Many uninsured patients wonder about the cost of a specific dental procedure when they have to pay the full amount out-of-pocket.
Well, guess what? If you need one form of oral care, chances are you will need something else later on.
At some point, you may want to invest in dental insurance and hold on until the waiting periods expire. Use the cost estimations covered in these pages to calculate your break-even point. Otherwise, continue to roll the dice and hope for the best.
Did you know that 85% of people need to have their wisdom teeth removed before they reach twenty-five? If you or one of your family members is in this age range, it is time to get prepared.
Your health insurance should cover the cost of any impacted third molars as the primary payer. Therefore, you have an extra reason to enroll in Medicaid or buy a private policy on the state exchange.
Having dental insurance already in force makes care from a periodontist far more affordable. But what if you do not have coverage yet?
If your family dentist suggests that you need a deep cleaning (root planing and scaling), you probably have gingivitis and will need several procedures annually – possibly for years to come.
Get started with a plan today and be prepared should your gums need more intrusive and expensive treatment later on.
How much does it cost to have your teeth professionally whitened?
Having dental insurance already in place could save you about $100 off the first step, a professional cleaning to remove plaque and tartar that might impede the chemical agents and lasers from doing their jobs.
Then, your choice of brands and the different systems each provides could impact the amount you pay out-of-pocket for a brighter smile.
Dental insurance plans share one thing in common: waiting periods and graded benefits make it less affordable to for new members with existing problems with their teeth – at the beginning.
The cost of filling a cavity without insurance ranges from $150 to $800 all-in. At some point, it pays to bite the bullet and start a new plan to avoid surprise expenses.
Having a third-party insurance company foot the bill is always the ideal form of financing for any medical procedure. Corrective jaw surgery is a treatment that often falls into a gray area.
Insurance will pay for medically necessary services, with left-over expenses. Have your surgeon write a narrative describing why the procedure will address a health problem, injury, disease and its symptoms.
Dentures are not the most expensive dental procedure, but they could still be difficult to afford for seniors on a fixed income, and younger people struggling to make ends meet.
Paying for dentures without insurance will set you back – especially if your teeth are already missing.
Some people can find help through Medicaid, while free care and grants are more elusive.
Patients often need to fund the payment of extracting one or more teeth that break or experience excessive decay.
The expense could range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Then comes extra fees to replace the hole in their smile with dentures or implants.
Find ways to make the experience more affordable.
A root canal is a painful experience that often requires immediate treatment. The longer you delay, the worse the infection may become.
People who invested in a dental insurance plan can more easily absorb the surprise expenses. Those who roll the dice may have to pay the full cost out-of-pocket – unless they get lucky.
Dental veneers are a popular method to brighten your smile. People with discolored and misshaped teeth often look to this procedure in order to make themselves look like a movie star or politician.
However, most dental insurance plans classify veneers as cosmetic and will not honor claims. When this happens, the cost-burden falls fully on the patient. Plus, the per-tooth costs are quite high.