Affordable Dental Care in San Diego is hard to find. At Dental Express, it’s our mission to make it easy – and help each patient feel proud of their smile
In 2014, the Health Policy Institute conducted a survey for the American Dental Association (ADA), asking 4,014 people about their dental care-seeking behavior, among other related questions.
Of those surveyed, 22.9% responded “No” or “Not Sure” when asked if they planned to visit a dentist within the next twelve months.
Regardless of the participant’s age, household income, or health insurance status, the main reason they answered “No” was the same:
Cost.
Even most people with private dental insurance plans and above-average income still cite cost as the major obstacle to getting the dental care they need.
In our eyes, this is a big problem. That’s why we built our entire business model around solving it.
At Dental Express, we believe Affordable Dental Care in San Diego IS possible, and we’re determined to prove it.
The Problem With Dentistry Today
The above data tells us two main things about the dental field as a whole:
- The focus is often more on profit than fulfilling patients’ needs, and
- Dental insurance plans rarely meet patients’ needs
The result is a vicious cycle. And one that’s ultimately far more expensive for the patient than it needs to be.
Here’s how it works:
People avoid the dentist because they don’t believe they can afford the dental care they need – sometimes treatments as fundamental as regular exams and x-rays – which often leads to dental health issues.
Then, when the patient has pain, difficulty chewing, or other problems that make avoiding the dentist impossible, they finally make an appointment only to find that the bill to fix everything is incredibly expensive.
Naturally, this only serves to strengthen their idea that going to the dentist is too costly.
Sound familiar?
Don’t worry. As the ADA study showed, you’re certainly not alone.
The Dental Express Philosophy
Now, we hate to be cliché, but the truth is, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
We’re firm believers that if you put the patients’ needs above all else, considering how every decision you make will affect them, everything else will fall into place.
When you come to Dental Express, our main goal is to work together to discover the smile that YOU want and get you there in a way that best fits your budget.
You may want to straighten your teeth, get a dental crown or other restoration put in, or you may simply want to chew without pain again.
Whatever your goals are – no matter your age, household income, or health insurance status – we’ll find a way to achieve them together.
Dentistry is a team effort, and when you trust us with your dental health, we’re committed to making your smile a source of pride and confidence.
Our Values
We hire, collaborate, and operate under our five core values of integrity, empathy, collaboration, adaptability, and whistle while you work.
This foundational value structure cultivates a family-like atmosphere for both our team members and you, the patient.
No matter your current dental health, we accept every patient without judgment.
Over time, we’ll work together towards your ideal Smile San Diego at a pace that’s comfortable for you and your budget, relieving the financial pressure and stress of feeling like you have to empty your wallet all at once.
Wherever there are gaps between your needs and what your dental insurance plan will cover, we’ll do whatever we can to bridge them.
For you, about you dentistry is our specialty, and that’s what sets us apart.
Comprehensive Service
Dental Express is your San Diego family dentist.
Our team of top-rated dentists has decades of combined experience providing dental care all across the country to patients of all ages.
Their knowledge and diverse set of skills allow us to provide a full range of dental services for patients young and old, including diagnostic and preventive services, crowns, root canals, Implant Dentures Dental, partials, implants, Kids Smiles Pediatric Dentistry services, periodontal treatments, and more.
That means you can get most, if not all, of you and your family’s dental care needs taken care of under one roof.
As a family dentist, we do our best to keep outside referrals to a minimum, saving you the time, money, and inconvenience of seeing multiple dental providers.
Bridging the Gap
Working with insured and uninsured patients to meet their dental care needs while accommodating their budgets is our superpower.
It’s the most challenging part of how we do business, but it’s also the most rewarding.
As we learned above, many insurance plans just don’t cut it, leaving gaps between what benefits they offer and the dental care patients need.
And of course, there’s a large number of people in San Diego that don’t have any health benefits. Data suggests around 72,000 San Diegans are uninsured.
No matter our patients’ health insurance status, we have a wide variety of options to help them get the care they need.
Medi-Cal Dental
Medi-Cal Dental is low-cost dental coverage available only in California for qualifying residents.
Medi-Cal is an invaluable service that provides essential care to millions of California residents that otherwise might not be able to afford it…
And Dental Express happily participates in the program to extend our care to as many San Diegans as possible.
Despite the millions of enrollees, the same data we referenced above estimates that there are around 81,000 Californians who qualify for Medi-Cal benefits and could be saving money on their dental care costs.
If our patients are uninsured or in between jobs, we always encourage them to apply for Medi-Cal to get the care they need at a reasonable price.
Patients with employer-based health insurance often take advantage of Medi-Cal Dental when their dental care needs exceed the benefits provided by their current plan.
From there, if they need any additional treatments, we can comfortably fit them into their budget using our affordable financing options or other payment methods.
Tricare
San Diego is home to the largest Navy base on the West Coast, with 7.6% of the population made up of active-duty Navy and Marine Corps members and their families.
With our mission to make dental care affordable for all San Diego residents, accepting Tricare insurance coverage for service members and their loved ones was a natural fit.
Tricare is the military’s healthcare and dental insurance provider, offering benefits for medically necessary dental care services such as diagnostic and preventive treatments, restorative services, orthodontics, oral surgery, endodontic practice, and other non-medical treatments.
Supporting an organization that offers such a vital service to our men and women in uniform is an honor, and we’re proud to give back to a community that never stops giving to this country and its people.
If you or a loved one is active duty military, feel free to give us a call about applying your benefits at Dental Express.
Crafting healthy smiles for our troops and their families is our way of saying thank you!
Why Don’t You Accept HMO Insurance?
The reason we accept a broad range of PPO providers instead of HMO is a simple one.
More often than not, if you need more care than your HMO is willing to provide, you’re out of luck.
This type of insurance coverage limits you to a small network of providers who are often hired specifically to control healthcare costs, and not in the “save you money” kind of way.
So, finding affordable care outside of your network is often impossible. You may even be going through this exact situation right now.
We want each and every one of our patients to feel like they can receive all the affordable dental care they need in-house. On the off chance they need a referral, our doctors have great working relationships with the top specialists in the area.
The Quality Care You Need. No Matter Your Budget.
Dentistry is a genuine medical dentist San Diego service that each of us needs to live happy, healthy lives.
At Dental Express, our goal is to do everything in our power to remove cost as a barrier to seeking dental care.
When you visit us, we aim to make you feel proud of your smile and comfortable with the investment you’ve made in your health.
If you want to learn more about Affordable Dental Care in San Diego, or you’d like to join a team that’s dedicated to your smile, contact us today.
We’re always happy to answer any questions you may have!
Keep Reading
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5 Ways to Secure Dental Coverage if You’re Unemployed
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Save Your Teeth and Money With Medi-Cal Dental