In a nutshell, any dental insurance that you acquire is more of a supplement to the costs of dental care and not the total answer. Most people think that their dental insurance will pay for almost all of their dental bills and it’s important to recognize that not all insurance plans are the same. In fact, many of them are very confusing and most of them exclude even common treatments such as implants, porcelain veneers, “white” fillings, bonding and even “ZOOM” teeth whitening. At the dental practice of Dr. Robert Rodriguez, we believe that all of these procedures are important to your smile and your quality of life.

Dr. Rodriguez and his staff are here to help you sift and better understand what dental health coverage you actually do have through your insurance plan. Dr. Rodriguez and his staff can also refer you to dental health insurance providers if you don’t have an existing plan in force. We realize that most people purchase dental plans without actually knowing the costs of everything they cover. While your insurance company is only interested in saving money, we think your smile is more important. We believe it’s your choice to make when it comes to your dental hygiene and improvements towards healthier teeth, gums and a better quality of life.

Here are some examples of available insurance plans:

The most common types of dental insurance plans today are indemnity or UCR (usual, customary and reasonable) plans. Patients can generally choose their own dentist and they (or in many cases, their employers) pay their monthly dental insurance premiums. When they visit the dentist, the insurance plan pays for what the carrier deems are usual, customary and reasonable fees your dentist charges, usually 50 to 80 percent of the total cost of traditional treatments. You have to pay the difference, plus any other fees that the plan itself doesn’t cover.

Part of the problem with UCR plans is that their fees are not representative of local dentists’ fees. On many occasions, a UCR plan will arbitrarily pay differently to the same dentist depending on the plan purchased by that patient’s employer. Additionally, different dental health care providers have different UCR fees for the same geographical areas for the same group of dentists. This is what makes understanding their plans so confusing.

In a direct reimbursement plan, your employer reimburses you directly in each applicable paycheck for all or part of your dental care. Generally, most types of treatments are covered and you can visit any dentist of your choosing.

With dental health PPO’s and HMO’s (preferred provider organizations and health maintenance organizations), you have the option to choose any dentist, but these plans will pay higher percentages of your fees if you choose one of the dentists in their network. These insurance providers have discount agreements with the dentists in their network and as a result, they get more patient referrals from the insurance carriers.

Whether you visit the dentist or not, a capitation plan pays participating dentists a set amount for each patient that is enrolled in the plan.

Because insurance companies traditionally like to save money, they recommend less expensive treatments using lower quality materials and procedures. These may not be the best options for you and your family. At the dental practice of Dr. Robert Rodriguez, we believe you should have a choice when it comes to your smile and maintaining quality dental hygiene. Please feel free to ask our office staff about your dental plan coverage. We’ll be happy to provide the consultation time necessary to get all your questions answered and to assist you in creating the dental program that fits the needs of your budget.

At the office of Dr. Robert Rodriguez, we offer you the option of a monthly payment plan through CareCredit®. This program comes in 3, 6 and 12-month, no interest payment plans. If you pay at least the minimum monthly payment each month when payment is due and pay off the promotional balance in full by the end of your selected payment period, then there’s no interest charged on your promotional purchase!*

CareCredit® also offers 24, 36 and 48-month extended payment plans. With this plan, you pay 9.9% APR for treatment fees of $1,000 or more in convenient, fixed, monthly payments!*

For more information about this program, CLICK HERE!

TO FILL OUT A CareCredit® APPLICATION, CLICK HERE!

*Subject to credit approval, available credit limit and program availability.