You love your kid’s smile, and you want to do your best to take care of it. This means helping them brush their teeth in front of the mirror twice a day, limiting the amount of candy that they eat, and, of course, bringing them to the dentist for routine appointments.
Dental treatment can be expensive and can easily push the boundaries of your budget. Is there a way that you can save on dental treatments for your kids?
Get Coverage
Private dental insurance plans are expensive. If your income is low and you can’t afford a private plan, then you may want to look into Medicaid for help. Medicaid offers dental coverage for routine cleanings and emergency treatments.
If your income crosses the qualifying threshold for Medicaid, you could still sign up for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The CHIP program specifically offers medical and dental coverage for children and teens (up to age 19).
Get a Dental Savings Plan
A dental savings plan is an annual membership that gives you discounted rates for dental treatments. The membership tends to cost less than a private dental insurance plan. To save money on your kids’ dental treatment, you can sign up for a family plan.
Get a Family Discount
Plenty of dental clinics offer discounted rates for people that bring in new customers, including their own family members. Call up dental clinics in your neighborhood to see whether you can get a deal by booking appointments for the whole family.
Buy a Mouthguard
Think about it — would you let your kid skateboard without a helmet? Would you let them play football without any pads? Of course, not — they could get seriously hurt without protective equipment. A mouthguard is just another piece of equipment they should wear during activities like skateboarding, football, soccer and more.
This simple purchase should save them from dental emergencies like chipped or broken teeth.
The Worst Way to Save on Dental Work
What is the worst way of saving money on dental work? Skipping it altogether.
You should never make the mistake of skipping dental appointments to save money. If your kid ends up having a dental issue, it could get much worse once it goes undetected and untreated. You will spend a lot more trying to recover from this neglected problem in the future. Remember: a simple cleaning costs a lot less than filling a bunch of cavities.
More importantly, you don’t want your kids to suffer from dental problems. Cavities will lead to painful toothaches that make it hard to eat, drink and even sleep comfortably. And going to the dentist’s chair for a lot of fillings can be a stressful experience that they won’t want to sit through. Their discomfort isn’t worth the savings.
If your kid has a dental emergency, and you don’t have enough savings to cover it, you still should go through with it. You could charge the treatment to your credit card and then tackle the balance at your own pace. Or you could try to get a loan online and use the borrowed funds to cover the emergency treatment. As long as you meet the qualifications for the online loan, you can send in an application. If you’re approved, you can use the loan to resolve the problem and then follow a repayment plan afterward.
Dental treatment for your kids shouldn’t feel unaffordable. Use these budget-friendly tips to get your kid into the dentist’s chair.
