Patient Tools
Before you agree to major treatment.
Implants, crowns, braces and full-mouth work often cost thousands. These are the things worth having in writing before you start.
The written plan
- Every line listed with its procedure code, the tooth, and the fee.
- Which visits each item happens at, and roughly how many months the whole plan takes.
- Run it through our plan decoder to see each line in plain English, or compare two plans side by side.
The full cost
- Is anything not on the plan yet — scans, temporaries, bone grafts, sedation, follow-ups, night guards?
- What happens to the price if something changes mid-treatment?
- For implants: are the surgery, abutment and crown priced together or by separate offices?
- Is there a cash-pay or in-house membership discount?
Insurance
- Ask the office to send a pre-treatment estimate (pre-determination) to your insurer before you begin.
- Check your annual maximum, waiting periods, frequency limits and any missing-tooth clause.
- Ask whether the plan can be split across two benefit years.
- Model your share with the insurance calculator.
Payment and financing
- When is payment due — upfront, per visit, or per stage?
- If you use a medical credit card, read the deferred-interest terms: interest can be charged back to day one if the balance isn't paid in time.
- What's the refund policy if you stop treatment partway through?
Who and what
- Who is doing each step, and are they licensed? You can look up any Massachusetts dentist on the state's license check.
- Is there a warranty or redo policy on crowns, bridges or implants?
- What are the reasonable alternatives — including doing nothing for now — and what does each cost?
- For big plans, a second opinion is normal. Our second-opinion checklist helps.
General education only — not dental, medical or legal advice. Boston Dental Guide does not diagnose conditions or decide whether treatment is necessary.