Financial Policy & Insurance InformationWe understand that dental costs can often be unexpected. Although our fees may be slightly higher than some "in-network" dental care providers, please be assured that we set our fees very carefully to provide a good value for our patients. As a practice, we are proud of our superior level of patient care and commitment to high-quality solutions, and we stand behind our treatment recommendations and service. We make suggestions about treatment options to you as we would our own family members, and we do all that we can to make the process comfortable and affordable. If you have any questions about paying for your dental care, please feel free to contact us.
Payment at Time of Service
Waldron Dentistry requires payment in full for your portion at
the time of service. We accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express,
Discover, and cash. From patients with established payment histories, we also accept personal checks.
To pay by credit card, we will need a signed authorization form. You may download it here to complete before your appointment:Credit Card Authorization Form
Extended Credit & Payment Terms
We understand that dental costs can be difficult to manage. For patients who would appreciate a longer term to pay for treatment costs, we work with CareCredit, a company offering six month "same as cash" (and longer terms with interest charges) credit options. Please ask one of our staff members for an application, or visit
www.carecredit.com for more information.
First Visit Costs
In general, the cost of a first visit to our office is as follows. For individual pateints, the costs may be slightly different. If you are bringing current x-rays, for example, we will not need to take new x-rays. Likewise, if you have had a cleaning recently (in the past six months) and do not require a hygiene appointment, you will not need to pay the cleaning fee.
| | Cost
|
|
|---|
Hygiene / Cleaning
| $90
| Not necessary if last cleaning within six months
|
|---|
Doctor's Exam
| $90 | Doctor's exam fee for existing patients is $47
|
|---|
Panorex x-rays
| $115 | Current for 3-5 years
|
|---|
Bitewing x-rays
| $65 | Current for one year
|
|---|
Missed Appointments
Your appointment is time in our office reserved especially for you and we
strongly encourage all patients to keep their appointments. If you must
change your appointment, we require at least 24 hours notice in order to
avoid a $35 cancellation fee.
After-hours/Weekend Emergencies
Occasionally, our patients find the need for after-hours emergency
dental care, and we are available to help when needed. In the event of
an emergency after regular business hours, a doctor is on call to answer your questions and recommend treatment, if necessary. For established patients, the after hours consultation fee is $65. For patients who are not established in the practice the fee is $125. Please note that the fee is assessed at the time you call the doctor.
About Dental Insurance
If you have dental benefits, you are fortunate.
Your dental benefits are based upon a contract made between your
employer and an insurance company, and it can often help offset the cost of your dental treatment. Please be aware, however, that dental insurance does not work in the same way as most medical insurance, and very few patients will find that their insurance covers all of their treatment costs.
We currently accept all private care insurance plans (plans that do
not require you to select a dentist from a list or require our office to
accept a reduced fee for service). This means that we work with
literally thousands of companies. Although we maintain computerized
histories of payment by a given company, they do change. Therefore, it is
impossible to give you a guaranteed quote at the time of service. We
estimate your portion based on the most up-to-date information we have,
but it is only an estimate.
If you would like to know
your exact insurance benefit, we will be happy to file a “pre-treatment
authorization” with your insurance company prior to treatment. If you would like to do this before committing to your treatment plan, filing for the "pre-treatment authorization" will delay beginning your treatment. This extra step, however, will give you the exact out-of-pocket figures you
may require.
Many people receive notification from their insurance company that
dental fees are “above usual and customary.” An insurance company
determines their reimbursement level by surveying a geographic area,
calculating the average fee, and then determining that 80% of the
average fee is customary. Included in this survey are discounted dental
clinic and managed care facilities, which have severely reduced dental
fees that bring down the average. Any doctor in private practice will have fees that that insurance companies define as “higher than usual and customary.”
We bill your insurance as a courtesy. If insurance does not pay
within 90 days, Waldron Dentistry will request payment
in full for services from you. If/when your insurance ultimately pays, you will then collect the insurance
funds that are due to you. This rarely happens, but it is important that
you recognize that the insurance you have is a legal contract between
YOU and your insurance company. Our office is not, and cannot be, a part
of that legal contract. Ultimately, you are responsible for all charges
incurred in our office.
If you have any questions
regarding your dental benefits, you must contact your employer or
insurance company directly. Dental benefit plans will never totally pay
for completion of your dental care. It is only meant to defray some of the costs of dental care.
You may download a printable copy of our financial policy here: