Save Money
Affordable dental care is at the heart of our mission at Le Dentiste.
Here are some tips that, when put into practice together, will help you save considerably on your dental bills.
Prevention
Prevention is by far the best way to save money on dental care. How could you possibly save more money on a root canal than if you hadn't gotten to the point where treatment was needed in the first place? Prevention starts with good oral hygiene. Brushing twice a day and flossing can prevent 90% of all dental problems.
Prevention also means regular visits to the dentist. Periodic check-ups (every 6 months) will enable your dentist to diagnose problems in their early stages. This may, for example, mean a small filling, rather than root canal therapy, coronal reconstruction and a crown. Neglect invariably leads to more expensive, more complex and more time-consuming treatment.
Insurance companies are well aware of this reality, which is why dental insurance plans often cover 100% of preventive care.
Shop Around
While many dental offices tend to base their fees on the Association des chirurgiens dentistes du Québec fee guide, you'll often find big differences in charges from one clinic to another. Some dentists prefer to set their fees higher in order to see fewer patients and generate more revenue. These dentists often recommend only one treatment plan to their patients and some refuse to see what they call undesirable patients, such as welfare recipients or children.
Is There More Than One Way to Solve my Problem?
A few years ago, Reader's Digest conducted a study in which patients were sent to several clinics to obtain an examination of their mouths and an estimate for the total dental care required. The results of this study shocked the dental community. Differences were found not only in terms of fees, but also in terms of recommended treatment from one dentist to another. While it's true that there's often more than one way to treat, some practitioners recommended only one treatment plan to their patients: the most expensive!
If you have complex dental problems or a combination of problems (crooked teeth, missing teeth, aesthetic concerns, etc.), there is often more than one way to treat them. Make sure your dentist tells you not only what the best treatment plan is, but also whether there are other possible treatment alternatives to correct your problems.
Generalist vs. Specialist
A specialist is a general dentist with additional training in a specific area of dentistry. Most often, specialists are orthodontists (braces), endodontists (root canal treatment), periodontists (gum treatment), oral and maxillofacial surgery specialists, and prosthodontists (crowns, bridges and removable prostheses).
While it's true that it's sometimes necessary to refer you to a specialist when the complexity of a treatment exceeds the capacity of a general dentist, some dentists or dental practices don't provide more advanced types of care. If, for example, your dentist doesn't do root canals, he or she will refer all patients who need it to an endodontist. The problem here is not only that you'll have to go elsewhere to have your treatment done, but that it will also be much more expensive. For example, the cost of a root canal on a front tooth is around $400 when done by a general dental practitioner, but can be as high as $800 when done by a specialist.
Commitment to Quality Dental Care
It's often impossible to predict the outcome of a procedure, which is why we can't guarantee successful treatment. However, that doesn't mean we can't offer you a commitment to the treatments we provide. In many dental practices, if the treatment fails, such as a new filling fractures or your root canal fails, too bad for you... You'll have to pay again for a new treatment. At LE DENTISTE, we want to take that financial fear out of the equation, so we're committed to the quality of almost every treatment we provide. For more details, ask us for a written copy of our commitment to quality dental care.
Tax Credits
Did you know that dental care is often tax-deductible? If the dental treatment you or your family receive in a given year exceeds 3% of your annual income, you can apply this amount as a deductible expense on your income tax return.
For Those Who Have Dental Insurance:
A- Use it
We're amazed at how many people pay for dental insurance, but don't use it. Most insurance plans cover care on an annual basis. This means that a maximum amount is allocated for a given year and is renewed the following year. But, what is not used cannot be applied to the following year. Basically, this means that any amount not used in a current year is lost. The best way to take advantage of your dental insurance is to come to your regular preventive visits. Most insurance companies cover 100% of preventive costs.
B- For Major Work: spread the treatment plan and associated costs over two successive years.
If you need a lot of dental work, ask your dentist if it's possible to start in December and finish in January. As mentioned above, since most insurance plans cover care on an annual basis and are renewable in January, it can be beneficial to spread your care from the end of one year of coverage to the beginning of another. So, let's say you have $3,000 worth of dental work required, but the maximum coverage for these services is $2,000 per year... By starting the work in December and completing it in January, you can get all the dental work done in a short period of time, without exceeding your coverage maximum.
Do you have too many treatments FOR YOUR BUDGET?
Extensive treatments can often be carried out in stages over several months or even years. The important thing is to plan these stages carefully to avoid deterioration of your teeth. Talk to your dentist, who is best placed to advise you.
Request an Appointment
Getting an appointment at Le Dentiste is easy! Our clinics accept new patients. Fill out the form below, then our team will call you back as soon as possible to schedule your visit.
Contact form En
"*" indicates required fields