Insurance & Payments
Information about Your Dental Insurance
How dental insurance works: Many of our patients have dental insurance coverage as a benefit of employment. Alternatively, some patients pay for their coverage on their own. Dental insurance is a contract that is made with an insurance company. The insurance company has negotiated the benefits you receive under the terms of the contract, not your dentist or our office. No relationship exists between our office and the insurance company. In some cases, surgical treatment that you need or want may not be covered by your insurance plan. It is also likely that the treatment covered by your insurance is not paid at 100%, and in fact may even be paid at a lower percentage in our office than in your dentist's office. You may also have a deductible that you must pay each year. If your deductible has not been met by the time of our treatment, it will be included in your share of the payment.
What we do to help you: We have extensive experience in helping you obtain the highest level of benefits to which you are entitled. We will use all of our resources to get as accurate an estimate as possible for your treatment. We will review the amount of benefit provide under your dental insurance coverage with you, and we will inform you of your estimated share of the payment. As a courtesy to you, we will do our best to file a claim with your dental insurance on your behalf. Because the insurance reimbursement process is often very complicated, please understand that we may need to request your assistance in certain cases to help us process your claim. In rare cases, and despite our best efforts, our office may not be able to resolve every issue with your insurance company.
If you find it necessary to know the exact amount of coverage from your insurance company, you may request that our office send in a pre-determination of benefits prior to treatment. This process may take up to six weeks, but it may be the only way to confirm the correct benefit information. Oral confirmations are estimates and may not always be accurate.
Our office will do everything we can to help you maximize your insurance benefits. Please understand that in the event your dental insurance company fails to pay for all or part of your treatment, you are responsible for all fees. If the insurance company pays less than our estimate, we will bill you for the balance; if we are paid more than our estimate, we will promptly refund what you overpaid. You are entering into a relationship with our office in which the doctor agrees to provide treatment and you agree to pay for that treatment.
Please be aware that the fee quoted to you at the consultation appointment is based on observations made prior to surgery. In rare cases where additional procedures, medications, or x-rays become necessary, you will be responsible for those additional fees.
Our philosophy: Our office is dedicated to providing the best possible care for all of our patients, and assisting in the complicated process of dental insurance claims is one of the ways we try to help you. Please feel free to ask us about any part of the billing process.
Payment is due on the day treatment is provided:
1. Payment may be made with cash (exact amounts please), checks, or most major credit cards.
2. If insurance is to be billed, you are responsible for any co-payments, non-covered benefits, deductibles, and any amount over the yearly maximum coverage. Any benefit information obtained by our office on your behalf is not a guarantee of payment.
3. If a pre-treatment estimate is obtained from your insurance carrier, the amount not covered is due on the day treatment is provided.
4. If your payment due on the day of treatment is more than $300, you have the option to apply for our flexible monthly payment plan. Details are available at your consultation appointment.