So you been putting off that dentist visit as long as possible, but your tooth ache is getting unbearable. So after feeling defeated by the excruciating pain in your mouth, you take the walk of shame to the phone to set that long overdue dental appointment. With no dental insurance you figure you’re in for a few hundred dollars to get your cavity fixed.
The long-awaited time arrives and you sit down at the dentist to have your exam. With a short examination and some x-rays the dentist is getting ready to break the bad news to you. You expect the next words out of his mouth to be “Cavity”, but he says “Root Canal”.
“Root Canal”, but you thought you just had a Cavity; root canals are expensive and you do not have dental insurance. Your stomach sinks, knowing you cannot afford the cost of the root canal; but you also know you cannot bear the pain for another day.
You ask yourself – “What Now!”
Well if you have never been put in this position, consider yourself lucky. According to a study published in 2012, from Statisticbrain.com, 50% of Americans do not have dental insurance; 77% of people without dental insurance delay dental care; and 74% of people without dental insurance only see a dentist when they have a perceived problem.
So if you are the half of the population that has good dental insurance, you can stop reading now. But if you are the other half that does not have dental insurance you may want to listen up. What I am about to tell you will help you save 20%-60% off your dental bills, without dental insurance.
For those of you who don’t already know this, if you find out you need a root canal, dentures, fillings, or any other dental procedure, you will not be able to just sign up for dental insurance the day before you go to the dentist. It just doesn’t work that way.
Dental Insurance companies know that this would be a common practice and to combat this they generally make you wait 3-6 months before they will cover any dental procedure beyond preventive maintenance.
So what are your options, well your options are limited; however you should NEVER PAY FULL PRICE.
There is just way to good of an option that will help you in a lot of circumstances even more than dental insurance would have helped you.
Relatively new on the market is what is known as a Discount Dental Plan. Companies like True Dental Discounts offer these discount dental plans.
Discount Dental Plans do not have waiting periods, deductibles, exclusions, or annual maximums; unlike dental insurance, so you can find out you need a root canal on Monday and get your discount on your dental care on Tuesday. In addition the premiums are generally about 60% – 70% the cost of dental insurance premiums.
The way these plans work is they have a network of dentists that have agreed to work at a deep discount to be part of their network. These rates typically are 20%-60% less than what they would cost full price.
For example according to the True Dental Discount website the average cost for braces is usually over $5,000. However, with a discount dental plan, the same dental procedure would cost you on average $3,200.
If there is a drawback to using a discount dental company like True Dental Discounts, is that since the dentist has to agree to work at a discounted rate; you may have a hard time finding a nearby dentist if you are in a extremely rural area.
Generally most metropolitan areas have more than enough dentists to appease almost anyone. However, if the nearest city is three hours away, you may have some troubles. However, when you call, the sales representative will go over all the providers in your area before signing you up to make sure that you can take advantage of the plan.
So, if you do not have dental insurance and find yourself in a pinch, do not forget you are not out of options. A Discount Dental Plan might just be the best option for you.
