Dental Insurance and Billing FAQs

Do you accept my insurance?

We accept all PPO dental insurances, INCLUDING DELTA DENTAL. We do not accept HMO dental plans.

If you are “out-of-network” with my dental insurance, what does that mean?

This varies based on the specific insurance provider, and within the provider’s plan “tiers”. But the bottom line is: we will bill your dental insurance regardless of our network status as long as they are a PPO plan. For some plans, your out-of-pocket costs may increase, and for other plans, you may face little to no change in your out-of-pocket costs. For some Delta Dental PPO plans, you will receive a check for the dental services rendered and for other Delta Dental Plans, we still receive the check for dental services rendered. For example, Delta Dental insurance offered through SMUD has very different rules and reimbursement amounts compared to Delta Dental insurance offered through Kaiser or a school district.

The best course of action is to CONTACT US so that we can look up your invidivual plan and provide you with a detailed breakdown of costs. Prior to performing any treatment, we will provide you with these cost estimates. It is not always the case that your out-of-pocket costs are significantly higher just because we are not in your insurance’s network.

Why are you not in my insurance’s network?

Being part of an insurance’s network can result in a very complicated process of verification and billing. In the past for example, we have been in-network with many insurances and this subjected us to a multitude of fee schedules and an array of confusing rules and stipulations. We found that we experienced more inaccuracies in billing and spent a significant amount of time away from patient care due to being in-network. As a small-town dental office, we prefer to focus our attention on patient care and just don’t have the resources nor personnel to navigate through all the insurance networks.

Also, the honest and sad truth is that being in-network with many dental insurances does not allow us to provide the level of dental care we aspire to. Being in-network with many dental insurance plans subjects us to reimbursement rates that are not sustainable to run a dental office that is patient-focused. We invest a significant amount of time and resources in high-quality dental materials, dental labs, continuing education, and the latest dental research and technology to provide the best quality dental care. We simply cannot due this with insurance reimbursement rates and yearly maximum amounts that sometimes have not been increased for over twenty years!

Why should I go to your office then if you’re not in my insurance’s network?

That is totally up to you! As mentioned above, we pride ourselves in providing the best customer service and dental care possible - this can mean communication even after hours for dental emergencies and spending a significant amount of time exploring several options when treatment planning complex cases. We value long-term relationships and commit the appropriate amount of time to cultivate these relationships because we feel that this approach results in a continuity of care that leads to the best outcomes. We are proud to be the home of many 3- and even 4-generation families and are blessed to meet new patients primarly by way of referrals by their friends and family. We embrace small-town, community values which include honesty, respect, and integrity and we stand by our work and will always “makes things right” by our patients.

We also practice dentistry from a very conservative, preventive, and practical approach based on extensive research which we have found results in considerably less dental treatment and costs in the long-run.

I want to continue coming to your office but I wish I had better dental insurance. What can I do?

If your insurance is offered by your employer, speak to your employer or your employer’s HR department to see if they can offer additional options for dental insurance. Ask your co-workers to also reach out to your employer with this same concern. You can also contact us and we can help you choose a plan that may minimize your out-0f-pocket expenses. We also offer third-party financing options.

I don’t have dental insurance - what are your payment methods?

We accept check, cash, and all major credit cards. We offer in-house membership plans that cover preventive dental treatment like exams, xrays, and cleanings. Our membership plan also offers courtesies for other dental treatment. For specific dental treatment that requires multiple visits, we can break up your payments until the treatment is complete. We also work with third-party companies Cherry and CareCredit that may offer 0% payment plan options.

To apply for a payment plan with Cherry, click here

When do I pay for dental treatment?

Payment is due at the time of service. If you have dental insurance, we will do our best to estimate your out-of-pocket expense and collect this amount at the time of service. We may also bill you for any outstanding amount your insurance may not cover. If your dental insurance plan has a provision where they send the check directly to you, the patient/subscriber, we will collect the the full treatment amount from you at the time of service.