Cost is consistently the top reason people put off dental care, and it's an understandable one. But delaying treatment because of price almost always backfires: a small cavity that would've cost little to fill turns into a root canal, or worse, an extraction, months later. The good news is that affordable dental care is more achievable than most people assume, once you know where to look.
Start With What You Actually Have
Before assuming you're out of options, check what coverage you might already have access to. Michigan expanded adult Medicaid dental benefits in 2023 to cover a much broader range of care than before, including diagnostic, preventive, restorative, and even prosthetic services like dentures. If you or a family member is on Medicaid or the Healthy Michigan Plan, it's worth confirming your dentist accepts it before assuming treatment is out of reach.
Financing: Spreading Cost Over Time
For treatment that isn't fully covered by insurance, dental financing can turn a large bill into manageable monthly payments. Two of the most common options work differently:
- Cherry Financing uses a soft credit check that doesn't affect your credit score, and offers 0% APR options for qualified applicants, with approval typically taking under 60 seconds
- CareCredit is a healthcare credit card offering promotional 0% interest periods on larger purchases, though it requires a hard credit check and uses deferred interest, meaning if the balance isn't paid off within the promotional window, interest is charged retroactively on the full original amount
Ask About New Patient Specials
Many practices, including ours, offer a reduced-cost new patient exam that bundles a comprehensive exam, X-rays, and a cleaning into one affordable visit. It's a low-cost way to get a full picture of your oral health and a real treatment plan with actual numbers, rather than guessing at what you might need or owe.
Don't Skip Preventive Care to Save Money
It's tempting to cut costs by skipping routine cleanings and checkups, but this is usually the most expensive place to cut back. Preventive visits are inexpensive (often fully covered by insurance) precisely because catching problems early keeps them from becoming the far costlier problems that come from waiting.