What Can You Do if You Don’t Have Dental Insurance?

July 28, 2020

Filed under: Blog,Insurance and Financial Information — southlakedental @ 6:23 pm

Dental insurance is a benefit provided by some employers, but not all. Even when dental insurance is offered, people choose not to partake in the company plan. 

According to the National Association of Dental Plans, two-thirds or 164.2 million Americans have private dental coverage. Most of those are through employer benefits or programs such as AARP. But that leaves two-thirds of people without dental benefits. And here in the southeast, dental coverage is lower than the national average

We know that needing dental care without having dental insurance can be scary. People without dental insurance are often likely to skip routine cleanings due to the cost — but that leads to more expensive procedures later. 

You might be nervous about finding a Fort Mill dentist office that accepts patients without insurance, but Southlake Family Dentistry is here to help! You don’t have to be covered by dental insurance to be a patient here at Southlake. We have several financing options, so let’s go over them.

CareCredit

One way to cover dental work costs without having dental insurance is to use CareCredit, a service we are pleased to accept. CareCredit is a credit card that offers individual financing options and helps you pay off dental services over time, usually interest-free for a period of time. This is a wonderful option if you need expensive dental work but don’t have dental insurance. Read more about CareCredit here and decide if it would be the right choice for you. 

Prosper Healthcare Lending

Prosper is the premier financing company in the healthcare industry. We recommend this route if you would like to take out a loan to pay for multiple dental projects. Prosper Healthcare Lending offers benefits such as longer terms for lower monthly payments, no collateral required, having a fast and easy loan inquiry process, and much more! Many of our patients have been pleased with their service. Read more about Prosper Healthcare Lending. 

Cash, Check, or Credit Card 

Finally, you can pay for dental work on your own. In this situation, you will be paying the full price of services by check, credit card, or cash and won’t be using an insurance co-pay. This option works well for regular cleanings and smaller dental procedures. We are happy to inform you in advance about costs so you can plan accordingly. Call our office today to discuss out-of-pocket pricing for our Fort Mill dental services. 

Now that we have broken down the available options for financing dental work without insurance, we hope you feel more informed and less overwhelmed. Sure, having dental insurance is helpful, but don’t think you can’t be a part of the Southlake Family without it. If you have questions about the payment options, please call us today. 

Dental Credit Cards and Loans

July 1, 2018

Filed under: Blog,Insurance and Financial Information — Tags: , , , — southlakedental @ 4:18 pm

One fact about dental care is that it can be expensive. While dental offices try to keep procedures as affordable as possible, the materials used are pricey and there is a lot of additional overhead in a dental office. Many people have dental insurance, but if you need a lot of work done in one calendar year, it might not stretch as far as you’d like it to. What is the answer? If you don’t have the cash available to spend on your treatment, an increasingly popular option to consider is specialized financing in the form of dental credit cards and loans.

At Southlake Dentistry, we offer a variety of options so you can get your dental work done without having to worry about dipping into your savings or not being able to pay the electric bill.

Two popular dental credit cards are CareCredit and Citi Health. These two companies can also be used for other types of financing, such as eye care and, in the case of CareCredit, veterinary care. There are sometimes special incentives, such as 6 months interest-free. To make it even simpler, you can apply for these right in our office and get an answer immediately. Be sure to get all of the terms so you understand the interest rates, annual fees, and other specifics of the agreement.

We also work with Prosper Healthcare Lending, which is a different type of financing company. With Prosper Healthcare, you will also get an immediate response and you can spread out your payments over a longer period of time. This can be very helpful if you have a lot of work to be done.

It is our goal that every patient can get the dental treatment he or she needs for good health. If you are not sure how you will pay for your dental care, don’t hesitate to ask about these payment options. Many patients are in your situation and we can help you by letting you know about the different programs available. Give us a call to schedule your appointment today!

What You Need to Know About Dental Insurance

November 15, 2017

Filed under: Blog,Insurance and Financial Information — Tags: , , , — southlakedental @ 5:09 pm

It’s that time of year again: Millions of Americans will be choosing their healthcare and dental insurance plans for 2018. If you are doing the same, read on to learn a bit about dental insurance and how to choose a plan that will be right for you.

Preferred Providers and In-Network Dentists

If you have a dentist who you like, the first item to find out is which dental insurance plans they accept. While you can go to out-of-network dentists with some plans, you’ll save the most money if you choose a plan that your dentist participates with. If your dentist doesn’t participate in any of the plans that are available to you, then you’ll need to decide if you should see them out of network or if you should choose a new dentist. Keep in mind that while you can see any dentist you want (with a higher out-of-pocket expense if they’re not participating) with a POS or PPO insurance, a dental HMO, sometimes called a DMO, generally won’t pay for you to see an out-of-network dentist at all.

Deductibles and Maximums

Most dental PPO plans have a deductible and/or a maximum. A deductible is a fee that you need to pay the first time you see the dentist each calendar year. Sometimes the deductible is waived on preventative care (cleanings and checkups). A maximum allowance is the amount of money that the dental insurance will pay per calendar year.

It makes sense to think about how much work you’re likely to need. If you need a lot of treatment, then choosing a plan with a low maximum might not be in your best interest.

Coinsurance and Copays

If you have a dental PPO plan, you will have coinsurance for each procedure. This is a percentage of that plan’s UCR (usual, customary and reasonable fee) for the procedure. This is outside of any deductible that you need to pay. If you see a dentist out of your plan’s network, the UCR might be substantially lower than the fee your dentist charges. For example, if your dentist charges $200 for a filling and your plan’s UCR is only $120 and your coinsurance is 50%, then they will pay only 50% of the $120, or $60. You would then be responsible for the rest of the fee, or $140. (If your dentist is in-network, then they will accept the UCR, so you’d only need to pay the additional $60 left after the insurance paid $60.)

DMO insurance plans assign you a copay for each procedure. You have to see an in-network dentist if you want the procedure paid for. If the procedure copay is $40 for a filling, then that’s all you pay; it doesn’t matter what the dentist’s normal fee is, because the insurance will cover the rest of the contracted fee.

Dental insurance can be confusing, so be sure to talk to your HR representative or an insurance coordinator to learn more about what type of plan would best meet your needs