If no dental insurance, should i put off exam for possible cavity/crown till i get it?

No: It would be wise to have an exam and consultation. Many times waiting can lead to more extensive as well as more expensive treatment. After an exam you can make an educated call on if waiting would be prudent.

Worse problems: If a person puts off having an exam they could end up having more problems with greater costs just by waiting. If a problem can be taken care of in its early state, this can decrease cost, and increase success of the restoration.

No please take care: Please see a dentist and get treatment asap. Waiting can cost you way more in just the co-payment than filling a small cavity. Plus loss of precious dental enamel/tooth structure. Consider regular 6 month dental visits and budgeting for quality white fillings when necessary, to be an excellent investment in saving your teeth from larger issues. Save yourself pain, unsightly teeth & money.

Dental Insurance: Just remember "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". It's much easier, cheaper, less invasive, less painful to take care of your dental needs at their earlier stages than let them get out of hand. Even with dental insurance there will be substantial amount of out of pocket cost/copay which might equal or surpass what you otherwise will be paying for preventative work.

Postponing treatment: A few days will not likely matter. A few weeks is questionable. A few months will likely be a problem. Longer will be disastrous! postponing dental treatment for any reason incurs risks. The odds are that you will end up spending ten times more than necessary for trying to save a few dollars.

Dental insurance: You should not put off dental care due to lack of insurance. Dental caries get deeper every day and there will be more loss of tooth structure and the caries will get closer to the pulp. Now, by putting off dental care, you may require a root canal and post and core in addition to what was needed in the first place. Don't let insurance dictate how you treat your medical and dental problems.

No: Regardless of insurance, the cavity will not get better and will usually get worse which could make it more expensive or worse case scenario, extraction.

No: Delaying care is never a good idea in the absence of insurance. Problems only worsen with time and become more costly to fix. Dental insurance usually doesn't provide great benefits anyways and you will still have to pay for treatment. So when you factor in insurance premiums and your copay, there is usually no incentive to wait until you get insurance. It only costs you more in the long run.

Not advised: For peace of mind, you should have a comprehensive dental exam, appropriate xrays and dental cleaning. Proper prevention and routine professional care can save you oodles of money and aggravation (even if you have dental insurance). Dental problems are a lot less expensive when treated earlier. Waiting only results in more expensive treatment needs. Have an oral cancer screening as well!