I’ve run into a problem. I finally went to a dentist after several years. The dentist quoted me close to $8,000 for the work. I don’t have that kind of money so I started priced shopping. I’m running into a bit of a snag. The cheap dentists have bad reviews. Is there any way to get cheap, quality dentists?
May
Dear May,
I believe we’ll be able to find a way to get all your work done within your budget, but you may have to adjust your mindset a bit. There is a huge difference between cheap dentists and affordable dentists.
The Problem with Cheap Dental Care
When you are just looking for the dentist with the cheapest prices, you normally end up disappointed. If a dentist has prices which are significantly lower than the other dentists in their area, it is usually for one of two reasons.
First, they are terrible dentists. They can’t retain patients by the quality of their work so they lower their prices significantly to draw people in.
A second reason is they have low prices to increase their patients, but they want to keep their profit margin up so they use cheaper materials to cut their costs.
In both of these cases, it is the patient who suffers by having failed procedures, infections from faulty work, and a fortune in repairs.
Get a Great Affordable Dentist
Instead of looking for cheap, find a good dentist who is willing to work with you on affording your dental care. Two things usually help. First, staged procedures. Ask your dentist to list the procedures you need from most urgent to least.
Then, you can have each thing done as your able. If there turns out to be an urgent repair you need but can’t necessarily afford, the second help is payment plans. Some dentists will allow you to get the work done and then pay them out. If they don’t have in-house payment plans, you can try Care Credit which is a medical loan service.
Be careful not to avoid getting urgent work done. If you do, you could end up with a serious dental emergency on your hands.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.