DENVER -- The cost of insurance wasn't so much the problem as the amount Tracee Gingrich was required to pay for even the simplest dental procedures.
Co-pays and deductibles were topping 40 percent of her dental bill, and Gingrich was more than fed up.
"I just can't stomach the money insurance companies say we're forced to pay," the 45-year-old trade journalist said. "It was unacceptable."
That's when Gingrich heard of a little-known program at the University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine, where student dentists take on challenging work at a fraction of the cost to patients.
"We live in a misconception that the more expensive something is makes it best," Gingrich said. "I get excellent care for a fraction of the cost."
The Littleton resident says she has saved up to 60 percent on the amount her insurance requires her to pay. Typically pricey procedures such as gum surgery, tooth veneers and even whitening cost much less at the dental school.
Gingrich is among a growing number of people turning to the schools that train would-be professionals as a way to beat high prices.
Dental schools, barber colleges, cosmetology schools and massage-therapy classes all need the same thing for their students: someone to practice on.
And for the privilege, consumers get some of the largest price breaks around _ paying as little as one-tenth what the service would normally cost.
In downtown Denver, the Emily Griffith Opportunity School has trained 1.5 million people since 1916 to work in trades as varied as aesthetics and automotive repair, spokeswoman Marla Rodriguez said.
DENVER -- The cost of insurance wasn't so much the problem as the amount Tracee Gingrich was required to pay for even the simplest dental procedures.
Co-pays and deductibles were topping 40 percent of her dental bill, and Gingrich was more than fed up.
"I just can't stomach the money insurance companies say we're forced to pay," the 45-year-old trade journalist said. "It was unacceptable."
That's when Gingrich heard of a little-known program at the University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine, where student dentists take on challenging work at a fraction of the cost to patients.
"We live in a misconception that the more expensive something is makes it best," Gingrich said. "I get excellent care for a fraction of the cost."
The Littleton resident says she has saved up to 60 percent on the amount her insurance requires her to pay. Typically pricey procedures such as gum surgery, tooth veneers and even whitening cost much less at the dental school.
Gingrich is among a growing number of people turning to the schools that train would-be professionals as a way to beat high prices.
Dental schools, barber colleges, cosmetology schools and massage-therapy classes all need the same thing for their students: someone to practice on.
And for the privilege, consumers get some of the largest price breaks around _ paying as little as one-tenth what the service would normally cost.
In downtown Denver, the Emily Griffith Opportunity School has trained 1.5 million people since 1916 to work in trades as varied as aesthetics and automotive repair, spokeswoman Marla Rodriguez said.
Though students learning to cut hair or provide a shave must first work on a mannequin or lathered balloon, "sooner or later they need the real thing," Rodriguez said.
Denise Albo was more than happy to give up her 1999 Toyota RAV4 to the school's automotive students. Faced with a $1,000 tune-up at her local mechanic, the 32-year-old gave the trade school a try.
"I'd just paid the car off and wasn't in a place to pay $1,000," Albo said. "It was ridiculous."
Having a student work on the car takes longer, Albo said. "My usual shop would be done in a day," she said, "but that's the convenient option, not the less-expensive one."
The work was good, she said, and the cost was limited to needed parts. The tab: $130.
That's what Lupe Medina says about the barbers training at the school. Money can be tight for the single father, "so any chance I get to save, I will."
For the past decade, Medina has stopped by for a shave and trim by the students, a service for which most salons would charge up to $40.
"The shave is $1.50, and even if I give a $2 tip, you still can't beat it," the 34-year-old said. "That leaves money for gas."
Few schools advertise, relying mostly on referrals from those in the know.
"We really don't advertise, mostly because of money," Rodriguez said. "Otherwise, we would. Word of mouth is our biggest draw."
