Whether they have insurance or not, cost is the number one reason that most Americans give for delaying the dental work they desperately need. Americans holding off on dental work because of cost have good reason to do so. Check out these average, pre-insurance prices for common dental work as reported in the February 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine:

• Fillings - $288
• Extraction - $501
• Crown - $1,018
• Root canal - $1,201
• Bridge - $2,698
• Dental implant - $3,938

If those prices scare you, take a deep breath and realize that these are reader-reported averages from across the country. If you’re one of the 43 percent of Americans without dental insurance, don’t let it stop you from getting the dental care you need. Consider the options available to you outside of dental insurance to pay for dental procedures that can relieve your pain and prevent worse problems from occurring.

Visit FairHealthConsumer.org and look up what a typical rate for a dental procedure with dental insurance costs in your zip code. Ask your dentist to accept that rate, or even less, in cash, if you can afford it. You may find success especially on higher priced procedures like bridge work and dental implants.

Check out a community health center in your area, if one exists that offers dental care. Or, call a local dental or dental-hygienist school. If you are willing to allow students to work on your teeth, you may be able to receive free or discounted dental work. Find a list of dental schools at ada.org.

Emergency Dental Care, USA Inc. offers locations in select cities across America. While each location is independently operated, most offer finance options including all major credit cards and payment by check. We’re unique in that we specialize in after hours dental care. Like many good dentists, we care most about helping our patients and hate to see concern over cost keep them from getting the help they need.

January is a popular time for dental work. In many cases, that’s because dental insurance plan coverage starts over and people suffering from tooth pain or people who have put off necessary dental work and checkups can now get those procedures done with the help of the dental insurance dollars instead of having to pay for the procedures entirely on their own.

In general, having dental insurance is better than not having it, especially if you can get it through your employer as opposed to paying for an individual plan on your own. Most dental insurance plans are designed to pay for preventative dental work like semi-annual dental checkups and teeth cleanings. Most of the time, dental insurance won’t cover the entire cost of getting a crown, bridge, filling or root canal. Dental insurance plans also almost always have maximum dollar amounts that they will pay, after which, you’re on your own.

The National Association of Dental Plans reports that 98 percent of Americans with dental insurance get it through their employers or a large group like AARP. If you’re one of the 43 percent of Americans without dental insurance, don’t let it stop you from getting the dental care you need. Look into an individual dental plan and research the options available to you.

Check out what’s available through online insurance websites like eHealthinsurance.com. Select a few plans that cover the types of dental procedures you think you’ll most often need done (fillings, root canals, crowns, teeth cleanings, x-rays, etc.). Compare your findings with estimates posted on HealthCareBlueBook.com to see if the plan(s) you’re considering is worth the money.

Whatever you decide about dental insurance, don’t let cost keep you from addressing tooth pain and dental problems. As we’ll discuss next week, even without dental insurance, there are still options available to you to help you get the dental work you need.

The last week of the year can be a great times to get dental work done, especially work that you want but don’t necessarily need. Getting the most out of your dental insurance is a skill honed with practice, kind of like herding cats. While it may seem unnatural at first, learning how to work the system to your benefit is both legal and practical. Here are three steps to getting the most out of your dental insurance.

#1 - Get Your MBA. Look at the paperwork you received when you signed up for your dental insurance this year or go online to find the explanation of your dental benefits. Specifically, find your maximum benefit available (MBA). The MBA is the most money your dental insurance will pay for root canals, teeth cleanings and other dental work in a calendar year. Whatever you don’t use of the MBA is lost at the end of the year. Think of it as money you paid for that’s sitting in your dental insurance account, waiting to be used by you and only you.

#2 - Gather Your EOBs. Dental insurance companies send handy, but often confusing, statements called “explanation of benefits” or “EOBs” that detail how much they’ve paid for your dental expenses each time a dentist submits a claim to them for work you had done. Total up all that your insurance has paid out, as shown in your EOBs. Call your insurance company if you need help and just ask them how much you have remaining on your maximum benefit.

#3 - Give Your Dentist a Call. Armed with the knowledge of how much (or little) credit you have available in your dental insurance tank, call your dentist and schedule an appointment to have necessary dental work done. If you have $500 left on your MBA, for example, and have been wanting to get your teeth whitened all year, call your dentist, ask what he charges for the service and get those pearly whites serviced before your big New Year’s Eve bash. You’ll enjoy ringing in the new year, and your mouth will show it!

When you’re in pain, or your child is in pain, you’ll pay whatever it costs to get some relief. But what about when you’re not in pain?

People contact Emergency Dental Care, USA everyday asking questions about what dental procedures cost and how they can get help paying for them. Situations like this one are common:

“My youngest daughter needs dental work. I have dental coverage but I am on a fee schedule and have been quoted $1,400 out of pocket for the work. I can make payments but I don’t have that kind of money sitting around. Can you help?”

While this may not be the philosophy of every establishment, Emergency Dental Care believes that you have a right to know what something is going to cost before you agree to get it done and that payment plans should be an option - whether you have dental insurance or not.

Emergency Dental Care has multiple financing options through Care Credit, Chase Health Advantage and even in-house financing with a personalized payment plan and no credit check to help patients get the care they need without requiring them to pay for it all upfront.

