At their six-month dental checkup earlier this year, both of my sons received the dreaded diagnosis: Each one had a cavity in a baby tooth that would need to be filled.
In addition to feeling like a terrible parent, I was also not looking forward to having to pay for their fillings.
Our family dentist wasn’t set up to handle fillings for two squirmy young patients, and the pediatric dentist she referred us to did not accept our dental insurance.Thankfully, my husband and I have an emergency fund for such an occasion, but not every parent is as fortunate. Taking care of your kids’ teeth doesn’t have to bankrupt you, even if they do need costly dental care or treatment.
I talked to Marissa Miller, DDS, of Shelby, Ohio, to find out what parents need to know about affording expensive dental care for their kids.
1. Preventive care is always cheaper than treating problems
According to Dr. Miller, “To mitigate the costs of dental procedures, my first piece of advice is have kids see the dentist early and regularly.” There are two reasons for this. First, kids who get used to seeing the dentist early in their lives are less likely to develop phobias that will keep them from seeing the dentist later on.
This leads to the second reason why it’s important to get your kids used to seeing the dentist early and often: It’s much less expensive to have biannual tooth cleanings than it is to deal with an entrenched problem.
Even if your child does have a dental problem that will need treatment, finding it sooner rather than later will generally be easier on your wallet. “Having your kids come to the dentist at regular intervals also gives us a chance to catch any problems — such as tooth decay, narrow palate, etc. — early on,” Dr. Miller says. “And catching problems in an early stage almost always leads to less costly treatment.”
2. Some common pediatric dental procedures can be surprisingly expensive
Most parents are well aware of the fact that orthodontics (i.e., braces, retainers, and other tooth-straightening tools) are expensive. According to the 2013 Survey of Dental Fees, comprehensive orthodontic treatment for adolescents ranged in price from $4,685 to $6,500.
However, parents may not be aware of the fact that other common dental procedures can also cost a pretty penny. Specifically, when there is a great deal of tooth decay in baby teeth, the treatment can be expensive. According to Dr. Miller, “When deep cavities occur in children between roughly three and nine years of age, the costs of restoring…
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