Payment options
To make paying for your dental services more convenient, we gladly accept cash, checks, and credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.
We also offer financing through CareCredit. For more information, view the CareCredit website at www.carecredit.com.
Insurance
Dr. Tran participates with a range of insurance companies including, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta Dental, MetLife, and Guardian. We will be happy to file the necessary insurance forms for you. Even still, it is wise that you understand your plan and payment allowances. A pre-determination of your treatment plan can be filed before your treatment to assist you in budgeting for your care. Please remember that dental insurance was never meant to provide optimum care - no insurance company covers all costs, they are there to assist you. Please check with your insurance provider prior to making your first appointment to ensure your carrier will cover your visit with us.
Common insurance plans
There are several kinds of dental insurance plans. The four most common kinds of plans are:
- Direct reimbursement programs
- Preferred provider organizations
- Capitation plans (also called dental health maintenance organizations)
- Indemnity or “usual and customary and reasonable” plans
Direct reimbursement programs
In direct reimbursement programs, your employer reimburses you directly for part or all of your dental treatment. All procedure and treatment methods are usually covered, and you can see any dentist you choose.
Preferred provider organizations
In a preferred provider organization, you must choose from a group of dentists who have agreed to discount their fees so that they can be a part of the organization.
Capitation plans
In a capitation plan (also called a dental health maintenance program), participating dentists are paid a set amount for each patient enrolled in the plan. Dentists are paid at this set amount no matter how often you visit them (or don’t visit them) and no matter what kind of treatment you get. This generally means that the more work these dentists do for their patients, the less money they’ll make.
Indemnity plans
The most common insurance programs are indemnity plans, which are also called UCR programs. UCR stands for “usual, customary and reasonable.” In these plans, you may choose any dentist and pay on a traditional fee-for–service basis. The insurance company, who is paid a monthly premium by your employer, then reimburses you for between 50 and 80 percent of the dentist’s fee. You are responsible for the remaining 20 to 50 percent after meeting a predetermined deductible payment. The amount of the deductible is set in the contract between your employer and the insurance company.
Referring to the program and its fees as “usual and customary, and reasonable” is misleading. Most people assume that insurance companies have gathered statistics and that these statistics are the basis for UCR fees. This is simply not true in many cases. These UCR fees often do not represent local dentist’s fees or the available treatment options. They may be, in fact, simply fees that are set by the insurance company. As a result, different insurance companies often have different UCR fees for the same geographic area and for the same group of dentists!
Behind the times
The annual limit of dental insurance benefits has hardly budged in forty years. Back in 1960, the average annual coverage maximum was one thousand dollars. Forty years later, it still sits at approximately one thousand dollars, despite inflation and cost of living increases.
The benefits have remained the same, but fees for procedures have tripled or even quadrupled. Most insurance plans often exclude newer treatments they can label as discretionary, including common treatments such as implants, porcelain veneers, orthodontic treatment, TMJ therapy, bonding and whitening. Their reimbursement for fillings are set for using amalgam (silver) fillings, even though the silver filling can be damaging to your teeth and your health in general.
The choice is yours
If you were to build a house, would your rather have the least expensive contractor who used the cheapest materials and technologies? Or would you rather build a home that will last using quality materials?
You have similar choices when it comes to your dental care. In many cases, your insurance wants you to consider only the cheapest dental procedures even if that means you may end up needing further work in the future. We believe that you should be able to choose the best dental treatment for you and your family.