Hagerstown Smiles

We accept assignment of benefits from most insurance companies, and participate with those companies that do the most to help our patients make their goal of preventive and complete dentistry a possibility. Many of our patients who have chosen us, however, have no dental insurance. We offer several payment options, including pay as you go, acceptance of Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, and a close relationship with several dental care financing companies such as CareCredit (more information can be found at www.carecredit.com).

We will be glad to discuss these alternatives with you and will do all we can to help make excellent dental care surprisingly affordable.

Is there a difference between medical insurance and dental insurance? Most major medical needs and treatments are unpredictable, catastrophic, high cost and an insurable risk. Most dental needs and treatments are predictable, non-catastrophic, lower cost and low risk. Dental disease is most often preventable; with the exception of damage due to an accident, dental treatment begins with relatively low-cost diagnostic procedures, such as exams and x-rays. If decay or disease is detected, the sooner it is treated, the less expensive that treatment will be. The dental needs of an employee group are highly predictable. For this reason, a dental benefits plan can often be self-funded. Extremes in cost and utilization (evident in many medical benefits) are rarely observed with dental statistics.

Dental plans are typically business arrangements between an insurance company and an employer. Most plans are designed to pay only a portion of your dental expenses. However, dental plans may exclude or discourage certain treatments, such as dental sealants, which can prevent tooth decay and save you money later on. Carefully read a plan and know its limitations. If a plan doesn’t cover a procedure that is recommended by your dentist, this does not mean that the treatment isn’t appropriate or needed.

Some plans do not cover pre-existing conditions, such as missing teeth. Others may not cover dental implants, specialist referrals, and other dental needs. Even when you and your dentist agree on the appropriate treatment method for your condition, the contract provision of the dental plan may only pay a portion, or pay only for the least expensive alternative treatment (LEAT) as determined by the insurance company.

Patients often are surprised to find that their insurance benefits do not cover all the treatment their dentist recommends. Dental insurance benefits for the most part have remained at the same level for more than two decades, leaving patients to pick up any added costs out-of-pocket. In recent years, payment options have emerged to help patients bridge the gap between what their insurance covers and the total cost of care. (ADA.org)