Uninsured? Here’s Where to Go for Affordable Dental Care without Insurance

two dentists examine a dental x-ray to determine how to best give their patient affordable dental care even without insurance

Finding an affordable dentist with no insurance shouldn’t be as frustrating as it often is. But many individuals find it difficult to get the dental care they need such as dental cleanings, yearly exams, and dental implants from a provider that accepts no insurance.

What’s the solution? Patients without insurance can still receive the dental care they need from a cash pay dentist, or dentists with in-house savings plans that let you pay in cash and at a reasonable discount.

Keep reading to learn more about where to find affordable dentists with these cash payment plans near you in Wasilla, AK! Or contact the staff at Meridian Dental for additional information.

Cash In-House Savings Options to Maintain Dental Health

Rather than having to find and pay for a dental insurance plan, some families and individuals choose instead to take advantage of dental savings options offered by their family dentist. These plans save patients money while still providing the comprehensive services needed for good oral health.

For example, Meridian Dental in Wasilla, AK provides patients of all ages with in-house dental savings options. These plans include a reasonable cash price for dental cleanings and exams twice a year, a set of x-rays to check for cavities, decay, or other problems, and a 15% discount on any other treatments (except orthodontics).

These services which normally can cost at upwards of $600 only cost patients $250-375, depending on the patient’s age and dental health needs. (See more plan specifics here!)

Why We Offer Cash Payment Plans: Preventative Dental Care Matters

Signing on for yearly dental payment plans such as these can keep your teeth in good condition. The whole reason why Meridian Dental offers these and other cash pay dentist options is so that you have easier access to preventative dental care.

Patients who receive dental cleanings and exams biannually are less likely to incur serious dental health issues. Preventative dental care helps prevent against inflamed gums and periodontal disease, cavities, tooth decay, tooth staining, infections that require a root canal or tooth extraction, and other complications.

Rather than having to pay for expensive treatments for these issues later down the road, we want to provide our patients with affordable dental care now so that they can enjoy a healthier and brighter smile.

The bottom line is that your dental health matters. It affects more of your overall health than you think, so don’t let it fall by the wayside because you have no insurance plan. Go to a cash pay dentist near you and protect your teeth and gums now before problems escalate.

No Insurance Dental Care in Wasilla, AK

If you’re not wanting to sign up for a yearly dental savings plan, our Wasilla dental office also offers upfront cash payments for dental cleanings and other dental work. What really matters to us is that each patient receives the care necessary to keep their teeth healthy and looking great.

Not being insured should not deter you from getting that high-quality dental care. Contact our office to learn more about all our dental savings options, including the aforementioned in-house savings plan and cash pay dentists as well as convenient CareCredit financing.

Let’s keep your teeth healthy with affordable dental care for the whole family! Schedule an appointment at Meridian Dental today to begin.

3 Reasons Why Same-Day Crowns May Be Right for You

A dentist holds a model of a same-day dental crown

If you’ve considered getting a tooth crown to replace a missing tooth or to protect one that’s weak or broken, why not get a same-day crown? These dental crowns are similar to traditional crowns in function, but don’t require sending a mold to a dental laboratory. Instead, dentists with this technology create the same-day crown right in their dental office!

But is it worth it to look into same-day crowns? It very well may be if you’re interested in the following three reasons:

1. Less Time

The biggest drawback to the traditional tooth crown procedure is the large amount of time it takes to complete. First, the patient will visit their dentist to have the existing tooth milled down so that the crown can fit snugly on top of it. In the case that a crown will replace a missing tooth, a dental implant will need to be placed in advance or bordering achor teeth milled down to secure a tooth bridge in place.

During this same appointment, your advanced family or cosmetic dentist will create a mold for the crown that resembles the shape of other teeth. You will receive a temporary tooth crown while the mold is sent to a dental lab where technicians will shape your permanent crown from the mold.

But that can take sometimes two to three weeks after your initial appointment. While the temporary crown should still protect your tooth, it won’t feel or look as natural as the permanent crown will.

Beyond that, however, you’ll also need to take more time off work or out of your busy schedule to meet with the dentist again for him or her to place this permanent crown. If the tooth crown doesn’t feel right, it may need to be sent back to the lab for additional adjustments before you come back for a third appointment.

Or, you could get same-day crowns. As the name implies, you can receive these crowns the very same day that you come in for that first appointment. Within one to two hours, you can have your crown molded, milled, and placed on your tooth or implant. And you’re done!

2. Same Great Quality

But will same-day crowns have a similar high quality as traditional tooth crowns? Yes!

The in-office milling technology used to create same-day crowns creates durable finished products that are long-lasting and stain-resistant. They may not be hand cut in a lab, but they still are carefully made to resemble other teeth. This technology is also capable of color-matching your tooth crown with surrounding teeth so that it fits in naturally with your smile.

