How to Pay for Dental Implants: Implant Financing Options
By David Hudnall, DMD
Dental treatment can be expensive. In fact, the cost is one of the major reasons why many people don’t seek regular dental care. Ignoring or putting off your dental care has a snowball effect. Dental problems become worse with time, resulting in broken or missing teeth that can affect your self-esteem as well as your ability to chew and smile.
When it comes to replacing missing teeth, denture implants offer the best return on your investment. There is no other tooth replacement option that outlasts or outperforms dental implants. And there’s no doubt that you’ll enjoy them because they allow you to chew as if you had your own natural teeth. The problem is they are more expensive than dentures. And that’s an obstacle for many people. So, what’s a person to do?
How To Pay for Denture Implants
The first step begins with a consultation with your dental care provider. In order to pay for dental services, you must first find out what you need. The dentist or implant surgeon will examine your current dental situation and develop a treatment plan to solve the issues and reach your dental health goals. Equally important as the treatment plan is a financial plan that allows you to receive the treatment that you need within a budget that you can afford.
Some type of denture implant financing is often a reality when it comes to paying for implant treatment. After all, their cost can add up. Choosing dentures alone or cheaper options can be more affordable initially. But over the course of your life, implants will actually save you money. It’s important to think long-term; implants are the only restorations that are durable enough to last for the rest of your life.
Tooth Implant Payment Plan
Because dental implants and their restorations can be expensive, it can be overwhelming to find denture implant monthly pay plans or payment options that fit within your budget. Unless you’ve been saving for denture implant treatment for a long time, you are unlikely to have a pile of cash available to pay for the services in full without batting an eye.
That’s why it is important to work with the practice’s financial coordinator who has experience seeking out ways to make treatment accessible to you. Often, it takes creative thinking in order to combine the benefits of dental insurance, health savings plans, credit cards, and loans to finance your entire treatment. Working with someone who does this every day can help maximize the benefits available to you while minimizing the amount of money that you borrow.
Insurance
The first step is to determine how insurance can help you receive implant treatment. One of the most common questions asked about implants is if they are covered by dental insurance. If you have dental insurance, the first thing to do is to reach out to your carrier to find out if they offer coverage for dental implants. Many basic plans do not. However, they may cover other types of services, such as extractions or restorations, that are a necessary component of your total dental implant procedure.
This information will allow your dental provider to work with your insurance carrier to determine what treatments are expected to be covered to receive maximum insurance benefits before offering other options to help you finance the remainder of your treatment.
HSA
If you are enrolled in a healthcare savings account or a flexible spending account with your employer, often you can use that money to help pay for dental services and other qualified health-related expenses.
Because these accounts are funded with pre-tax dollars, you’ll get a bigger bang for your buck toward your implant treatment. And they’re easy to use. Most FSAs and HSAs issue a debit card so that you can pay at the point of service for eligible expenses.
Dental Implant Financing
Many dental practices also offer tooth implant payment plans through third-party affiliates. One nationally-known company that provides dental and denture implant financing solutions is CareCredit.
Often the application may be filled out online using basic income information. Approval takes only a few minutes and may include 0%-interest financing for the duration of the loan. Please talk with your practice team for more information on specific tooth implant payment plans and financing.
Loans
If you have credit cards or a personal line of credit, you can use these funds to cover the cost of denture implants. Some credit card companies will offer specific coverage or lines of credit for dental and medical procedures. You will need to apply and meet the credit qualifications to obtain these loans.
Sometimes, patients have relatives who will offer a personal loan to help them reach their treatment goals. It never hurts to explore all possibilities for resources to cover the cost of an investment in your best dental health.
Become Best Friends With Your Financial Coordinator
At European Denture Center, we’re always ready to answer your questions regarding our financial policy. We’ll work with your insurance to make obtaining denture implant services as smooth as possible. We partner with many in-network and out-of-network insurance carriers to help you save money on your dental needs.
Paying for denture implant services can be a confusing process. We offer flexible treatment financing through CareCredit and work with most insurance providers to keep the process as easy as possible for you. European Denture Center’s team of billing specialists will simplify the process, letting you focus on the things that matter most!
