Dental Wellness Program: An Affordable Alternative to Dental Insurance
Did you know your dental visits can be covered without having a dental plan through your employer? While some are lucky enough to have the benefit of dental insurance through their employer or their spouse’s employer, not everyone is as fortunate. Affordable alternatives to dental insurance that still enable you to get the dental care and services you need do exist – a lot of people, unfortunately, aren’t aware of it though.
Dental practices have started to provide patients with options by establishing their own dental care programs. These new, alternative options are made specifically for people who don’t have an employer-sponsored dental plan but still want an affordable way to maintain their all-important dental care.
Typical dental insurance plans only cover you up to a specific limit then require you to pay out of pocket for any of your dental care costs once you’ve exceeded that limit. In this way, many employer-sponsored dental plans operate much like a spending allowance, instead of providing coverage based on what is medically necessary. Given that the average cost of a dental crown is between $750 and $1,500, it’s easy to understand how the cost of dental care can quickly add up once an insurance maximum is met, or if you do not have any dental insurance at all. In-house dental savings programs typically do not have waiting periods or insurance maximums. Instead, they cover preventative care in full and then provide a discount on all treatment diagnosed by the dentist, regardless of how much or how little care is required.
Affordable Dental Insurance that Works in Your Favor
Designed to help those who care about their oral health but don’t have access to traditional dental insurance, our Dental Wellness Savings Program is perfect for both individuals and families.
With our in-house program, you get an affordable alternative to dental insurance that doesn’t have a yearly maximum, and includes all of your preventative dental care including hygiene visits, x-rays, fluoride treatments, oral cancer screenings, and more!
Our membership options include:
- Single: benefits for just one individual for $325 a year.
- Dual: benefits for a parent and child, spouses, or cohabitants of the same physical address for $600 a year.
- Additional Memberships: benefits for each additional family member are $300 a year.
As soon as you pay your membership fee to be a part of our Dental Wellness Savings Program, you’re instantly eligible for:
- Discounts on treatments
- No yearly maximums
- No deductibles
- No claim forms
- No pre-authorization requirements
Start Benefiting from Our Dental Wellness Program
What’s Immediately Included in Your Affordable Dental Care Membership
| Treatment | Your Cost As a Dental Wellness Savings Member |
Average Cost in Richmond without Dental Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Exam | Free | $94.58 |
| Limited Exam | Free | $94.58 |
| X-Rays | Free | $135.97 |
| Oral Cancer Screening (1 per year) | Free | $10 – $65 |
| Fluoride (2 per year) | Free | $56.95 |
Common Dental Treatments You Get Discounted Rates for as a Member
| Treatment | Your Discount As a Dental Wellness Savings Member |
Average Cost in Richmond without Dental Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Fillings & Core Buildups | 25% Off | $139.73 |
| Sealants | 25% Off | $47.54 |
| Crowns | 25% Off | $975.14 |
| Bridges | 25% Off | $2,100 – $4,500 |
| Implants | 25% Off | $1,426.72 – $2,689.24 |
| Root Canals | 25% Off | $822.74 |
| Extractions | 25% Off | $273.32 |
| Partial & Complete Dentures | 25% Off | $1,110.62 – $1,535.85 |
| Root Planning & Scaling | 25% Off | $348.59 |
| Veneers | 25% Off | $463.36 |
| Periodontal Therapy | 50% Off | $278.97 |
Alternative to Employer-Sponsored Dental Insurance Plans
In addition to providing a helpful alternative for people who don’t have dental insurance through their job, our Dental Wellness Savings Program can also be a favorable alternative to certain employer-sponsored dental plans. Many company plans have waiting limits, pre-authorization requirements on treatment, and yearly maximums. Considering the stipulations of these plans, we encourage our patients to annually compare the potential cost savings of enrolling in an in-house Dental Wellness Savings Program versus participating in their employer-sponsored plan. Many patients may discover that there is a significant cost difference and that they are able to obtain better dental care through an in-house Savings Program.
An additional point worth making is that patients can use a tax-advantaged account such as a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or a Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay the membership premium for an in-house Savings Program. This enables them to still use pre-tax dollars to purchase their dental coverage, similar to what they do by having their dental insurance premium deducted from their paycheck each month.
At River Run Dental, we believe that patient care should not be dictated by an insurance company. For example, just because your insurance company doesn’t cover certain radiographs (x-rays) doesn’t mean that we don’t need them to properly evaluate your dental health. We truly want each of our patients to be able to get the dental treatment that they require, and have found our Dental Wellness Savings Program to be helpful for many people.
There’s Affordable Dental Care that Everyone Benefits From
Are you interested in learning more about our Dental Wellness Program, or do you know a friend who you think would benefit from joining? If so, we would love to talk with anyone who is potentially interested in the program.
Give us a call at 804-262-1060 or contact us through our online form, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have!