You’ve lost a tooth or several teeth and you want to replace them with dental implants. Then you looked at the price tag and reality set in a bit – they can be quite pricey, ranging from $3,000 to $4,500 a tooth. For many people, that could represent several months of rent or car payments right there. Yes, they pay for themselves over the course of time due to their durability, but that big-picture view doesn’t always come immediately.
So what can you do? When it comes to dental insurance, the majority of them will not cover a dental implant, since they consider it cosmetic – though there’s nothing cosmetic about trying to keep teeth from shifting to cover up empty spaces in your mouth. Don’t despair – there are options out there and many of them are set up to help you.
Here are some ways that you can pay for dental implants.
In-House Plan
There are a lot of dental offices that have in-house financing – which means that you work out a payment plan for the procedure. They may have you pay over the course of the treatment – which can work for you since the process can take months to complete. They will outline all the terms beforehand and then you can decide whether to do it or not.
The best part about this is that you are not working with any middle man. This is between you and the dentist’s office and they will, after possibly doing a soft credit check, offer you some really good terms, like little to no interest rates. The only con to consider is that you will probably have to have all the dental work done in the same office throughout the course of the implant process.
Flexible Spending Account
This, also known as FSA, is something that you pay through your employer. You decide if you need a certain amount of money for any medical expenses, and then you have that money taken out of each paycheck. There are benefits – since it is both tax-free and you can deduct anything you spend on your taxes for that particular year.
The downside of this is that there is only a certain amount that you’re allowed to spend per year. The number often most quoted is $2,700. Also, it’s supposed to be for medical things… not what they might consider cosmetic. So, you will have to make sure of that with your employer before you go down this avenue. There’s also only a certain window of time that you can use this money per year. Otherwise you lose it.
Health Savings Account
This is different from the above in that it is not confined to just one employer. You can transfer this over to another employer if you switch jobs. Also, the money is available even after one year ends and another one begins. Both of these are great if you also happen to have a bad credit record that might preclude you from getting the in-house dental financing that you were hoping for. You also have the same tax benefits.
The downside is that the requirements for these are more stringent. You need to have to be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan, which means you are paying $1,350 or more a month. You can work with your employer on getting into such a plan, though. There is also a $3,500 per year limit, which might just get one dental implant and nothing else.
Retirement Savings
This one should be an absolute resort. Although there are “hardship withdrawals” allowed, you are taking away the money that you built up over the course of your career. You can also be taxed on it unless the medical costs are more than 10% of your income. It has to be a plan through your employer, too. Also, you have to pay it off in 60 days if you wind up having your employment terminated. There is also the stipulation that any payment in the fund stops until you pay the money back.
Before the Process
When you’re doing your research, you may see a lot of dentists out there touting a very low price for dental implants, whether it’s a single tooth or for a whole row. While it would be great to see savings, you need to make sure that they are very experienced in doing what you’re looking for. You want to find one that has done many implants and have a high rate of patient satisfaction. There may be some inexperienced ones who lower their prices hoping to get more patients. They may turn out great, but is it a risk worth taking?
It’s not that difficult to do the research, There are databases of dentists who are credentialed to do implants… and it’s just a matter of cross-referencing them to your locale. This way you can potentially save both travel time and money.
Getting a new dental implant might seem intimidating at first, but once you sit down and research the options, oftentimes you can sit down and figure out a plan that will work for you and your bank account. Then it’s off to go get the dental implant(s)!
The staff at Hagerstown Dentist have seen patients in all sorts of financial situations. They are always will to discuss things with them before having an implant done and formulate a plan to ensure that everyone will be happy. Give them a call at their Hagerstown (301) 200-9585 location to make an appointment today!
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Hagerstown Dentist
Hagerstown Location
1303 Pennsylvania Ave.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Phone: (301) 200-9585
