A root canal, which can be incredibly painful and lead to other problems, must be fixed right away, but if you don’t have dental insurance you could be spending upwards of $1000 or more on costs. Because many dentists practice in private offices, the costs can be far more than other medical costs, mostly because of high overhead. Most people need to have their teeth cleaned up to twice a year, or more, which can really start to add up. In addition, there will undoubtedly be other costs too, like x-ray and check up fees. If you are one of the lucky ones with insurance, you will be saving yourself a lot of money, but for the rest of us that have to pay in full it can be nearly unaffordable, which can be dangerous in the case of an emergency. Here are 5 tips to help you save money on dental care.
- Visit a dental school. Many dental schools around the country are in need of real patients that their students can perform work on. Don’t worry, most of these students are completely qualified to perform procedures, from regular cleanings to filling cavities and removing wisdom teeth. Most of these students are far advanced in their studies and are fully prepared by their professors. Most of the time it can cost a fraction of what is usually costs, opposed to dental work at a private dentist office.
- You could also look online or research a way to get on an affordable dental plan. If your work does not offer you dental benefits, you can always get on one of these plans, and either pay annually or monthly for your deductible. In most cases, this can cover a huge percentage of regular dental procedures, like fillings, x-rays and cleanings.
- Another way to get affordable dental work is to shop around for the lowest rates. You can search online or ask your friends and family if there is a good dentist that they can recommend that is also affordable and trustworthy. Trustworthy is an important keyword, because many of the low cost dentists are not fully qualified to perform dental procedures – even the simplest procedures, like a deep cleaning. You can risk infection or you can make your dental issues worse.
- Whether you need oral surgery in North Dakota or your wisdom teeth removed in Florida, no matter where you go some procedures can cost you thousands of dollars if you don’t have insurance. One of the best ways to cut down the cost is by paying cash in multiple, monthly payments. You can cut down the over costs by up to 5% if you pay by cash and in multiple payments.
- Lastly, once you have found a reputable dentist, talk with him or her about your financial standing and ask for a discount. If you are low income or can’t afford a necessary procedure, sometimes it is best just to ask and in most cases, the dentist will be more than willing to oblige.