Financing and Insurance

While we are committed to providing you with the latest in dental technology, we also understand just how important the financial aspect is to your care. To make your care more affordable, we accept many different insurance policies and offer a discount plan for our cash paying patients.

Most people have purchased their dental insurance through their employer as part of their health benefits. Your specific policy is determined by negotiations between the employer and the insurance company. We are happy to help you determine your coverage as part of your benefits verification.

There are several different types of insurance plans that you may participate in:

• Preferred Provider Organizations, or PPO plans, offer a network of participating dentists who agree to accept contracted fees as payment. These fees are usually lower than their typical office fees. If you have a PPO plan, you will likely pay a percentage of that lowered rate, and the insurance company will pay the rest. You may have to meet a deductible before your insurance benefits will apply. The percentage that you are responsible will vary by plan, by policy, and by procedure. You can usually visit any dentist you wish, even if they are not in the PPO network.
• Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMO, require that you choose a single dentist or dental facility to coordinate all of your care. If you need more specialized care, your primary dentist will issue a referral for you to see the specialist. When you participate in an HMO dental plan, you will pay a set fee for your treatment. HMOs usually do not have a deductible, and diagnostic/preventative services don’t require a copay. Unlike PPO plans, you must see a dentist within the network or you will be financially responsible for the entire bill.
• Indemnity, or Fee for Service, plans are very similar to PPO plans: you visit a network dentist, pay a certain percentage for each service and the insurance plan pays the remainder. You will also likely have a deductible, and may also have an annual maximum amount that the plan will cover. However, the main difference between a PPO and Indemnity plan is that the indemnity dentist is not usually paid as much as the PPO dentist, which can increase the amount that you are responsible for.
• Discount plans are also known as reduced fee for service plans. These plans are not traditional insurance coverage, but provide discounted rates when you see a participating provider. There usually are no deductibles, or annual maximums to deal with when you are part of a discount plan.