Best Dental Insurance?

[bobandsherry]

Originally Posted by MortonR

With all these ideas in mind, I wonder how much of a deal a dentist might make if you agree to be a cash customer. Their overhead costs fall significantly when they're getting paid on the spot for services rendered, so I wonder what that's worth to them?

Some years back when we were in the middle of a move and between jobs, we had to see a doctor who had been treating us for some time. As we didn't have medical insurance at the time, we paid cash and a lot less than what the insurance paid. The doctor said he would much rather be paid in cash that have to process claims and wait to be paid by the insurance companies, so he had no problem discounting his fees substantially for cash....

RM

Some dentists offer a cash discount (non-insurance option), but I've found most do not. Also, I found that the negotiated rate with my Cigna Dental Savings plan was lower than was most dentists were offering as a "cash discount". The savings plan isn't insurance, there's no paperwork or claims that need to be processed, it's simply a lower discounted rate that dentist has agreed to accept.

Additionally, my dentist offered a "plan" (through a 3rd party) instead, but premium was slightly more costly and discounts were significantly less than my Cigna plan. If you like your dentist, and they aren't in a "savings plan" then may be worth asking anyways.

[bobandsherry]

When we moved, we asked our last Dentist for recommendations on what to do for dental insurance. His recommendation was to not get insurance as he didn't find it worthwhile for most people. So I started looking for options and found out about Dental Savings Plans, and that lead me to DentalPlans.com as they act as consolidator for various offerings. And I compared, they are no more expensive, and can be less expensive, than buying directly with an insurance company. Honestly, I was extremely hesitant of the Savings Plan, but been using it now for 3 years and it's been all it's said it would be and no hassles.

As FYI, here's a quick comparison of Dental Savings Plan vs. Dental Insurance. There's even a code showing (CD1920) for 20% off.

https://www.dentalplans.com/dental-i...-savings-plans

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by MortonR

With all these ideas in mind, I wonder how much of a deal a dentist might make if you agree to be a cash customer. Their overhead costs fall significantly when they're getting paid on the spot for services rendered, so I wonder what that's worth to them?

Some years back when we were in the middle of a move and between jobs, we had to see a doctor who had been treating us for some time. As we didn't have medical insurance at the time, we paid cash and a lot less than what the insurance paid. The doctor said he would much rather be paid in cash that have to process claims and wait to be paid by the insurance companies, so he had no problem discounting his fees substantially for cash....

RM

The best situation I've run into is a 5% or 10% discount for paying cash. And not all dentists do it. Plus, when you are handed a bill at the end of the appointment, if you don't have insurance, you have no idea if you are being charged a "cash" rate or if the rates are identical for services rendered, regardless of who pays (insurance or out-of-pocket.

In my experience, dentists charge way too much, and it's nearly impossible to "comparison shop." It's too late once you are in the chair getting the x-rays and the cleaning done. I have called around in the past to various dentists in a new area I was moving to, and all of them charge about the same for similar services (x-rays, cleanings, crowns, etc).

It's also hard to get a price on something like a crown, since so many factors come into play (gold vs ceramic vs porcelain, etc). The price of gold goes up and down. So, in my experience, dentists are a roll of the dice, even with "recommendations" from friends. All you can hope for is not to be ripped off too badly, and someone who does "decent" work.

I've had several bad dentists (3 in a row) who were 1) careless (dropped a crown on the floor during the fitting process, wipes it on his coat, rinses it in tap water and puts it in), 2) put in a filling that failed a year later (filling separated from the tooth), and 3) permanently damaged gum and cheek tissue when doing a procedure. In my experience, dentists get defensive (or condescending) when you go back and show them the results of their shoddy work, especially the younger generation who "don't make mistakes." They try to blow everything off or blame the customer. These are small private practices and the dentists call the shots.

If you find a good, honest dentist, hang on to them as long as you can.

[MortonR]

Originally Posted by xz2y

The best situation I've run into is a 5% or 10% discount for paying cash. And not all dentists do it. Plus, when you are handed a bill at the end of the appointment, if you don't have insurance, you have no idea if you are being charged a "cash" rate or if the rates are identical for services rendered, regardless of who pays (insurance or out-of-pocket.

In my experience, dentists charge way too much, and it's nearly impossible to "comparison shop." It's too late once you are in the chair getting the x-rays and the cleaning done. I have called around in the past to various dentists in a new area I was moving to, and all of them charge about the same for similar services (x-rays, cleanings, crowns, etc).

It's also hard to get a price on something like a crown, since so many factors come into play (gold vs ceramic vs porcelain, etc). The price of gold goes up and down. So, in my experience, dentists are a roll of the dice, even with "recommendations" from friends. All you can hope for is not to be ripped off too badly, and someone who does "decent" work.

I've had several bad dentists (3 in a row) who were 1) careless (dropped a crown on the floor during the fitting process, wipes it on his coat, rinses it in tap water and puts it in), 2) put in a filling that failed a year later (filling separated from the tooth), and 3) permanently damaged gum and cheek tissue when doing a procedure. In my experience, dentists get defensive (or condescending) when you go back and show them the results of their shoddy work, especially the younger generation who "don't make mistakes." They try to blow everything off or blame the customer. These are small private practices and the dentists call the shots.

If you find a good, honest dentist, hang on to them as long as you can.

I found one that I've been with for nearly 20 years. I got a recommendation from a coworker for a dentist and made an appointment. Before my appointment came due, his office called and cancelled. Seems the dentist has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and as a result he was closing his practice.

The practice was sold shortly after, and I went ahead and decided to see the new owner/dentist. Young guy, fresh out of dental school, great attitude and very patient oriented. Really good about working around insurance limitations and the patient's budget. At a time that I was working and attending school with minimal disposable income, I needed a crown badly as a tooth that had been filled some years ago was breaking up and causing me a great deal of pain. He was able to tap dance around the insurance and let me pay him back over six months or a year, I don't recall exactly.

In the early 2000s, he expanded his practice and started to get into cosmetic dentistry, as the economy was booming. I was a little disappointed in this, but he continued to do a good job with his core competencies and he had excellent staff. The economy tanked, he backed off and shrank his practice down a bit and got back to basics.

He's been this way ever since, and continues to do an excellent job, I believe.

RM