Heather Getty of East Fairfield, Vt. can barely make it through her work day free of pain.

"I have a regular toothache probably a few times a week, every week," she said. "And I just take ibuprofen."

For more than a decade, the family center case worker and teen mom educator has needed her impacted wisdom teeth out, but can't afford it. "Dentistry's become a luxury," she sighed.

Getty said her insurance covers cleanings, but the deductibles for surgery are too much for the mother of four to pay. "We're the working poor," she added.