Payments and Dental Insurance

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Patient Payment Information & Dental Insurance. This page outlines Growing Smiles policies and procedures regarding payment methods and insurance. Should you have any questions that are not covered by this site, feel free to contact us at 785.856.5600.

Cost. The cost of treatment depends on the severity of the patient's problem. You will be able to discuss fees and payment options before treatment begins. We have payment plans to suit different budgets. We also accept assignment from most insurance plans, and we will file the necessary papers to the insurance company. We work hard to make dental care affordable and to make sure that you realize your insurance benefits.

Payment. Growing Smiles is a fee-for-service dental office. All fees not covered by your dental benefit will be due at the time service is provided. At the initial visit, you will be provided with an itemized description of planned services and their associated fees. Payment is expected at the time treatment is provided, including patient co-pays and any fees not covered by your dental benefits.

To better assist you and provide an accurate fee for your child’s visit, please provide a Growing Smiles team member with your insurance card on the day of your first scheduled appointment. If you have questions about your insurance coverage and the reimbursement schedule, please contact your insurance company directly or ask our scheduling.

For your convenience, Growing Smiles accepts the following forms of payment: cash, check (with proper photo identification), MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. A $30.00 returned check fee will be applied.

We recognize that each child has a different family situation. If parents are divorced or legally separated, the person that brings the child to the initial visit and signs the financial policy will be responsible for all payments due at the time of service.

Payment Plans. In an effort to keep fees down while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established this financial policy:

If full payment is made at the onset of treatment, we will offer a fee discount since no further bookkeeping fee is needed. (If you have insurance, we will offer a discount for payment of your portion of the fee that will not be covered by insurance.)

To fit your individual needs for extensive treatments, financial arrangements can be made to extend your payments over a period of months. Growing Smiles is proud to offer our patients several different payment options. To obtain more information, ask a Growing Smiles Team Member prior to your child’s first visit or click here to find out more about CareCredit, a health care specific plan that offers various repayment options.

Insurance/Dental Benefits. If you have insurance, we will help you to determine the coverage you have available. Professional care is provided to your child, our patient, and not to an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible to the patient and patients are responsible to the doctor. We will help in every way we can in filing your claim and handling insurance questions from our office on your behalf. Growing Smiles proudly offers the latest electronic filing claims technology. If any questions exist regarding payment, please call prior to your scheduled appointment time.

Growing Smiles Pediatric Dentistry accepts all insurance coverage and is an “in-network” preferred provider for Delta Dental of Kansas and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas.

Please be aware of the following with regards to dental insurance:

WE PROVIDE YOU WITH AN ESTIMATE OF DENTAL INSURANCE BASED ON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO OUR OFFICE BY YOUR DENTAL INSURANCE COMPANY.

We do our best to provide an accurate estimate; however, this process is an "inexact" science. Past treatment, deductibles and co-pays may affect the actual coverage provided by your insurance company.

NO INSURANCE PAYS 100% OF ALL PROCEDURES

Dental insurance is meant to be an aid in receiving dental care. Many patients think that their insurance pays 90%-100% of all dental fees. This is not true! Most plans only pay between 50%-80% of the average total fee. Some pay more, some pay less. The percentage paid is usually determined by how much you or your employer has paid for coverage or the type of contract your employer has set up with the insurance company. Additionally, deductibles and co-pays may apply.

BENEFITS ARE NOT DETERMINED BY OUR OFFICE

You may have noticed that sometimes your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist at a lower rate than the dentist's actual fee. Frequently, insurance companies state that the reimbursement was reduced because your dentist's fee has exceeded the usual, customary, or reasonable fee ("UCR") used by the company.

A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and simply is not accurate.

Insurance companies set their own schedules and each company uses a different set of fees they consider allowable. These allowable fees may vary widely because each company collects fee information from claims it processes. The insurance company then takes this data and arbitrarily chooses a level they call the "allowable" UCR Fee. Frequently this data can be three to five years old and these "allowable" fees are set by the insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.

Unfortunately, insurance companies imply that your dentist is "overcharging" rather than say that they are "underpaying" or that their benefits are low. In general, the less expensive insurance policy will use a lower usual, customary, or reasonable (UCR) figure.