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The Cost of Dental Care

Dentist in Llano, TX

“A tooth is much more to be prized than a diamond.”  -Cervantes, Don Quixote

Healthy teeth go largely unnoticed.  They allow us to smile, laugh, and eat what we want to eat.  Only when they get broken, lost, or infected do we really start to think about how valuable teeth really are.

So, why is modern dental care so pricey?

It costs to keep up with technology.  – We live in a time where technology is constantly evolving to make dentistry (and all healthcare) safer, more comfortable, and more predictable.  These improvements come at a cost that is ongoing and evolving as well.  Just like your smartphone, the next great thing is consistently right around the corner.  Dentists and their teams must spend countless hours researching and learning how to best utilize technology to serve their patients.  The positive is that dentistry gets better every day.

Overhead costs are huge.  – Beautiful, white, straight, healthy teeth surrounded by pink, healthy gums are not an item that can be purchased in bulk at a local superstore.  The cost of dental care must include lab costs, dental supply costs, sterilization, salaries for team members, medicaments, facility overhead, and a variety of taxes and fees harvested by various levels of government.  On top of that, most healthcare providers are saddled with hundreds of thousands in student loan debt from their training.  It costs a lot to run a dental office.

Dental insurance isn’t really insurance and often adds to overhead costs.  – The current model of dental coverage pays for some routine x-rays, usually a couple of cleanings, and maybe a minor repair or two.  The customary maximum coverage amount is around $1500 and has not increased since the 1960’s.  Dental insurance is more of an employer provided supplement than a safety net to cover a lot of broken teeth.  It adds to dental overhead because most dental offices must employ one or two full-time team members to verify, file, and track all of the required paperwork.

So how can patients minimize their dental care costs?  Prevention is one way.  Brush, floss, use fluoride, and seek routine, preventative care.  Eat and drink healthy.  Make sure to maximize dental benefits each year.  Utilize HSAs, benefit plans, FSAs, cafeteria plans, and the like.  Fix teeth before they start to hurt (this is most always less expensive and less extensive).  Take advantage of patient finance plans that allow lower monthly payments, often interest free.  Take care of those teeth so that they stay unnoticed and healthy.

Until next week, keep smiling.

-Please send comments to Drs. Parrish at www.ParrishDental.com.

What Our Patients Are Saying

Llano, TX Dentist

Made a visit to Parrish Dentistry this morning with my full family of 4 and could not have gone better. From the check in process to examination to cleaning they were hitting on all cylinders and we could not have been happier. Even our young kids were very entertained throughout the process due to their kid friendly staff and welcoming environment. Thanks Parrish Dentistry team for making our visit over the top!

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Dentist in Llano, TX

Location Address

Parrish Dentistry

307 East State Highway 71
Llano, TX 78643

325-247-4000

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Your Health and Safety is our Top Priority

Dentist in Llano, TX

Parrish Dentistry has always had the very highest of standards when it comes to your child's health and that hasn’t changed. Every time you and your child visit our office, our primary goal is to ensure your health and your safety.

We continue to maintain and uphold the requirements set forth by the CDC, OSHA, and the ADA in regards to sanitation and infection control, ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all.