Costs and Dental Insurance

1) What is the cost of treatment?

We will discuss the costs of treatment at your first visit or at later visits as needed. Before treatment is rendered, we will sit down and give you an estimate of treatment, to the best of our ability. We do not want cost to be a deterrent to treatment, therefore, please ask us about how we can help with our many payment options.

2) Are you in-network with my insurance provider?

There are many dentists that choose not to be "in-network" with insurance companies. This is where medicine and dentistry are different, because most medical providers are all "in-network". Whereas it makes a lot of sense to go “in-network” for your medical care, it is not always the case for dental care. Some people would argue that dental insurance is not really insurance at all and because most yearly maximums are less than $1500, many dental costs end up being out of pocket. As a courtesy, we will file your insurance claims and help maximize the benefits you do have. We will help you pay for the remaining of the costs through some sort of payment plan if needed. The most important thing is to find a dental provider that you trust and are comfortable with, whether they are in or out of network.

3) I don’t have dental insurance. Do you have financing options?

Many of our patients do not have dental insurance. Our office offers several different payment options. We do not ever want you to feel that treatment is not an option.

PATIENT FINANCING IS AVAILABLE!

We are pleased to provide options to help our patients afford the care they truly need. CLICK HERE to apply for financing.

We are here to support your needs!

4) If my insurance doesn't pay for a procedure, is it necessary?

Please, we beg you….don't let your insurance benefits dictate your treatment. Insurance hasn't changed in over 30 years. While it is helpful to have dental insurance and it will help pay for certain treatment, it will not cover all of your dental needs. Just like medical insurance, they will have their own exclusions. Your insurance company may choose not to pay for a certain treatment for whatever reason. The best example of this is with dental implants. Dental implants are now the standard of care for replacing teeth and preserving jawbone, yet a lot of insurance companies out there still don't pay for them! While some of the alternative treatments are absolutely acceptable to replace teeth, patients should have the choice to have the most current, most conservative treatment as possible. In the long run, it is likely that you will have parted ways with that particular insurance company and you will still have the same mouth. The decisions that are made today will certainly affect your future. And talk to anyone who has lost a tooth or teeth, you don’t realize the value until it is lost.

5) Can I afford this?

Most people out there have a preconceived notion about how much dental work may cost. We have seen people in this office who thought the price of treatment would be a lot more than what it actually is, and we have had people come in who thought the costs would be lower. The bottom line is, if a treatment is recommended and it looks as if you can't afford it, again, talk to your dentist's treatment coordinator to discuss financing options and/or ask to have treatment performed in steps. Most offices have several methods to pay for treatment, ranging from in office financing to outsourced financing where the doctor is paid and you pay out the balance in a year or so. Your care will only continue to be more expensive, difficult and unhealthy as time goes on, so please don't wait.

6) Why can't you quote me a price over the phone?

This is a very difficult scenario for dental offices. Without a thorough dental examination, it is almost impossible to give out this type of information. There are several ways to approach oral health care and every dentist has their own manner in diagnosing and treating oral conditions. One size does not fit all for most cases, therefore, it is important to come in for your examination appointment where we can more accurately diagnose and predict the treatment costs.

7) I am shopping for dental insurance. Will that help with treatment costs?

In some cases dental insurance will help with the cost of treatment. For dental “insurance” you need to be aware of the maximum payment that they will pay per year, for example, insurance may only pay $1,000 per year. Also, you need to be aware that some treatments are not a covered expense under some dental plans.