Category Archives: Affordable Dentist

Affordable Dentist

The Problem with Cheap Dentistry

When you are on a limited budget, the temptation is to look for the cheapest dental care possible. While that sounds like a great idea, there are dangers. Let me give an illustration. Suppose you went to Walmart to buy a toy castle for your child. They have three different sets. The least expensive is $5.00, but is obviously cheaply made.  The second set is $25.00, but is well constructed. The third set is $70.00. It is also well constructed and has lots of bells and whistles.

While $5.00 sounds like a great deal, if you’re an experienced parent you know that the cheaply constructed castle is unlikely to survive a day before something on it breaks.  The smart thing would be to get the $25.00 set.  Yes, it costs a little more, but it is soundly made and will last much longer.

The same is true of dentistry. Many times when you have a dentist who has the cheapest prices, it is because he also has the cheapest material.  What you really need is an affordable dentist.

These dentists strive to keep prices reasonable without compromising the quality of materials and care they give.  They often have other ways of helping their patients financially with phased treatments and no-interest payment plans.

You are much better served with a quality dentist than a cheap dentist. It won’t matter if  you’ve saved $200 on your crown, if it breaks and causes not only you to spend money on a second crown, but gives you an infection that takes extensive treatments.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Kevin Peck.

Affordable Dentist

Dental Crown disaster

I needed two crowns. I didn’t have much money so I called around to find the cheapest dentist. He did such a bad job that it completely threw off my bite.  It got so bad that I developed TMJ, which is costing me even more than the crowns. What a disaster!

Penny L.- West Virginia

Penny,

You’ve discovered an important principle in dentistry. Cheap does not necessarily mean affordable.  There are affordable dentists who don’t compromise the quality of their materials. However, generally the least expensive dentist is that way for a reason. Sometimes it is just a matter of not being great at their profession and needing a way to draw customers in. For others, it is skimping on the appropriate materials.

What you want to do is look for a dentist who has reasonable fees, but still does quality work.  That usually won’t be the least expensive dentist. Many dentists have payment plans that allow you to pay out your work interest free.  Others do your dental work in stages so you only have to pay for one part of the procedure at a time.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix, AZ Dentist Dr. Kevin Peck

Affordable Dentist

Unhappy with Lumineers that keep falling off

Q. I’ve had 5 Lumineers placed on my teeth. Since then, they have fallen off multiple times. As if it’s not aggravating enough to go back to the dentist for the same tooth to be re-bonded, just this last time I accidentally swallowed it. Now my dentist tells me I should do porcelain veneers that will run me $1200 per tooth. I just paid so much money for the Lumineers… what should I do?

A. I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard time with your Lumineers. Unfortunately, we hear a lot of stories about problems with Lumineers. The manufacturers of this product promotes it as being “no-prep”, and easy to place. That might make a dentist who is not too savvy in cosmetic dentistry feel they can handle this work, delivering an aesthetically pleasing product with a good outcome to the patient. Both Lumineers (which is just a brand name) and traditional porcelain veneers require a true cosmetic dentist who is well versed in these procedures. Everything from an artistic eye to having top notch materials (including appropriate bonding materials) to technique of the clinician can be the difference in a successful cosmetic and functional outcome versus not.  Porcelain veneers have more advantages than Lumineers, as they are more lifelike, and have proper strength. Lumineers are best suited for specific cases only. Seeking an opinion of another true cosmetic dentist in this scenario would be a good idea. Perhaps if you move forward with the porcelain veneers with your current dentist, asking if you could be credited what you paid for the Lumineers towards the porcelain veneers wouldn’t be unreasonable, and make the prospect more affordable.

Affordable Dentist

I’m in so much pain….can I afford to fix it?

I writing this so others can learn from my experience:

It’s been a long time since I visited a dentist. Since my teeth always looked and felt fine, I never made it a point to go. When I started to have slight sensitivity in one area while eating and drinking I shrugged it off. That sensitivity turned into full-blown pain. Eating, drinking, silent or taking it throbbed. The pain woke me at night, and it was really starting to make me suffer. I knew I had to get to a dentist, but was afraid of what the outcome would be. Money is tight, and I know dentistry can be expensive. I was afraid of what they would tell me, and worse…how much it would cost.

My fears had come to fruition when I was told by my dentist I needed a root canal and then crown. I had dental insurance, but knew they covered but a minimal portion. Right away my mind wandered to what I can do to remedy this pain without going through the process of these “expensive” procedures. I asked if I could just medicate it, or better yet, if we could just pull it. As the doctor explained why those wasn’t an option, and proceeded to tell me how we could salvage the tooth, and make it fully functional, I was happy to hear of what the outcome could be. While this sounded good, I still was concerned with what my out-of-pocket cost would be, and if I could afford it. My panic heightened when the office staff informed me of my estimate, based on my insurance covering 50% of one procedure and even less on the other. Then they informed me of ways to have this work done and make it affordable. Procedures like the root canal and the crown are usually done in two office visits or more. They are spaced out over a couple of weeks, on a case by case basis. This space in office visits allowed me to segment my payments to the office, which alleviated the burden of cost. They also offered me financing through a third party. These companies that issue “health care credit cards” allowed me to receive the treatment I needed while paying monthly payments at my choosing (within their guidelines of course). I was happy to know that I didn’t have to put off treatment, and could get what I needed today, and in the future.

I’ve learned not to wait until you’re in pain to go to the dentist. Though I haven’t changed my preconceived notion that it is expensive, I’ve learned that most offices give you options to make it work. No matter how bad it may seem, it’s fixable…and yes, you can afford it.

~Carol L.- Milwaukee

 

Affordable Dentist

No insurance-need affordable dental care

If you don’t have insurance, how do you know if a dentist is affordable?

Melinda G.- Baton  Rouge, LA

Melinda,

You could do a search for dentists in your area and then call around to get their prices.  Many dentists also have a payment plan option.  Most have low and even no-interest payment plans. Dentists who don’t mind working with patients often advertise as an affordable dentist on their website.

Beware of just going with the cheapest price.  Often that means the quality isn’t as good. That could mean a failed procedure that ends up costing you way more than if you’d just gone to a better dentist to begin with.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Kevin Peck.

Affordable Dentist

Can’t afford implants

I don’t know what to do. I need to have six teeth replaced, but I can’t afford dental implants. My dentist says it is really the only option because they’re all next to each other and I’d lose too much bone. Do you have any advice?

Sam J.- Alaska

Sam,

I don’t like it when dentists say something is your only option. While it is true that dental implants are the ideal treatment, they’re certainly not the only option.  First, I would look for an affordable dentist. Don’t confuse affordable with cheap.  Sometimes the cheapest option is the worst, becaust their skills and quality of materials aren’t very good. An affordable dentist will work with you in several of these ways:

1.  They will give you ALL your options. Not just the ideal one.

2. They will generally have payment plans including low and no -interest options.

3. They will let you do phased treatment. For instance, you can’t afford six dental implants, but what if you can afford one dental implant. Then your dentist could place temporary fake teeth on the other teeth until you could save up for more implants.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix dentist Dr. Kevin Peck.