In other words, you get the same excellent quality from same-day crowns as you would a traditional crown in exponentially less time.

3. Similar Cost

One of the most frequent questions patients ask us is regarding the cost of same-day crowns. With its advanced and convenient technology, many individuals assume that the tooth crown cost will skyrocket beyond their budget.

However, generally the cost of a same-day crown isn’t too much different than the cost of a traditional crown. In fact, the cost for both procedures is often more affordable for replacing teeth than dental implants or tooth bridges.

Get Tooth Crowns in a Single Appointment!

So if you’re looking to get a high-quality tooth crown at a much greater convenience and a similar cost, then talk with dentists at Meridian Dental about same-day crowns. We’re proud to use this advanced technology in our Wasilla, AK dental office to provide patients with the treatments they need in less time.

Our evening and after hours dentists make getting your tooth crown even more convenient by offering later office hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays if you can’t make it in to us during the regular workweek. Or schedule a weekend dentist appointment with us on Saturdays to restore your smile and protect damaged teeth from breaking even further!

Contact us to set up a free consultation appointment and let’s discuss in greater depth why same-day crowns may be your best option for replacing or protecting teeth.

Substitutes for Sugary Food and Drinks for a Healthier and Brighter Smile

A woman substitutes an apple and salad for doughnuts to have less sugar in her diet

We all love a little sugar, but our teeth could use a little break from high amounts of sugar if we’re going to maintain good dental health. When sugar particles stay on teeth for long periods of time, they encourage plaque and bacteria growth that eat away at enamel and lead to tooth decay. The less sugar you eat, the less risk you put your teeth in and the better your smile will look.

This word of caution isn’t just for adults, but for children too! Although kids’ teeth will fall out, serious cavities and tooth decay in their baby teeth could affect permanent adult teeth that come in. Plus, starting healthy habits now can encourage better oral health in the future.

So whether you’re 4 or 44 years old, it’s always a good practice to limit the sugar you eat each day to help prevent tooth decay. To help you out, our dental office in Wasilla, AK has gathered up a few ways you can decrease your daily and weekly sugar intake to improve your family’s dental health.

More Water!

Those sugary sports drinks, juices, and sodas sound pretty tempting after a workout or when you go out to eat. But choosing a glass of water instead is something your teeth will thank you for. Drinking water after a meal will help break down sugar in your food along with plaque that may cling to your teeth.

Got Milk?

Milk is another good drink substitute for dinnertime. It contains a high source of calcium which helps enamel around your teeth grow stronger and be more resistant to decay from sugary substances.

We Love Cereal, But…

Cereal can be a great breakfast to start your day with, that is, if it isn’t high in sugar. Check the sugar content in the cereals you buy and try to find ones with lower amounts of sugar. That sugar could be hiding in high fructose corn syrup and other common ingredients in cereal. When you can, switch your morning cereal with a non-fat, low-sugar yogurt or toast with an avocado or cottage cheese spread.

Naturally Sweet

Some breakfasts, desserts, and other foods just taste so much better with a little sugar sprinkled on top. But a little extra sugar every day can add up fast and wear down teeth. When you crave something sweet to complement your meal, consider switching out artificial sweeteners or sprinkled sugar with natural sugars in fruit. Those natural sugars have great nutritional value while added sugars in processed foods only give you more calories and more opportunities for cavities to creep in.

Cook it Fresh

Many prepared or frozen meals are packed with more added sugar than you may realize. While sometimes our busy schedules don’t give us much time for cooking, making dinner from scratch a few times every week can be a great way to decrease your family’s sugar intake. It may be more work to prepare a full meal without as many processed foods, but when it comes to your oral health, it will be a worthy sacrifice.

Snacks to Hold You Over

It’s so easy to grab a quick cookie or candy as a snack between meals. Again, making the switch to healthier snacks is going to take some sacrifice. But those little snacks high in sugar eaten here and there make a big difference to your overall dental health. If you don’t have the time to cut up some fruit or vegetables for a snack, canned fruit can be another alternative. Just check that the fruit is canned in water rather than in a sugary syrup.

Less Sugar, Less Decay: Why It Even Matters

Maintaining your dental health and reducing your sugar intake will not only affect your teeth, but your entire well-being. Studies show us that eating more than the recommended daily sugar intake can be a risk factor for conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and heart-related problems on top of tooth decay.

Make the decision today to substitute healthier options into your daily diet! Your teeth will look better and feel better with such a change and experience fewer cavities and decay. Be sure to continue with regular brushing and flossing habits as well to remove plaque buildup from the other foods you choose to eat!

For more suggestions on improving your family’s dental health, contact our Wasilla, AK dentists at Meridian Dental. Come in for teeth cleanings for the whole family, another crucial ingredient to maintaining oral health! Our dental office is even open on Saturdays and Wednesday and Thursday evenings so that nothing gets in your way of a healthy smile.