How to save | Price shopping
Dental prices can vary significantly from dentist to dentist even among dentists located close to each other. By
calling around, one can compare prices at different dental practices. Many patients can save a lot of money by
price shopping. But be warned before choosing a dentist based on price alone. Dentists vary not only in price,
but in the time, skill, and care they devote to your dental care, the quality of materials they use, their dental care
philosophies, availability of appointments, the skill level of staff members who contribute to your dental care, and more.
Do your research to find a dental office that provides you the right mix of quality, convenience, and affordability.
Ask prices for specific dental procedures
Ask the price for specific procedures as identified by dental code. If you just ask the price of "a filling",
the real answer is "it depends" so a dentist will legitimately have trouble providing you
the answer you want. (See our page on
dental prices.) Here are some common dental codes along with procedure descriptions.
0120 Regular exam
0150 New patient exam
0210 Full set of x-rays
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1110 Adult cleaning
1120 Child cleaning
1351 Sealant
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Common procedures such as fillings and crowns come in many variations and are therefore omitted from this list.
If you have PPO type dental insurance
If you have PPO type dental insurance and you visit a "participating" dentist, your dental prices are capped
by the contract between your dentist and your insurance company. Accordingly, dental prices are less
important to you.
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