I literally remember one of my elderly relatives pulling out a tooth at home with a thread tied around a door handle as if this was nothing special. DIY all the way! Early 1990s, former Soviet Union rural-or-so area.

As of today, we have moved to a different situation where dental care in that same country is ample, but the price lists are rarely transparent, making many not-so-well-off people avoid going to dentists altogether.

The health insurance system gives something like 60€ yearly to an adult for fixing teeth. Dental care for children up to 19yo is for free, though, which is great.