told that last year patients started lining up several hours before the free clinic opened and hundreds were turned away.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

Some do, many don't.
Those that do, don't give them to part-timers.
Almost all grocery stores hire part-timers rather than full-timers.
Long story short, dental benefits are a long-shot for grocery workers.

I think it depends on if the market is unionized. If the union is strong, there are probably some dental benefits. When my son worked for a market during HS he had to join the union and pay dues. I assume that even part time workers received some benefits therefore. I could be wrong. But I think pay and benefits depend on where the grocery clerks work, and what companies they work for.

[MIKEETC]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

There's a young woman I see occasionally (she's the cashier at the store where I buy groceries weekly) for the past 3 years. We ... don't have a personal relationship. I think she has a pretty serious case of gingivitis. Her front top gum is swollen and bright red. Its so very evident when she smiles. She's in her 20's, married and has a young baby -- we have exchanged a few words. I think its pretty serious and if she doesn't get it checked out she might start losing her teeth. Do you think I should say something or just assume people in her personal network will likely say something to her?

Therefore, you are in no position to say anything.

[paper or plastic?]

[Shirina]

Originally Posted by sjdemak

This, how can you pay for dental work when you have no benefits, and only make $400/week?

Heh, you mean $320/week - before taxes. And that's if they pay you $8/hour instead of the $7.15/hour minimum wage.

[s1alker]

Originally Posted by Shirina

Heh, you mean $320/week - before taxes. And that's if they pay you $8/hour instead of the $7.15/hour minimum wage.

I live on something similar to that but luckily I have insurance. I had two emergency root canals done this year and I still had to pay hundreds out of pocket. I have a dentist that has a flexible payment plan which helps a lot. I neglected my oral health for years and had to learn the consequences the hard way.

[Scooby Snacks]

A little off topic, but it's pretty bad that in this country people can't get dental care they need and end up losing their teeth and/or getting bad infections due to lack of dental care. Why isn't dental care considered part of a person's general health? I don't understand that. I'm in a similar position now, as are many others. Dentists offer only a negligible cash pay discount (if any), and the only discounts they want to offer are for new patients. I have great medical insurance, but no dental insurance. I have a dentist I really like, but I can't afford to see him anymore for just my general cleanings, x-rays, and exams every six months. It ends up costing almost $300 just for that. So I have to see a new dentist every six months to get a new patient discount just so I can afford dental care. And I'm of course crossing my fingers that I don't need a major procedure at any time. . .

[WorldKlas]

ok, won;t say anything and I was only considering it because some people might not understand that neglecting teeth is a health issue, not a cosmetic issue.

Kind of like if you see someone with a skin mole that looks like melanoma (that's even more serious) do you say something?

[Classy Sassy]

Dental schools are not "practically free" anymore, but dental hygiene schools in community colleges are practically free for at least the exam, x-rays, and cleaning part. Some of them have evening hours.

Most cities have community clinics that provide dental services on a sliding fee scale. When your income gets very low, your work is at no cost. I have a friend who works at one.

I would never embarrass someone by pointing out that their teeth or gums are bad and that they should see a dentist. I'm sure she is aware of the situation and dreams of having beautiful white teeth.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

ONLY 400 a week? How would you know how much she makes or how many hours or overtime.

Well for starters, you can go to a clinic at any major university with a dental program for almost free.

And if her only problem is gingivitis, it can easily be dealt with not all that expensively. Unless she needs full mouth reconstruction in which case she needs to have them pulled and false teeth because if you cap your teeth in your 20's you better be WEALTHY to keep them up for life.

And don't be so sure about no dental benefits.

It's HILARIOUS how people are so condescending about grocery store jobs, no offense. But I worked in one and the clientele were UNBELIEVABLE.

Giving me pep talks and lectures about how to improve myself when they didn't even KNOW me and that I had just closed my business, have two degrees and was only working there overnight because my BF was in ICU for 3 months and I wanted some night job so I could be there during the day.

Anyway, GROCERY STORES HAVE BENEFITS INCLUDING DENTAL. Grocery stores have a career path. Grocery stores are a solid job especially for people with no skills and even people with disabilities like dyslexia. A chain like Publix even has programs hiring people with Down Syndrome etc. Grocery stores are well known for people starting as kids as baggers and working their way up to store manager and higher. Most of the people I worked with had over 10 years service. Except for the overnight stock crew who were work release from the local prison and they were hilarious to work with. I actually LIKED that job.

A bagger in my local Publix is NINETY SIX YEARS OLD and started when he was EIGHT FIVE!! LOL (yes he was a grocery store lifer from elsewhere)

I was making $14.50 per hour plus optional overtime at Giant way back in 1999. That's 580.00 per week for the math challenged. 30K a year without OT and there is always OT for a cashier especially on overnights.

Publix AND Giant just to name TWO - have very good benefits the same as I had as a manager for AT&T.

FOR THE 17TH YEAR IN A ROW, PUBLIX IS ONE OF FORTUNE MAGAZINES TOP 100 COMPANIES TO WORK FOR.

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Employee stock ownership plan that contributes Publix stock to associates each year at no cost to them
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What are you, HR for a grocery store chain? I don't really doubt any of this but that doesn't make it ok for the customer to say anything to the clerk about her teeth!