How To Get Help With Dental Bills You Can't Afford To Pay

Posted on: 7 May 2015

Paying off dental bills can be expensive even if you have insurance, and if you already have bills that need paying, you may not be able to receive further dental care. If you have a large number of bills to pay, or bills that total a large amount, there are a number of things you can do to help pay off those bills in a way that won't drain you financially and won't require high-interest loans.

Set Up A Payment Plan

Your dentist may be open to setting up a payment plan where you can pay a small amount of money each month towards your total balance for low or even no interest. This is often up to the discretion of the dentist, so this may be easier if you have a history of paying your bills. If you have good credit, this may also work in your favor.

The important part of setting up this payment plan is that you consult your dentist, not an insurance company or a loan provider. This is the case whether or not you have insurance.

Investigate Financing Options

You may qualify for certain financing options regardless of your credit history in order to help you pay off bills you've already received. There are typically two available options, and both of them charge little or no interest if you're able to keep up with the monthly payments. Since you'll be paying over time, the amount charged per month is typically low as well.

  • Reduced-interest plans: These payment plans are set up over a period of one to five years, and so your monthly payments will be the smallest. As long as you can keep up with your monthly payments, the interest rate will remain low – otherwise it may jump up to the standard amount.
  • Deferred-interest plans: These plans are somewhat shorter, and can last from roughly six months to one and a half years. Your payments may be a little higher as a result, but you will not be charged any interest as long as you pay off your balance within the agreed time frame. Even if you can't pay it off completely, you can still keep paying the pre-agreed amount, but you will start paying interest as well.

You can ask your dentist for more information on where to go or look for healthcare financing credit options online. Many have payment calculators that let you see how much you would have to pay every month and for how long to avoid interest.

Start A Fundraiser

Fundraisers are useful if you're in a pinch and could use some outside help. Fundraisers can be started online, and you can decide how you want it to work – some fundraising sites pay you every time someone donates, while others give you a lump sum once you reach your goal. They can be used in conjunction with any of the other options if you need some help, and don't cost you anything except for the small cut the provider takes.

For more information, talk to a dentist like Sun Dental & Orthodontics.

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