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Seven Ways to Cut Your Dental Spending Without the “Pain” of Cutting Your Dental Health
In today’s economic environment more individuals and families than ever are looking at ways to reduce spending while minimizing the reduction in lifestyle. One important area is our dental health. While costs have not gone down, there are ways to reduce our spending and not have to cut corners on our dental care.Here are the seven (7) ways to cut your dental spending without the “pain” of cutting your dental health:
1. Purchase a dental discount plan. A dental plan is NOT dental insurance. A dental plan simply provides access to dental care at discounted prices. Just as insurance companies use their size and market power to negotiate lower prices, dental plans negotiate price discounts with dentists. But unlike insurance, the patient still pays 100% of the bill under a dental plan. Some advantages of a dental plan include:
A possible drawback of discount dental plans is the lack of participation by dentists. Some plans offer as few as 30,000 dentist choices nationwide. Still some, such as Aetna Dental Access® by DiscountPlusClub.Com, offer plans with over 92,500 dentists coast-to-coast.2)
Cheaper than insurance - typically under $200 per year for a family.
procedures.
2. Dental insurance – this is an insurance plan that you subscribe to, or pay a premium for, in order to recover any dental health expenses. It works quite like medical insurance, where the amount that will be reimbursed to you will be decided depending on the plan you have chosen and the amount of premium you choose to pay.
There are many packages that various companies offer- family coverage, individual coverage etc. If you choose your insurance provider carefully, you can save up to $2000/- annually on dentist’s bills. Isn’t that a substantial amount to add to your savings?Additionally, if your company or your employer offers dental care benefits, then you would be very fortunate. Dental insurance benefits the company as well as the employees. Drawbacks to dental insurance include:
- Cost is significant.
- Must use claim forms.
- There are waiting periods for coverage.
- Exclusions for pre-existing conditions.
- Need to choose treatment based on insurance benefits.
3. Preventive Dental Care - conventional wisdom says prevention is often more efficient than addressing health problems after they arise. But is this really true and does it apply to preventive dental care procedures at your dentist's office? Here is some evidence suggesting prevention is in fact the best medicine when it comes to saving money. See the links for original sources.
Economic benefits of
preventive dental care
Dental insurance companies have substantial data regarding dental care costs and
strong financial incentives for subscribers to save on dental costs. If
preventive dental care were more expensive than restorative dental care, one
would expect dental insurance plan structure to encourage restorative care over
preventive care (e.g. no coverage for regular exams, but generous coverage for
fillings and emergency visits). In reality, dental insurance benefits are
structured to encourage preventive care over restorative care. It is not
uncommon for a dental insurance plan to cover 100% of preventive care multiple
times per year. AARP Delta Dental insurance plans now cover three dental
visits per year. Also,
America's Oral Health Report by Delta Dental
- Every $1 spent on prevention saves $4 in treatment (but see below for a more dramatic estimate).
- Dental preventive care, early detection, and treatment save the U.S. $4 billion annually.
American Dental Education Association
- Every $1 spent on prevention saves as much as $50 in restorative and emergency treatment.
- Oral cancer treatment costs 60% less when caught in the earliest stages.
Children's Dental Health Project
- Low income children who first visit the dentist by age one spend $263 versus $447 over a five year period.
- Dental sealants prevent cavities and reduce associated dental treatment costs, especially among high-risk children.
5. Dental tourism: this is an upcoming trend like medical tourism. As it is a well known fact that dental treatment is very expensive in the United States and in Europe and Australia, many people are choosing to travel to Asian countries to get their oral hygiene and dental care requirements met. There are many benefits to this, one is that you get to travel and see new places and simultaneously get your teeth taken care of.
Secondly the cost of traveling and dental bills still works out to be economical as compared to getting your dental care in the USA or Europe or Australia. Plus there is the added advantage of getting excellent qualified experts at more economical rates in Asian counties. These dentists have international acclaim. If you opt for dental tourism, you can save up to $300 on a dental filling and almost $2500/- for a root canal treatment.
But, of course, if you have any issues with the quality of treatment, there is little you can do when back home. Certainly check references thoroughly.
6. Leverage the calendar (for those with insurance): Dental insurance benefits typically reset or "roll over" once per year. At the rollover date, you are considered to have used none of your annual benefits. Good news: the full maximum benefit (typically $1000-$2000 per year) amount is available to you. Bad news: You are responsible for your deductible before benefits kick in. By timing your family's dental visits smartly around the rollover date, you can take better advantage of your dental insurance benefits.When To Visit The Dentist BEFORE The Rollover Date
If you need dental work and have not used the current year's maximum benefit, schedule the procedures for this year and leave next year's benefit available for next year.
If you need multiple dental procedures that cost in total more than your annual maximum insurance benefit, schedule some of the procedures for the current year and remaining procedures for next year.When to visit the dentist AFTER the rollover date
If you used your maximum insurance benefit for the current year, consider scheduling your next dental visit for next year. Ask your dentist about the risk involved in delaying the procedure.7. Use Negotiation to Save on Dental Care: Even with health coverage, dental procedures almost always carry a big sticker shock for the patient. The New York Times suggests a few ways to lower or space out the costs of dental care for insured and uninsured alike.
Along with seeking out dental school and community clinics, which can often perform professionally supervised procedures at a fraction of private care costs, the Times recommends spacing out any procedure that would put a wallop on your wallet all at once:Working with the dentist on payments, says Dr. Mark Wolff, associate dean at the New York University College of Dentistry, is much better than putting the bill on your credit card and paying high interest.
Another way to negotiate, says Dr. Wolff, is to plan extensive treatments in phases. Say you need a crown. Your dentist may be able to put in a temporary filling for several months while you use that time to save for the permanent crown.How have you managed the cost of costly dental care and procedures, with or without dental coverage? Tell us your tips in the comments.