Dental Benefits
These days, most dental benefit plans are simply geared toward helping you defray the cost of routine preventative care such as cleaning, exams and X-rays, and minor care, like filings. Most plans have annual benefit limits in the $1000-$1500 range, which is a number that has not really increased in the last 40 years, even as the sophistication and cost of dental technology and services have continued to evolve. Thus, insurance plan financial assistance available to you for more complex procedures may be limited.
We will, of course, do all we can to assist you in maximizing your dental benefits. We accept a limited number of dental benefit plans as an in-network provider; please call our office to see if we are in-network with your plan. (There are also a limited number of specialized procedures, such as sleep apnea appliances, that may be covered through medical insurance.)
If we are not in-network with your dental benefits company, out-of-network dental benefits are often still available to you through most dental plans, at an adjusted co-pay percentage. Though we can check with your benefit company about available benefits for a specific procedure or course of treatment, we cannot guarantee coverage due to the complexities of benefit contracts. Ultimately the responsibility for payment is yours, since the benefit contract is between you and the benefit provider. We will ask that the estimated patient portion be paid at the time of service. (For very complex and time-consuming procedures, you may be asked to make a deposit in advance, to hold the extended appointment time and to cover the cost of dentist/staff time needed for prepping for your procedure, and any custom supplies required for your case.)
As a service to our patients, we will bill dental benefit companies for services and allow them 45 days to forward payment. After 60 days, you are responsible for the entire balance, paid-in-full. If you have any questions, please contact our office manager Bobbi at the front desk.
FSA/HSA
Beyond your standard dental benefit plan, if you have a Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account available, funds from these tax-advantaged accounts can be used to pay for certain dental procedures. See your FSA or HSA documentation for details on what procedures may be eligible.
Payment Options
Our fees are based on the time, effort and skill involved in your care, the quality materials we use, and the technology we employ.
We accept the following forms of payment: Cash, Check, Visa and MasterCard. In addition, we accept CareCredit, a patient credit card program that allows you to make monthly payments to a company that finances health-related treatments and procedures. Please contact our office manager Bobbi at the front desk if you would like to explore Care Credit as a payment option, or click here to go to their website.)
Payment for the patient share of services is due at the time services are provided unless prior arrangements have been made. We reserve the right to request partial payment in advance for services that require us to reserve extended appointment blocks, secure/prepare supplies specific to your procedure(s) and require significant advance time investments by our dentists or staff.
Checks that are returned to our office from your financial institution are subject to a $35.00 returned check fee. This fee covers the processing fees that are charged to our office.
We would be happy to discuss our charges and how they relate to your particular situation. We also realize that temporary financial situations may affect timely payment of your account. If such problems do arise, we encourage you to contact us promptly for assistance in the resolution of your account. Most often, financial misunderstandings can be managed with a phone call. Please feel free to contact our front desk at any time to discuss any concerns you may have.