I’m so cheap I won’t pay for the dentist, when I needed a tooth extracted I got my husband to yank it out at home
A WOMAN who refuses to pay for the dentist has saved money by performing her own medical procedures at home, including removing her own tooth. Karen Hearn is a self-confessed cheapskate and refuses to spend a penny when she doesn’t have to, including on medical care. However, Karen hit a bump in the road when […]
A WOMAN who refuses to pay for the dentist has saved money by performing her own medical procedures at home, including removing her own tooth.
Karen Hearn is a self-confessed cheapskate and refuses to spend a penny when she doesn’t have to, including on medical care.
However, Karen hit a bump in the road when she began experiencing chronic toothache.
Speaking on TLC’s Extreme Cheapskates, she says: “I’ve saved thousands of dollars on not going to the doctor and the dentist.
“But recently I’ve encountered a really bad toothache, these past two weeks have been horrible.
“I’ve tried clove oil, I’ve tried ice, I’ve tried everything over the counter and nothing.
“I finally gave up, I just had to go to the dentist.”
The dentist gives Karen the bad news that she has an abscess on her tooth, and recommends root canal and a crown at the cost of $1,800.
Cringing at the cost, the dentist informs Karen that the cheaper option would be to remove the tooth at $185.
But Karen is not willing to budge, even offering to go without anaesthesia to lower the cost, before asking to sleep on it.
Back at home Karen wastes no time researching how to do the job herself, enlisting husband Grant’s help.
The couple have performed various medical procedures at their home before first time attempting a tooth extraction with aid of a YouTube video.
A nervous Grant says: “I don’t like the idea of pulling my wife’s teeth out.
“What if I pull the wrong one or something? But my wife threatened to take her own tooth out so this needs to be taken care of.”
The couple set up a DIY dental clinic in their living room using a numbing gel to numb Karen’s gum, and fashioning a dental vacuum out of their own vacuum cleaner and a straw.
“The extraction will actually take place using this barber’s tool, we found it at a yard sale,” Karen explains.
“(It was) used back in the early 1920s and 1930s for when people used to go to the barber rather than a dentist to have their tooth pulled.”
Grant uses cola to dissolve the rust on the metal tongs before submerging them in rubbing alcohol to sterilise them.
The excruciating video sees Grant removing his wife’s tooth with brute force, with the whole treatment setting them back just $10.
But while in pain Karen is more than happy with the result.
She says: “Pain only lasts a short time but saving that money lasts so much longer
“Even if I won the lottery today, I wouldn’t change”
WARNING: The methods mentioned in this story are extremely dangerous, please do not try these at home and always seek professional medical help.