According to the National Coalition on Health Care, employee contributions have significantly increased by more than 120% since the year 2000, while the out of pocket expenses have gone up 115%. But as Family Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry pointed out you’ll be happy to know, there are many cost-effective techniques to prevent the dental issues. Continue reading to learn more.
Finding Affordable Dental Coverage
To save money on dental work, you’ll want to find an affordable a dentist that is willing to accept cash payments. First, even if you do have coverage, your insurer may not cover everything. This means you may have to pay out of pocket costs. So, it is essential to find an affordable dentist – first, to keep the overall dental cost low.
Determine what options your employer provides. Be sure to find out how the deductibles and co-pays work, along with which services are covered. It also helps to learn which dentists you may see, as well as their rates so you will have an idea as to what your out of pocket costs might look like with that particular dentist.
Saving Money without Coverage
It is indeed possible to find reliable methods of saving money, even with no dental coverage in some of the following ways:
Discount Plans
If your employer doesn’t offer group dental insurance coverage or if the premiums are outside of your range, you may want to consider getting a dental discount plan. This can allow you to access the specific dental procedures at discounted prices.
Dental savings plans are an affordable alternative to dental insurance. These discount programs negotiate discounted rates with dentists on selected services and charge patients an annual fee to use the card. By some estimates, patients can save as much as 10-60% on the cost of dental services by using these plans.
Community health centers Community health centers can be the most affordable option for anyone looking to cut down on dental expenses. These facilities often have a very local focus so you will want to find the one that caters to residents in your county. Most of the centers provide a full range of professional services including root canals, teeth cleanings, extractions, etc.
Dental Schools
If you live near a dental school, you should consider having most, or all of your dental needs met at the school. The cleaning process is usually done by students but undoubtedly under the supervision of the instructors. The work can also be done by instructors themselves.
As the schools are not in it for the profit, you’ll only be asked to pay a fraction of what you would have paid in an actual dental practice.
Don’t Forget about Preventative Oral Care
Even you have proper dental insurance, coverage or discount plans, don’t forget about preventative oral care. This is the foremost method of saving money on dental work.
Also, your dentist can help you save money if you’re on a tight budget, she may even be able to recommend temporary fixes you can use before an expensive procedure becomes necessary.
