Day: June 2, 2017

3 Ways To Avoid Dental Billing Confusion

Posted on by Team DS

Navigating the world of dental billing and insurance can be confusing. To avoid misunderstandings, it’s important to educate yourself on dental procedures and how dental billing works. There are a few things you can do that can help make navigating the world of dental treatment easier.

 

1. Ask For A Treatment Plan

 

To avoid being surprised by a large bill, it is essential to ask about the cost of treatment up front. Before you begin treatment, ask your dentist to provide you with a comprehensive treatment plan estimate that includes details on how much each service will cost. Keep in mind that recommended treatment can change once your dentist begins working on your teeth. If you don’t understand something, ask your dentist or dental office manager to explain it to you.

2. Know Your Insurance Benefits (If You Have Insurance)

 

Go to your dental insurance company’s website and look closely at your plan. Most dental plans have defined out-of-pocket costs for members, like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. If you don’t understand something or have questions, call your insurer and ask for more information.

 

While it may provide benefits for the basics, remember that dental insurance is not a guarantee of coverage or payment for services. There are a few things that are typically standard when it comes to insurance dental billing:

 

  1. Limitations on the number of times you can receive procedures such as routine dental cleanings, exams and x-rays.
  2. Insurance may not cover every dental service that your dentist suggests, and commonly provides a lower reimbursement rate for more expensive procedures such as root canals, crowns, and bridges.
  3. Time limits, waiting periods or “missing tooth clauses” for the replacement of prosthetics such as dentures and implants.
  4. Services such as orthodontics and fluoride treatments may be reimbursed only for children under the age of 19.
  5. An alternate benefit provision. If your dentist proposes a dental procedure, the plan may only cover another lower-cost dental service that provides a professionally acceptable result. For example, a plan may only cover a silver filling instead of a higher-cost white composite filling.
  6. Services for strictly cosmetic reasons are rarely covered by dental insurance.
  7. Most dental plans have an annual maximum and deductible. Once your annual maximum is reached, your plan will not cover any additional services until the start of the next plan year.

 

 

 3. Consider Discount Dental Plans

 

A discount dental plan is not insurance, but might offer even more savings! With a discount dental plan, the plan contracts with a network of dentists who have agreed to provide care at discounted rates. Discount plans may also provide reduced rates on cosmetic procedures such as whitening or other services that may not be covered by insurance.

 

Speaking up and asking questions can help you get the quality care you need at a price you can afford. With thousands of dentists to choose from nationwide, your DentalSave membership can make going to the dentist more convenient and affordable. You can expect to save an average 45 percent off your total bill at the dentist, and avoid the hassle of dealing with insurance dental billing and claims. Members also have the freedom to shop around using fee schedules to find the lowest price for treatment.

 

Your DentalSave membership can help you save on cosmetic procedures such as veneers and whitening as well. We offer 25 percent off non-listed fees and additional discounts on vision, hearing and prescriptions. The average cost of a resin laminate veneer is $667, but as a DentalSave member, you pay only $367, giving you a savings of $300. Prices may vary depending on location and your provider’s fees.

 

 

Smiles Are Powerful — Science Says So!

Posted on by Team DS

Smiling feels like an automatic response for many people. When they feel happy or see something that entertains them, they smile. Recent research has shown that smiling does more than express emotions, though. It can also improve mental health, physical health and social interactions.

 

 

Smiling Can Make People Happier

 

Even though smiling is a response behavior, people can use smiling to trick themselves into feeling happier and less distressed.

 

Researchers who suspected that smiling might improve mental health had a group of subjects insert chopsticks into their mouths so they looked like they were smiling. The researchers instructed the second group to force smiles. A third group was told not to smile.

 

The researchers measured the subjects’ heart rate while forcing them to complete stressful tasks. The scientists discovered that the stress affected the smiling group less than the other groups. Even the group that used chopsticks to fake smiles were less affected than the group that didn’t smile.

 

These results suggest that people living through stressful moments can improve their happiness and resilience by smiling, even when they don’t feel like doing it.

 

 

Smiling Can Improve Heart Health

 

Smiling affects more than the way people feel. It also affects their physical health. The same research that studied resilience to stress also showed that smiling could lead to better heart health.

 

A healthy person should have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Athletes often have resting heart rates between 40 and 60 beats per minute.

 

While smiling can’t replace an exercise program, it can contribute to a person’s overall heart health. When people smile, their bodies don’t experience as much stress.

Over time, this could help prevent heart attacks and other cardiac events.

 

 

Smiling Makes Social Interactions Easier

 

Smiling has a contagious nature. When one person in a group smiles, others are more likely to smile in return. The simple act of smiling can turn a group into a community.

 

Smiling also makes individuals look more confident, trustworthy, successful and attractive.

 

Keeping up with oral health makes it easier for people to benefit from smiling. People who have missing teeth, discolored teeth or crooked teeth often feel too embarrassed to smile. If they don’t smile, then they can’t handle stressful situations as well as their peers. They may also become ostracized from groups because they don’t look confident and trustworthy.

 

Going to the dentist at least twice a year makes it possible for people to maintain healthy teeth so they don’t feel embarrassed by their smiles. The more they smile, the better their lives become.