Now Accepting New Patients — Schedule Your Visit Today!
Now Accepting New Patients — Schedule Your Visit Today!
Cost should never be the reason someone puts off dental care they actually need. Understanding how dental insurance works can feel complicated, especially when you’re trying to figure out what your plan actually covers before your appointment, and terms like “in-network,” “out-of-network,” and “fee-for-service” get thrown around often without anyone stopping to explain what they actually mean for the bill you end up paying.
At Orange Blossom Dentistry, Dr. Ryan Garske and Dr. Jessica Nixon believe conversations about cost should feel as comfortable as conversations about treatment. Below, we break down what your insurance terms actually mean, what fee-for-service dentistry looks like, and the financing options available for larger treatments.
Cherry is a buy now, pay later payment option that makes it easy to get the dental care you need now and pay over time. With Cherry, you can apply in seconds and receive an instant decision, with no hard credit check at any point!
When we’re in-network with your insurance plan, it means we have a contract with that insurance company that sets pre-negotiated rates for procedures. A PPO, or Preferred Provider Organization, is one of the most common types of dental insurance plans, and when you visit an in-network provider under a PPO, your plan pays a negotiated rate, and you’re responsible only for your deductible, copay, or any balance remaining after your annual maximum has been applied.
We accept most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, Cigna, MetLife, Humana, United Healthcare, GEHA, and more. We also work with VA dental benefits. Most PPO plans divide services into three tiers: preventive care, basic restorative care, and major restorative care.
Preventive services like dental cleanings and exams are typically covered at 100% when you visit an in-network dentist. Basic services such as fillings are commonly covered at around 80%, while major procedures like crowns or dental implants may be covered at a lower percentage. If you don’t see your plan listed, don’t worry — our team will confirm your benefits before your appointment so you always know what to expect.
Your annual maximum is the total dollar amount your insurance plan will pay toward dental care within a given benefit year. Once you reach that limit, the cost of any additional treatment becomes your responsibility until your plan resets, typically on January 1st for calendar-year plans.
A deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance begins covering treatment costs. Preventive care is often exempt from the deductible entirely, which means your cleanings and routine exams may be fully covered from your very first visit with no waiting period.
If your plan is a PPO, you can generally still receive some benefits when visiting a dentist outside of your plan’s network. However, your out-of-pocket costs will typically be higher since the provider’s fees aren’t subject to a negotiated rate. We always recommend calling your insurance carrier before scheduling care elsewhere so you understand exactly what your out-of-network coverage looks like, and our team is happy to help you sort through that before your visit.
Fee-for-service means paying directly for your treatment rather than going through an insurance company at all. Some patients choose this route because they don’t carry dental insurance, while others choose it for more control over their treatment plan, without an insurer dictating which procedures get approved or how often certain services can be used.
There’s also a timing benefit. Insurance companies sometimes require prior authorizations or limit how frequently certain treatments are covered, which can slow down care a patient needs sooner rather than later.
Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics found that adults with dental coverage were more likely to have had a dental visit in the past 12 months compared with those without coverage, which is exactly why we built a fee-for-service alternative for patients who want predictable care without waiting on an insurance company’s approval process.
For patients who are uninsured or underinsured, we offer an in-house savings plan as a practical alternative to traditional dental coverage. The plan gives you access to preventive services and meaningful discounts on additional treatments, with no deductibles, no waiting periods, and no annual maximums. It’s a simple, honest alternative to traditional insurance that keeps your dental health on track all year long, whether you need a routine cleaning or you’re ready to explore cosmetic dentistry options like veneers or Invisalign.
CareCredit is a healthcare credit card accepted at more than 285,000 providers nationwide, built specifically for out-of-pocket health and wellness costs. Instead of paying for a procedure in a single lump sum, CareCredit lets you spread the balance across manageable monthly payments. Transactions of $200 or more qualify for promotional financing options, and you can check whether you prequalify without any impact to your credit score right from your phone, before you even come in for a visit.
Once approved, your card stays available for future dental needs across your entire household, not just a single procedure. For patients with insurance, CareCredit works alongside your existing benefits to cover whatever your plan doesn’t pay. For patients without insurance, it functions as a complete standalone payment solution.
CareCredit applies to a wide range of treatments at our practice, and it tends to make the biggest difference on the procedures patients are most likely to delay over cost. Some of the most common uses include:
We’re also exploring additional financing partners so patients will have even more ways to make treatment affordable, and we’ll update this page as those options go live.
Orange Blossom Dentistry is a privately owned, family practice led by husband-and-wife team Dr. Ryan Garske and Dr. Jessica Nixon, both graduates of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. They built this practice on the belief that great dental care should feel personal, not like a transaction. We accept most major PPO insurance plans, offer fee-for-service and in-house savings plan options for patients without coverage, and provide CareCredit financing so cost is never the reason to delay care.
To get started, contact our office and our team will help you sort out the payment approach that makes the most sense for your treatment.
Experience a higher standard of dental care at Orange Blossom Dentistry. Conveniently located off Kingsley Avenue on Village Way, we’re here to serve your family’s dental needs with expertise and compassion.
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