Like anything else in life, if you take the time to understand how a process works, and the options you have, you can make the right choices on dental work that save yourself countless thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
This page gives you the information you need – in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner – so you can be an educated consumer and make choices that save money at any dentist’s office.
Many people assume that all dentists and dental procedures are the same, and they tend to compare pricing like they would for a physical product online.
The cheaper the better, right? Wrong.
Just as you shouldn’t want to eat cheap sushi, “cheaper” is rarely a good thing at a dentist’s office.
Cheap practices use cheap materials, and they do cheap work.
They do this because it’s a numbers game. Their goal is to get patients in and out quickly and cheaply.
In this scenario, you lose. Here’s why:
Your top concern in saving money at the dentist is finding a quality dentist that cares about quality work. Doing the job right the first time can save you a lot of money long-term, and a lot of time and discomfort/pain!
Again, your top concern in saving money at the dentist is finding a quality dentist that cares about quality work.
In the end, what matters to you: Quality, or who takes your insurance?
It should not matter if a quality dentist takes your insurance or not, if they are in-network or out-of network. When you get it done right, you spend less time in the dentist’s chair – and hence less money.
Let’s define all the things you do want:
Many people, particularly those with new dental insurance, mistakenly believe that their dental insurance is going to cover 100% of their dentist bill.
That’s not how it works. In fact, it’s never worked that way.
Your insurance company is a business. They are out to make money. They are not in it for your health.
A coupon can get you a discount on some stuff, at some places, on some services.
Read more in our Insurance FAQ.
If you have insurance, make sure to speak to your dentist’s insurance coordinator prior to treatment.
While dentists do not work for your insurance, some offices do have insurance coordinators that can help you get an idea of the insurance benefits you may receive, and what you will be expected to pay out of pocket.
Moonlight Beach Dental has a full-time insurance coordinator.
Don’t take it as a given that your dentist’s office will preemptively do this for you. Most of the time, it’s on you to request this service ahead of time.
Read more in our Insurance FAQ.
In short, if dental insurance is already provided by your employer – it’s worth having.
Just make sure you actually use your insurance benefits.
Schedule regular cleanings.
Before the year is over, get any big work done by using the yearly maximums your insurance will pay.
Remember that your annual deductible resets every year, so any money you’ve paid into it is lost on January 1st.
Here’s a list of the dental insurances we accept.
If you don’t have or don’t want dental insurance, The Moonlight Beach Dental Savings Plan is a better way to receive regular, quality dental care at the most reasonable pricing possible.
If dental insurance is not already provided by your employer – it’s likely not worth it for you to pay for it.
Why? On the whole, you can save money more effectively on your own rather than pay into an insurance plan for benefits you may or may not use in a year.
We’ve explained all this for you in this Dental insurance FAQ.
If you don’t have or don’t want dental insurance, The Moonlight Beach Dental Savings Plan is a better way to receive regular, quality dental care at the most reasonable pricing possible.
Ask your dentist what discounts their office offers.
Many dentists (including Moonlight Beach Dental) offer discounts for cash payments paid in full.
That means if you budget for visits and treatments, you’ll save 5-10% right away. That can be very significant, particularly if you have major work done.
Here are the discounts and payment methods we currently offer you.
If you are going to put $1000 into major dental work, it should come with some sort of written warranty or guarantee.
It’s worth asking for, but sadly, most dentists do not offer this.
Many “cheap” dentists simply don’t care… They know you’ll be back to pay to fix their own broken work in just a couple years.
Moonlight Beach Dental offers a 5-year limited warranty on all major dental work.
This includes:
Should a crown break or require replacement, Dr. Vane will do so at no additional charge. Here’s the full details.
Some people have an ostrich theory about dental care: They know they need to do it, but they stick their head in the sand and put it off.
This is the absolute worst thing you can do from both a financial and health perspective, because dental problems only get worse (and more expensive) when ignored.
When ignored, inexpensive dental problems (small fillings) can turn into large, expensive and painful problems (root canal).
Provided you have even moderately-good daily dental hygiene habits, simply by scheduling regular cleanings at your dental office you can prevent about 90% of expensive dental procedures.
It’s not common public knowledge to the public, but you have multiple options when you get a crown on the material that the crown is made out of.
Some dentists do all crowns the same way, using the same material. This does not benefit you at all.
If you’ve ever chipped a piece of porcelain in your home, you know how easy that is to do. It’s not the strongest material.
Now imagine a dentist putting a porcelain crown on your back molar. That’s not what you want. In this case, a zirconium crown would be a better choice, because zirconium won’t break or wear.
Zirconium crowns do cost a little more upfront, but over your lifetime, it will likely save you thousands – since you’ll likely never have to replace it again.
Do not assume your dentist offers or even knows the difference between these materials. Educate and advocate for yourself. This simple table outlines the differences between multiple dental crown materials. Even if you’re not a patient at Moonlight Beach Dental, make sure you get the best material possible for your crown.
It’s extremely common for people to grind their teeth while sleeping.
This grinding can really damage teeth: wearing them down, cracking crowns and damaging other dental work.
Unchecked, grinding can require more frequent dental work and ultimately more expense for you.
A dental night guard protects your teeth while you sleep.
Each night guard is custom made to fit the individual patient’s teeth. Since we take digital impressions (3D scanning) to model it, it fits perfectly.
In our opinion, dental insurance is simply not worth paying for. We’ve got an entire page about this conclusion.
However, you still want to receive regular, quality dental care at the most reasonable pricing possible.
The Moonlight Beach Dental Savings Plan is a yearly treatment plan for individuals and families that saves you money on the services you probably get every year anyway.
Read more about The Moonlight Beach Dental Savings Plan.
If you’ve moved to a new area, or if you’re looking for a new dentist in your town – what do you even look for?
Price only? Online reviews? Recommendations from your friends?
All these things are okay, but they are not the most important things.
Here are 3 key things you should look for in a dentist, no matter where you are in the world.
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