A visit to the dentist can be quite expensive. It’s not even cheap to get your teeth cleaned and x-rayed, not to mention anything beyond this. But letting problems with your teeth go untreated is even worse, both for your health and the eventual cost of dentistry. If you want to reduce your dental costs, the best thing you can do is to follow some simple but effective everyday practices. Most of them don’t even involve a lot of work. Here are a few ways to reduce your dental bills significantly.
Keeping your teeth clean and healthy
Taking good care of your mouth and teeth can help prevent problems as you get older. Taking care of your teeth means brushing and flossing every day and seeing the dentist regularly, in order to prevent dental cavities. Brush twice a day and use a mouthwash once a week.
Toothbrush tips
- Replace your brush or brush attachment every three months.
- Never share your toothbrush as this can spread infections.
- Brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste for at least two minutes.
Dental Insurance Plan
Many people do not realize how important receiving proper dental care is, until it is too late. It is recommended to visit your dentist at least twice a year for a complete dental examination and routine cleaning. Following this advice could prevent you from having dental problems in the future, since the earlier decay is detected, the easier it is to combat and lesser it costs.
Since dental expenses (especially orthodontic), can be some of the most expensive out-patient treatments around, having dental insurance can be a valuable financial investment. Additionally, statistics show that those with dental insurance plans are much more likely to take advantage of dental care, and are also more liable to show up for an annual exam. With dental insurance, you no longer need to worry about how you would pay for additional services, should dental problems arise. Dental insurance provides flexibility, and may provide reassurance if you’re concerned about forking out with regard to big expenses like dental surgery, root canal treatment etc.
Choose your treatment
There is no one right way to treat a dental problem. Ideally, your dentist should understand your insurance status and give you a variety of treatment choices.
But if your dentist isn’t quick to offer less expensive alternatives, don’t be shy about asking, For example, a $900 porcelain crown might offer the best long-term solution for a serious cavity, but a simple metal filling at $200 or less may also be a viable option that fits your current budget. And given that it is rare to need emergency dental care, you and your dentist can work the calendar to reduce out-of-pocket expenses.
Low-cost Neighborhood Clinics, Public Health Services, and Other Community Resources
Some communities have low cost dentists, low-cost dental clinics, or similar whose services also include dental care for people with limited resources. A call to your local health department might give you additional leads.
Fee Reduction
Dentists may offer fee reductions (usually about 5%) for payment in advance or at the time of treatment, if you ask them.
Dental Discount Plans
Everyone wants to sell you dental insurance. But a discount plan is a better bet. Should you buy individual dental insurance? Probably not, unless you need insurance as a spur to get yourself to the dentist for regular checkups and cleanings.
Instead, consider a dental discount plan, if you can find a good one in your area. For a nominal annual fee, you get access to a network of dentists who have agreed to work for the sort of reduced fees they accept when they sign up for an insurance plan’s preferred provider network. Studies show that 82% of the dentists in its group dental network also participate in its discount plans and accept the same rate for both.
Cost of dental treatment in India
Millions of people every year fly from USA and Europe to tourist places in India for a grand holiday and dental treatment. Yes, it’s true. The cost of dental treatment in the western countries is approximately 10 times more than that in India. With these high costs people have started to club their tours or vacations with dental treatments into one, ending up by having a grand holiday. This is also called as Dental Tourism or Medical Tourism.
Dental treatment in clinics in India is inexpensive as compared to the western countries. We have state to the art equipments and well trained experienced doctors to match the best of international standards. Dentists can charge $300 to $400 for a Dental Filling in USA & Europe. It costs only $20 to $40 in India. A Root Canal is $3,000 in the West but only $100 to $200 in India. Dentures can cost $1000 overseas but only $200 in India. Hence one of the most effective ways of reducing dental bills is to consider dental tourism.
