For more than two years now, the pandemic has been disrupting our lives. While for many people, the COVID-19 pandemic feels “over,” there are many people whose lives are still being affected. Specifically, many people have dental procedures that they have been putting off since the pandemic restrictions began in 2020.
If you are among those putting off dental care, let Butler dentist Dr. Robert Fonalczyk at Butler Advanced Dentistry help you overcome the factors holding you back.
Many People Still Avoiding the Dentist
If you’re putting off going back to the dentist, you’re not alone. A recent survey released by DentalInsurance.com of more than 1200 people found out that about 40% of people had delayed getting dental care for one of the following reasons:
- High out-of-pocket expenses (19.6%)
- Fear of discomfort (13.3%)
- No dental insurance (13.1%)
- Dental plan won’t cover (9.5%)
- Procedure requires time off for recovery (5.5%)
- Preferred dentist is out of network (4.2%)
Note that the above responses total more than the 40% of people who are avoiding treatment. That’s because people could select more than one cause for delay, but they could not select a cause for delay and say that nothing had delayed their treatment.
If any of these causes are holding you back, Butler’s dentist Dr. Fornalczyk can help.
Financing to Help with Costs
As with almost everything in America these days, the cost is one of the biggest factors holding people back from getting dental care. About half of all people postponing dental care did so because of cost.
At Butler Advanced Dentistry, we are very cognizant of how the cost of dental care impacts our patients. We deliver quality dental care that is long-lasting and offers great results. This makes it a great value compared to cheap dentistry, which might save you money today but cost you more in the long run.
Speaking of saving money in the long run, postponing dental care only increases the cost of care. A postponed filling today will be a larger filling in the future. Postponed too long, the tooth might need a dental crown instead. Left even longer, the tooth might need root canal therapy or even extraction and replacement with an implant, bridge, or denture.
At Advanced Dentistry of Butler, we are also prepared to help patients meet the cost of getting quality dental care. We accept many payment options, and we can help you obtain financing through Care Credit. This can help you stop putting off dental care and making it more expensive.
Avoid Dental Discomfort
We know that many people worry about discomfort at the dentist. Butler dentist Dr. Fornalczyk takes a compassionate approach to dentistry, doing everything he can to reduce or eliminate discomfort.
The other issue is that it’s often not the discomfort so much as the worrying about the discomfort that matters. We can help with dental anxiety thanks to sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry can help you get through your appointment worry-free.
One of the best things about sedation dentistry is that it can help you overcome your worries. Each time you successfully come to the dentist and have a positive experience, it will reduce your anxiety for your next visit. Many people start out relying on sedation dentistry can eventually be relaxed at the dentist without any assistance.
Help with Insurance Companies
Insurance companies are strange beasts. Supposedly there to help you, they make more money if they can avoid paying claims, so they’re disincentivized to provide you with maximum benefits. We absolutely sympathize with everyone trying to get help from their insurance company.
That’s why at Butler Advanced Dentistry, we provide assistance to patients in filing insurance claims. We’ll do what we can to help you understand your coverage and provide any type of documentation you might need to try to file a claim.
It’s important to know from the beginning, though, that your insurance will likely not cover all the costs of your procedure (they almost never do). It’s often best to make plans for covering the full cost, then take anything your insurance pays you back as a bonus.
In some ways, people without insurance are better off. They know what their costs are going to be, and they don’t have to guess what insurance will pay.
What’s Keeping You from Dental Care in Butler?
Are you putting off dental care? Whether it’s for any of the above reasons or something different, let Advanced Dentistry of Butler help.
Please call (724) 282-4436 or use our online form to request an appointment at our office in Oak Hills, near Butler Community College.
