While we don't participate in any insurance programs, we do accept insurance payments and in certain cases are happy to file insurance. We know that by keeping the insurance relationship between the patient and their carrier, we can concentrate on providing the most comprehensive care we can to the patient, including spending ample amount of time with patients who are paying for that time.

Insurance companies simply function to reimburse the patient for a portion of the fees charged by the dentist, based on the plan the patient has signed up for independently of our office. We know that our participation in insurance plans would directly affect the amount of attention received by each of our patients and in turn affect the quality of care they receive.

For example, insurance companies ask the dentist to take a write-off on each procedure, which basically means to provide the service at a discounted price in exchange for "sending" the dentist patients (basically, putting the dentists name on a list of providers). These fee cuts can be significant. When this happens, the dentist is then forced to see more patients in a day to make up the difference. This usually results in less time spent with each patient, quicker, less-thorough cleanings, work that is rushed through, "bargain hunting" for dental labs for crown and bridge work (which can affect quality), and ultimately patients going to a dentist who doesn't know them very well. Not the best combination to ensure that the patient is getting the best treatment possible.

What does all this mean? It directly affects your dental work and its longevity. It is less expensive in the long-run to comprehensively treat problems the proper way in the beginning than to continue "patching" teeth over time (as insurance companies would have you do), only to have them fail in the end, costing you even more money and time.

The patient has the final say in treatment, not the insurance carrier. By leaving distant third parties out of our treatment rooms, we are able to keep the relationship where it should be, between the doctor and the patient only. This allows us to deliver the best, most comprehensive care we can, based on our relationship with each other, improving our chances for treatment success, which ultimately benefits both patient and dentist.

For more information, please see AGD Impact, January 2006, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp.16-20,

Or click here to print out and read the article.