Created: 10/22/2009 4:26:16 PM 
Greensboro, NC -- What's the scariest thing at Dr. Kate Pierce's dental office? Parents losing jobs.
At Greensboro Center for Pediatric Dentistry, she sees more moms and dads paying out of pocket because they've lost insurance. Or, they just can't afford the dental part of COBRA, continuing insurance coverage after losing a job.
"They're having to look at their monthly budget to determine if they can come to the dentist or not," said Dr. Pierce.
Her office manager counts 90 families in the last three months who have turned to state assistance.
Then there's shrinking insurance coverage. For Dr. Pierce's patients and others, average coverage maximums have dropped about $500 dollars in the past two years.
Now most hover at $1,000. And that can go fast. "We have kids that... may need 10, 12, 14 teeth fixed, said Dr. Pierce. "Those families, they'll reach... their policy's max very quickly."
She says it makes some families delay visits to her office, and postpone recommended treatments like receiving fluoride.
"The thing that's frustrating for us as clinicians is that when we see a condition that needs to have a certain treatment and then the insurance company is saying we're not gonna pay for it."
WFMY News 2
