I live somewhere with public healthcare. Except for dentistry because of politics between the doctors' and the dentists' organisations back in the 1960's. If you're really lucky and can prove to the council that you're poor enough they might grant you enough money to have an infected tooth pulled out but that's the amount of dentistry available to those of us who cannot afford thousands of dollars in dentistry bills.
Dentistry is one of my greatest fears. It is always there looming in the background.