Maintaining your dental hygiene is very important as with age, teeth become more prone to fracture and decay and hence, visits to dental clinics become essential. But the visit to a dentist can be very expensive and more than half of the Americans go without dental coverage. The employer-sponsered health care plans might not include dental insurance and the private individual insurance is too costly. Also medicare only offer limited insurance and does not cover most dental care such as cleanings, fillings or dental devices. It only pays for certain dental services when you get hospitalized. A simple toothache can turn into expensive procedures and regular visits and cleanings can set you back hundreds. If you don’t have a dental insurance, you might be concerned with how you can make your visit to the dentist affordable and minimize your cost.
- Full Disclosure
Before you agree for a procedure, you should be completely aware of the cost of the procedure. Often while getting regular check ups, the dentist might encounter a problem with the teeth. This problem might require a normal filling or crowning and hence the dentist might suggest you to get the treatment right then instead of taking another appointment. Getting treatment on the spot though eliminates the problem but leaves you with a shocking bill. You should always discuss any treatment, sitting up, without equipment in your mouth. In addition, if it is not an emergency, get a second opinion instead of rushing into the treatment so you could plan and won’t have to face the exorbitant bill.
- Spreading cost and payment plans
Patients can space out treatment or negotiate payment plans with dentists, which is much better than putting the bill on your credit card and paying high interest. You can spread the annual fee over time with no financing and interest. Another way is to plan extensive treatments in phases.
- Dental school clinics
They offer good quality low cost dental treatment. Most clinics have students who are there to gain experience and are supervised by licensed dentists. These clinics charge less than the traditional dentists and provide you with excellent, skilled, and well-supervised services.
- Expression Dental clinics and participation in charities
The expression dental clinics have their own payment plans for the uninsured. They charge $59 per year and provide one free dental exam and x-ray and 35% off on other dental services. They can be used as often as you want with no limits. Also some dental centres have charity drives where they give free check ups for those who are uninsured. They help communities by providing free services.
Being smart about the payment and taking good care of your dental hygiene will make all the difference. If you are looking for a dentist in Orange County then check out Smile Magic Dentistry, where quality meets affordability. They provide excellent and affordable services with family plans and make maintaining your dental hygiene easy.
