The cost of treatment may vary, depending on your child’s individual needs and treatment plan. We will discuss the cost of treatment and each of your available payment plan options with you before your little one begins treatment, so you can make the best choice for your child and your family.
Financial Information
We are committed to your youngster’s treatment being successful. Please understand this financial policy is designed to keep costs at a reasonable level, and thus prevent frequent fee increases.
Full payment is due at the time of the service. We accept cash, checks, or credit cards, including: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and debit cards. We also offer outside financing through CareCredit.
We will accept assignment of benefits from your PPO insurance company. After insurance coverage is verified, we will estimate your portion to the best of our abilities based on the information obtained from your insurance carrier.
The patient portion is due in full at the time of service. Any other remainders after the insurance company has paid its part are due no later than 30 days after the insurance payment has been received.
Office Guidelines Regarding Dental Insurance
Thank you for understanding that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to the parents and guardians of our patients. We are in network with some dental insurance companies. Please call our office for more details.
We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles it's claims or for what benefits it pays on a claim. We can provide assistance with estimating your portion of the cost of treatment. However, at no time can we guarantee what your insurance will or will not cover on each claim that is filed.
If we have received all your insurance information on the day of your child’s appointment, we will be happy to file the claim for you. Please become familiar with your insurance benefits, because on the date of service we will collect your estimated portion.
If we are unable to verify insurance benefits due to insufficient or inaccurate information, you will be responsible for paying the full amount of your child’s visit. By law, your insurance company is required to pay each claim within 30 days of receipt. Our office files claims electronically, so your insurance should receive each claim within several days of your child’s treatment.
You will be responsible for any balance remaining on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has been paid or not. We will be glad to send you a refund once your insurance carrier has paid us.
- Fact #1: No insurance pays 100% of ALL procedures. Many parents assume their insurance pays 90% to 100% of all dental fees. Most plans only pay between 50% and 80% of the average total fee. Some pay more, some less.
- Fact #2: The percentage paid is usually determined by how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract your employer has set up with the insurance company.
- Fact #3: Sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist’s actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentist’s fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee (UCR) identified by the company. A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and inaccurate. Insurance companies set their own schedules and each company uses a different set of fees it considers “allowable.”
- Fact #4: Our dental material of choice for “fillings” is a white filling, also known as composite resin. Some insurance companies do not pay for a white filling (composite resin) at the same level as a silver filling (amalgam). The difference between the two fees will be your responsibility.
- Fact #5: Some insurance plans have a policy in which they pay you (the subscriber) directly. Some of these may include but not be limited to: some private/individual plans, Delta Dental, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Therefore, you will be responsible for total payment on the day of service. We will file your insurance for your direct reimbursement by your insurance company.
Checklist to assist you in preparation for your child’s first visit with us.
- Make sure your son or daughter can currently receive benefits from your dental insurance policy. It may be necessary to add a child if there have been any changes to the policy or the policy is new.
- Please bring to our office a current insurance card that includes the following: ID number, group number, and the address and phone number for the insurance company. Some dental insurance plans do not issue a card; in that case, we will need the Social Security number and date of birth for the parent who carries the policy.
- The person who carries the insurance is the subscriber and may or may not be the parent with whom the child resides. We will need the subscriber’s date of birth and employer information to expedite the processing of the claim.
- You may choose to contact your insurance company in advance to verify benefits. This will enable you to become familiar with your particular plan and allow you to anticipate your level of benefits.
We know that filing insurance can be a time-consuming and somewhat confusing process. That is why we are happy to file your insurance for you. Thank you for reading our policy and familiarizing yourself with your insurance plan and the coverage you have for your child.