TMJ, Routine Dental Visits and Expensive Splints

We have insurance. Every time we go to the dentist or doctor we ask how can people afford health care because even with insurance everything is so expensive. I've been having a lot of medical tests lately and am awestruck by the cost to have just basic things done. This exclamation comes from a family of health care professionals. Without any X-rays at a routine dental visit yesterday, it cost $170.00 to have my teeth cleaned and examined. Having had TMJ surgery over thirty years ago, I am very concerned about maintaining good care of my jaw joints. In so doing I need to wear a splint at night to protect them, and me, from grinding. Since I have almost chewed through my current splint, I asked about having another one made as I used to have special splints created at the medical college of Wisconsin before we moved here. My dentist can can have one specially fit for me to the tune of about $600 - and insurance doesn't cover any of it. It supposedly should last for awhile and can be reconfigured if the upper teeth require any dental work that changes the original shape - which does happen. Now i need to make another appointment. What I like the most is the little "gift bag" that is provided at the end of the visit - toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste. This time I noticed the toothbrush no longer has the dental office logo and phone number on it - it's just a standard toothbrush. Maybe it's just too expensive to have them made anymore!