Your smile is everything, but if a crooked smile or discolored teeth make you feel uncomfortable or you just want to change your look, you have options. When you’re trying to assess whether discount dental plans versus insurance makes sense to cover the cost of cosmetic dental surgery, you have to understand all of the expenses involved. Americans spend $2.75 billion on cosmetic dentistry every year. But it’s not impossible to get new smiles for less. You can get discounted cosmetic dental surgery with the right plan. Here are a few key aspects to consider:
How to Save
Many Americans skip out on dental care due to costs. One reports indicates up to 13 percent don’t get dental care thanks to high costs of private dental insurance. Much of these costs only cover preventative care and require you to pay large percentages for co-payments or deductibles on top of your monthly premium when you need additional services, such as braces. Moreover, most health insurances forgo covering cosmetic dentistry services, such as veneers and braces, for adults. The ones that do cover it come at a high deductible cost. Yet dental insurance is not the only option available for saving. You can opt for a dental discount plan to save money on getting the smile you want. A dental discount plan can save you between 20-50 percent off of a variety of dental care services, including veneers, braces and teeth whitening.
Common Cosmetic Procedures
A discount dental plan can help you get deeply discounted cosmetic dental surgery when you consider the costs for common cosmetic dental procedures. Here are a few to consider:
- Veneers. This custom-made, thin layer of laminated material is used to improve your teeth’s appearance by covering your front teeth’s surface. Veneers are made from resin, composite or porcelain and can enhance the color of your teeth. They are also instrumental in improving your teeth’s appearance if you have teeth that are broken, chipped, worn down or uneven. You can even use veneers to close gaps. The procedure involves a diagnostic assessment with x-rays, prepping by making a mold, and bonding the veneers to your teeth. Dental veneers typically cost $1,191 for each tooth.
- Teeth Whitening. Americans spend more than $1 billion on teeth whitening procedures annually. Teeth whitening can involve bleaching or laser treatment. Typical costs for whitening your teeth are around $500 per session for common bleaching methods and $1,000 for laser treatments.
- Braces. Braces can vary in price due to the material and procedures. Here are some common braces and their typical costs:
- Metal Braces. Traditional metal braces include wires that are adjustable and brackets that are visible when you open your mouth to speak or eat. These braces typically cost between $3,000 and $7,000.
- Ceramic braces. Ceramic braces use adjustable wires and tooth-colored or transparent brackets to help you straighten your teeth. The clear brackets are harder to detect than metal brackets. These braces cost between $4,000 and $8,000.
- Invisalign (invisible braces). Invisalign braces are aligners that are transparent to straighten your teeth. They also offer the convenience of being able to easily remove them when you want eat. The typical costs for these types of braces range between $4,000 and $7,000.
- Lingual braces. These braces can cost between $8,000 and $10,000. That’s because they are placed on the back of your teeth so that it is not visible when smiling. These braces are ideal for those who want to straighten their teeth without the obvious appearance of metal braces in the front of the teeth.
Get a New Smile for Less
Getting the smile you want doesn’t have to be limited to pricey insurance plans. You can go beyond dental insurance plans and opt for discount dental plans, such as DentalSave, for your cosmetic dental needs. You can find a dentist that accepts discount dental plans, too.