Now if we can just get hospitals and doctors to think the same way…

This December, don’t throw away money; throw it at your teeth. Most dental insurance plans have deductibles - money you must pay out of your pocket before the insurance company starts paying for your dental work. Deductibles reset on January 1.

If anyone covered by your dental insurance has visited the dentist this year to have a cavity filled, crown replaced or teeth cleaned, it’s likely that you’ve already met or at least have paid towards your yearly deductible. Get yourself and the rest of your family in for checkups in the next two weeks, before the holidays hit. Waiting until next year means paying a new deductible. You’re paying for dental insurance, so get your money’s worth by having a checkup performed and letting your insurance company pick up the tab.

Fight Tooth Decay with Pay Flex

If you have a medical flexible spending account through your employer, don’t forget that you have until midnight on December 31 to use the money in your account, or lose it. Pay Flex funds are taken from your paycheck all year long, before taxes. They’re great because they reduce your taxable income and they offer a convenient way to pay for over the counter medicine, doctor bills and medical expenses your insurance won’t cover.

The downside is, whatever you don’t spend, you lose. Unlike Health Savings Accounts (HSA) the money doesn’t carry over to next year. You have to spend it on services performed or products purchased in 2010.

Check out your Pay Flex balance. If you have funds remaining and don’t know what to spend them on, stock up your medicine closet and then make an appointment with a dentist to get your teeth cleaned.

Read what the IRS says about flexible spending accounts.

During the next couple of months family and friends will become a priority. Hours will be spent working to please those we love. That’s when we often forget about our own health while caring for others.

The thought of the upcoming holiday season adds more stress to our already hectic lives as additional obligations and expectations spin around our heads like sugar sprinkles on festive holiday cookies.

So while prepping the Thanksgiving turkey or shopping for that perfect gift, let’s not forget about taking care of ourselves. Make plans to visit your family dentist for a preventative check up before the holiday season gets in full swing.

By making that appointment now, you will save money while maintaining your oral health.

You save money because at the beginning of the year most dental insurance plans will start over. This means that for most of us any benefits allowed to us in 2008 that hasn’t been used will be lost. Of course that money will start over in 2009, but why let the money from 2008 go unused?

Also, if you’ve paid the deductible, for most of us it’s around $50, that too will be lost and you will have to begin again in the New Year.

I can think of a variety of ways to spend $50 during this holiday season such as that perfect gift for someone special.

A visit to a dentist for a check up will maintain your oral health. If you have a problem that has been undiagnosed, it could mean more time in the dental chair in the future.

If you don’t have a family dentist, the staff and dentists at any Emergency Dental Care USA would be more than willing to care for your dental needs.

At Emergency Dental Care USA a dentist will care for your dental concerns. If needed, staff members will contact your insurance company to determine what procedures are covered under your particular dental plan.

What better gift to give yourself than the gift of a healthy smile!

So, you’ve made a list of the small jobs that need to be done around the house before the end of the year. A few of the tasks that have made the top five probably read like this:
Clean out the gutters, fresh paint for the front door, check around for cheaper car insurance, get new winter coats for the kids and decide where the extra money will come from for the many activities between now and the end of December.

But included at the top of that list should be: Dental check ups for the entire family. There are several reasons why dental check ups should be included in the top five. First and foremost good oral hygiene will ensure good oral health. But besides good oral hygiene - a priority for all of us - it’s also important to get the most out of our dental insurance by using all of the benefits allowed to us before the end of the year. Any benefits not used will be lost at the end of 2008. If you’ve already met the deductible, which for most of us is around $50, it will also be lost at the end of the year. In 2009 you will also have to meet the $50 deductible. I can think of a lot of other ways to spend $50. By including a visit to the dentist at the top of that to-do list you will be ensuring that you are getting the most out of your dental insurance.
If you don’t have a family dentist, add Emergency Dental Care USA to the top of that to-do list. There, staff and dentists can evaluate your dental needs. They will also make contact with your dental insurance to determine what procedures are covered under your particular dental plan.

What better way to begin the New Year than with a bright, healthy smile!

We all have a lot on our minds - the economy, our children, jobs, house payments, grocery bills - but as the year comes to a close, let’s not make it worse by avoiding our oral health.

And, let’s not make our problems worse by losing money to our dental plan. The end of the year is only a few months away. A few dental insurance plans run on a fiscal year, but most run on the calendar year. This means that for most of us the end of 2008 will mean that the maximum amount of money a dental insurance plan will pay on dental work will be lost – starting fresh in 2009. For most dental plans that maximum is around $1,000.

A forgotten tooth, a loose filling, or even cracked enamel – all of these problems can be overlooked in our busy lives. That cavity I’ve left unattended will only get worse in time. It will cost me more in money and in pain if I don’t take advantage of my dental insurance today. Problems left unattended could result in bigger problems if not cared for immediately.

Along with losing the money our dental insurance pays, we will also lose the deductible we’ve already paid. For most of us it’s around $50.

If you are like me and don’t have a family dentist, any Emergency Dental Care USA would be the place to begin good oral hygiene.

The dental staff will of course help with the paper work and also contact the insurance company to determine what procedures will be covered.

This is a proactive approach to caring for our teeth and getting the most out of our insurance policies. It’s a good way to celebrate the close of 2008.