{"id":2003,"date":"2023-05-17T17:31:16","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T17:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/?p=2003"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:08:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T17:08:29","slug":"in-network-vs-out-of-network-dentists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/in-network-vs-out-of-network-dentists\/","title":{"rendered":"In-network vs Out-of-network dentists"},"content":{"rendered":"

It can be difficult to understand the real differences between In-network <\/em>and Out-of-network <\/em>dentists, with regards to dental insurance coverage you may have.\u00a0 In-network<\/em> dentists agree to terms and conditions set forth by insurance companies.\u00a0 The insurance company can actually decide what types of procedures the In-network<\/em> dentist can do for patients covered under their plan.\u00a0 The insurance company can deny payment, or require the dentist to downgrade treatment as diagnosed for the patient because the insurance company deems it unnecessary (even if the dentist believes it is the best line of treatment, and will result in the best outcome for their patient).\u00a0 In addition, In-network<\/em> providers agree to fees for their services set forth by the insurance company.\u00a0 They agree to take whatever payment the insurance company is willing to provide.\u00a0 Most often, this insurance \u201creimbursement\u201d is far less than the value of the procedure, the dentist\u2019s time, and materials used.<\/p>\n

Out-of-network<\/em> dentists refuse to allow insurance companies to dictate how they will treat their patients.\u00a0 They choose not to sign up with insurance companies, because they do not want the restrictions In-network<\/em> dentists must conform to.\u00a0 Out-of-network<\/em> dentists are free to do what is best for the patient.\u00a0 They diagnose and treat with only the patient\u2019s best interest in mind.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to stop and wonder if the insurance will allow a certain procedure.\u00a0 They are unencumbered by stipulations set forth by insurance companies.\u00a0 Therefore, Out-of-network<\/em> dentists are able to use the best materials and techniques, ensure the best cosmetic outcome for your smile, and spend much more time with patients.\u00a0 Only you, the patient, and your dentist, know the issues you have, the sensitivity you may be feeling, and the look you want to achieve, so only you and your dentist can determine what line of treatment is best for you.\u00a0 Out-of-network<\/em> dentists provide a one-of-a-kind experience.\u00a0 In-network<\/em> providers tend to lean toward more of a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits all experience for their patients, because that is least time consuming, and cheapest for the insurance company.<\/p>\n

If you visit a dental practice that is In-network<\/em>, you will probably pay as little out of pocket as possible. That\u2019s because the dentist has contracted with your insurance company to controls prices.\u00a0 The disadvantages are that this contract tends to control the methods and materials these dentists use for treatment, which can contribute to less-than-ideal care.\u00a0 In-network<\/em> dentists may take on quite a few patients in order to meet financial goals. This might mean they are very busy, and do not always have time to spend necessary time with patients one-on-one, to provide the best treatment possible.<\/p>\n

You will probably pay slightly more at an Out-of-network<\/em> practice. However, Out-of-network<\/em> dentists are free to provide the care that they feel is best for patients, not the care an insurance company tries to dictate.\u00a0 Out-of-network<\/em> dentists are able to provide more personalized, comfortable care.<\/p>\n

Most consumers believe that if you see an In-network<\/em> dentist, you pay nothing for your appointments.\u00a0 This is not always the case \u2013 every insurance plan has many rules and stipulations for coverage.\u00a0 For example, some work on a fee schedule meaning that they will pay only a percentage of a service.\u00a0 Others provide annual benefits, meaning that they have a set maximum amount they will pay toward dental care in one year.\u00a0 Some only provide coverage for preventative appointments, and most have deductibles that have to be met before the insurance company pays for any services.\u00a0 Always read the fine print and ask questions before signing up for dental insurance, so you understand the coverage and can be prepared.<\/p>\n

Insurance companies sometimes use scare tactics to make consumers think Out-of-network<\/em> providers are \u201cbad\u201d and more expensive.\u00a0 Their websites use language like, \u201cbeware of out-of-network providers,\u201d and \u201cavoid paying high out of pocket costs.\u201d\u00a0 They don\u2019t explain that even with insurance, you will still have out of pocket costs, and that your treatment could be downgraded or even denied by your insurance company.<\/p>\n

Many patients do not realize that their In-network<\/em> Dentist is accepting less money for doing their dental work.\u00a0 Many of these In-network<\/em> dentists use less expensive labs and\/or materials.\u00a0 High quality dental offices like Dr. Galaif do not make purchasing decisions based on a dollar amount \u2013 if materials, equipment and\/or labs and other referred doctors are good for our patients or our practice, then we make the purchase, contract with the lab or offer a referral.\u00a0 Dr. Galaif uses the highest quality materials and the best labs.\u00a0 The dentistry we provide to all of our patients is the dentistry we would want in our own mouths, those of our children, parents, relatives and friends.\u00a0 We use the latest and most cutting-edge technology to enhance our patient\u2019s experience and comfort, which can be very costly in some cases.\u00a0 We use computers to deliver anesthetics.\u00a0 We have an air abrasion machine to do small fillings, without drilling or Novocain.\u00a0 We have a CAD CAM system so we can make crowns right in our office, during a single visit, which eliminates the need for temporary crowns to be replaced later on subsequent visits, after waiting for labs to prepare and deliver them.<\/p>\n

\"Planmeca<\/a><\/p>\n

Dentist who accept lower fees are not able to purchase these items or utilize such technology.\u00a0 Some In-network<\/em> dentist use a less expensive lab for their low fee insurance patients, and a higher fee lab for their higher fee patients.\u00a0 We use the same lab for all of our patients, contracting with specialty labs for each and every procedure need \u2013 we have separate implant<\/em> labs, night guard<\/em> labs and denture<\/em> labs.\u00a0 Some dentists buy off-market implant parts.\u00a0 We only buy parts directly from manufacturers.<\/p>\n

When you visit Dr Galaif for your appointment, you will notice that we always spend quality time with our patients \u2013 from the front office staff who greet you, assistants, hygienists and Dr. Galaif himself.\u00a0 We work very hard on our schedule to ensure that our patient\u2019s do not have to wait.\u00a0 We do not run from room to room.\u00a0 Dr. Galaif schedules new patient exams and consultations so that he can spend at least an hour with you.\u00a0 In-network<\/em> dentists cannot afford to offer this level of service, nor spend this amount of time with each patient because they are getting paid much less and need to do more volume.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Galaif only hires the best staff available, and the highest quality staff comes with associated costs.\u00a0 We have amazing people who answer\u00a0the \"\"<\/a>phones, incredible assistants, and the best, most well-trained hygienists.<\/p>\n

For any dental needs, especially complex or cosmetic procedures, it\u2019s a good idea to choose a dentist who will suit your needs and is an expert in the field. \u00a0With that in mind, you may want to see an Out-of-network<\/em> provider to ensure the highest quality treatment. \u00a0You can also find out if you might still be able to use your insurance plan, to get your insurance company to reimburse certain payments to you.<\/p>\n

Please be aware when making insurance decisions that you are going to get what you pay for.<\/p>\n

Call us to make an appointment for the highest quality dental care at (818) 789-6789, or visit the appointment page on our Web site:<\/p>\n

Contact Us<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It can be difficult to understand the real differences between In-network and Out-of-network dentists, with regards to dental insurance coverage you may have.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-2003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-dentistry","tag-in-network-vs-out-of-network-dentists"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2003"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2135,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003\/revisions\/2135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drgalaif.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}