Financial Information

Fees

Our office fees are at or slightly below the Alberta Provincial Dental Fee guide.

Methods of Payment

For your convenience, we accept payment from Visa, Mastercard, Debit or cash.

Direct Billing

For patients with dental insurance benefits, we will direct bill your insurance company (i.e. we will collect the portion covered by your plan directly from the insurance company).  Please note:

• • Even if you have dental benefits, the patient is still responsible for the total cost of services provided.
  • Any portion not covered by your plan is your responsibility to pay at the time of treatment.
  • Sometimes your portion is not immediately known, and if this is the case, we will need an active credit card number on file to cover an unpaid amount.
  • Certain insurance plans do not allow direct billing, or will send payment to the patient only.  If this is the case, we require payment in full at the time of treatment.
  • In some past instances, payment has been forwarded to the patient despite benefits being assigned to our office.  Regardless of this, the patient is still responsible for their entire balance owing.
  • Direct billing is a courtesy we extend to our patients.  If insurance does not pay the office within 90 days, we do our best to determine why this is the case.  However, at that point, we reserve the right to request payment of services in full from the patient.  You would then be responsible to collect directly from the insurance company.

What Is Covered By My Insurance?

We are happy to offer you assistance with your insurance benefits and will try to determine your coverage as best we can.  It is helpful if you bring your insurance information with you.  If requested, we will offer estimates to the best of our knowledge or send a predetermination of benefits to your insurance company for specific procedures.  However, please note:

• • It can be extremely difficult for us to know the exact limitations and coverages of your insurance plan because of the enormous number of different insurance policies and packages that exist.
  • As well, benefits can change, and many insurance companies will not release specific coverage details to us and will only provide information to the patient.
  • Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company.  Our office is not a part of this contract and therefore, we are not given information on benefit details or changes, only you are.

Because of this, when we determine your coverage and your portion, it can only be an ESTIMATE at best.  Ultimately you are still responsible for the costs of services provided.  Therefore it is in your best interest to be familiar with your dental plan in order to eliminate disappointment with payment and coverage.

It is worth noting that every insurance company has their own set price that they will cover which may not match the fee a dental office will charge.  The fee covered by the insurance company typically is a result of many different factors and is dependent on whatever has been negotiated between your employer and the benefit provider and the premiums you pay.  Therefore, some plans pay less than our set fees, some pay the same, some would potentially pay more.  So even though your plan may cover 100% of a certain procedure, it is 100% coverage of THEIR set fee, and not necessarily ours.  This can explain why you may have a balance owing despite having dental benefits.