Fees
Our fees are based on the current year’s Ontario Dental Association Fee Guide. With or without insurance, each patient is financially responsible for the fees associated with the treatment he or she receives. As coverage varies from one policy to another, we cannot guarantee that 100% of all fees will be covered.
Dental Insurance
Patients with dental insurance are asked to be sure to provide full details of their insurance information prior to their appointment. This information includes:
- Employer
- Insurance company
- Policy-holder
- Policy-holder’s date of birth
- Plan Number
- Division Number
- Patient’s date of birth
- Patient’s relationship to policy-holder
Assignment of benefits
As a courtesy to our patients, where policies allow, we accept the assignment of benefits. This means that your insurer pays the dentist directly. After each treatment, the dental claim is submitted to the insurance company by the dental office. The assignment of benefits reduces your out-of-pocket expenses and lessens your administrative load. Any fees that are not covered by your plan remain your responsibility; upon receipt of payment from the insurer, our office will issue a bill to you for the remaining amount.
In order for us to continue accepting payment directly from your insurance company, your account must be kept current.
Non-assignment of benefits
There are some dental plans that will not allow benefits to be assigned. This means that the policy-holder will be paid by the insurance company. In this case, you will need to pay the dental bill upfront. We can still submit the claim for you electronically and then you must wait to be reimbursed by your insurer. The good news is reimbursement is must faster than it was years ago. Thanks to electronic claims submission, insurance payments can be received in just days.
Setting aside the cash outlay, non-assignment of benefits has some advantages. Non-assignment gives patients a better understanding of their plan, including what and how much is covered, and providing valuable insight when discussing fees with their dentist.
Our account managers are familiar with many dental plans and can provide patients with some information. However, there are thousands of dental plans, each with unique arrangements and it is up to you to obtain details about your plan from your human resources department or dental plan administrator.
