Managing Your Dental Care Expenses

Professional dental care is a necessary expense, but being able to afford the dental work you need or want isn't always easy. Even with excellent dental insurance you may still be faced with a bill that you can't comfortably pay out of pocket.Rather than postponing or avoiding the care you need, which often leads to toothaches and more expensive treatment, try these eight tips and tricks for making dental care more affordable.

1. Find a dentist that offers a membership plan for uninsured patients.

A growing number of dentists are offering private membership plans for patients who don't have or want to use dental insurance. For an annual fee, you will receive routine preventive care, X-rays, and often a discounted rate for dental work. This can save you a lot of money in the long run, especially if you have plans for extensive dental work or a future smile makeover.Tomasik Family Dental offers a membership plan for individuals and families that's loaded with cost-saving benefits.

2. Familiarize yourself with what your dental insurance covers.

If you do have dental insurance, take a moment to review what it does or doesn't cover. You can usually find this information easily online or contact your insurance provider for a physical or digital copy of your insurance membership handbook.Our team works very hard to ensure you get the best coverage possible from your insurance by submitting documentation on your behalf.

3. Open a Health Savings Account (HSA).

Opening an HSA can help lower your overall dental costs on deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance. This is a special savings account that allows you to put aside money for medical and healthcare expenses before tax.You can open an HSA through your employer, through some health insurance companies, or through private financial institutions. You can learn more about HSAs here.

4. Take out a low-interest personal loan.

Using a credit card is a common solution for paying for dental care that you can't afford to cover immediately. Unfortunately, many credit cards have a high-interest rate that can significantly raise how much you wind up paying in the long run. If you’ll be unable to pay off this balance soon after charging it to your card, a better option may be a personal loan.Contact your bank or a local credit union to discuss low-interest personal loan options. If you have a good credit score, this could be the best option to be able to afford paying for extensive dental work, such as a complete smile makeover or a full-mouth reconstruction.

5. Apply for a CareCredit credit line.

CareCredit is a very popular choice for dental care. CareCredit is a special credit line designed for healthcare and medical expenses. Applying is easy and since Dr. Tomasik is a CareCredit provider, we can even help you through the process in our office. Interest rates are dependent on income and credit score, but are often very reasonable compared to standard credit cards.If you'd like to learn more about CareCredit you can visit their website or speak with us about applying.

6. Start setting aside money in a savings account.

It's never too late to start saving for dental care. If you know you have upcoming dental work that isn't preventive-care-covered by your insurance, consider opening a personal savings account at your bank. Calculate how much money you need to set aside every month to reach your goal and work from there.Remember, even putting aside $5 or $10 every week is progress! Stay positive and do what you can to add to your savings without negatively impacting your daily budget.

7. Start with high-priority work first and go from there.

When extensive dental work is needed, there are often certain procedures with a higher priority than others. When you're working with a tight budget for dental care it's a good idea to begin with the high-priority procedures first. This way you'll be able to gradually work through your treatment plan while preserving your oral health.Speak with your dentist about your needs and they will gladly help rearrange your treatment plan to work with this approach and help you prioritize if you’re unsure.

8. Don't skip your twice-yearly visits and cleanings.

Preventive dental care is extremely important for your oral health. They help you maintain optimal oral health, reduce further enamel damage while you're in the middle of an extensive treatment plan, and give your dentist a chance to catch problems early on before decay or gum disease really wreaks havoc.Even when finances are tight, try your very best to still see your dentist every six months for a check-up and cleaning. These visits are typically very affordable or, if you have our membership or insurance, may even be free.

Book an appointment to see how Tomasik Family Dental can help you.

At Tomasik Family Dental we believe everyone deserves to have a healthy, pain-free smile that makes them feel confident.We do our best to provide dental care at a reasonable cost and we happily work with patients to help them create a financial plan. You can trust us to never pressure you into treatment or suggest any procedure that isn't necessary for a functioning, decay- and disease-free smile.If you've been avoiding or postponing important dental care because of financial stress, we warmly welcome you to reach out to us for assistance so you can afford the dental work you need. You can schedule a visit at our Bee Cave, TX office by calling or using this online form.