Dental Care: Maintain a healthy smile without breaking the bank. Here are a few ideas on how to save money on dental treatment.
Schedule regular cleanings
Dental Care: Have your teeth professionally cleaned every six months (or at least once a year) to prevent future issues and to identify current problems before they become too costly to cure. Still inclined to forego cleanings? Remember that a cavity filling bill is lot easier to stomach than a root canal, crown, or extraction bill (and it won’t need you to lose nearly as much time from work).
Triage
Dental Care: If you need more dental treatment than you can afford, consult with your dentist to determine which operations must be completed immediately and which may be postponed for a short period of time. Then, decide which process will be addressed first, second, third, and so on. If your dentist is aware that you are on a restricted budget, he may be able to offer interim remedies to tide you over until a more permanent solution can be implemented.
Purchase a Dental Savings Plan
Dental Care: If your work does not provide dental insurance, or if the rates are too high for you, consider obtaining a dental discount plan instead. Simply pay a modest, one-time charge each year (about $100), choose one of the network dentists, and all of your dental treatment will be subsidised.
Request a Cash Discount
Dental Care: Taking a flight without dental insurance or a dental plan? Ask your dentist whether he would offer you a discount if you pay in cash. He’ll probably say yes since you’ll save him credit card costs and billing headaches. Make it clear that you intend to pay in full at the time of service. Prompt payouts are difficult to refuse.
Make a Payment Plan
Dental Care: Need job right now, even if you can’t afford it? Instead of using a credit card (and the interest that comes with it), ask your dentist if you can set up a payment plan.
Pose a Lot of Questions
Dental Care: Dentists are highly educated professionals, but that doesn’t guarantee that everything they recommend is suitable for you. Inquire about the aim of any process you don’t understand, and don’t be hesitant to challenge the need of anything that appears excessive to you.
Here are some examples of questions you may wish to ask:
- Would it be okay to put off X-rays until your next cleaning?
- Do you kids still need fluoride treatments if they live in an area with fluoridated water?
- Is that procedure medically necessary or purely cosmetic?
- Is there a cheaper option that would work just as well?
Remember that you have the right to know how your money is being spent, as well as the right to seek a second opinion if you don’t believe the first.
Read more: Kakeibo: The Incredible Japanese Spending Control Method
Use Your FSA
Dental Care: Put enough money in your flexible spending account (FSA) to cover both your medical and dental expenditures, and you may use this pre-tax money to pay your bills. An FSA allows you to set aside money from your paycheck before taxes are deducted, and this money may be utilised for a number of purposes. Just remember to spend the money before the end of the year or you’ll lose it.
Attend a Dental School
Dental Care: Do you want to maximise your dental care savings? Consider getting all of your dental cleanings and treatments done at a dentistry school. The job will be done by students (under the supervision of teachers) or by the instructors themselves, and you will pay a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere.
Brush and floss on a regular basis
Dental Care: Regular appointments to the dentist will reduce your dental bills, but if you truly want to save money, you must also remain on top of your teeth’s day-to-day maintenance. Brush at least twice a day, floss, and replace your toothbrush as recommended, and limit your intake of sugary meals and beverages. All of those healthy practises will add up to less time in the dentist’s chair and a lot of money saved. Instead of paying for your dentist’s ideal vacation, use your hard-earned money to take your family on a dream trip.
