Even if you visit our office on a regular basis, did you know you can always connect with Drs. Vo and Tran and their entire team on Facebook?

By “Liking” us on our Facebook Page, you will receive regular updates and contest announcements from our office – all through your news feed!

See you on Facebook, and have a wonderful rest of the week!

- The team at Denton Smiles Dentistry

Dentist that accepts Delta Dental insurance in Denton, TX.  Denton Smiles Dentistry in Denton, TX

At Denton Smiles Dentistry, we gladly accept Delta Dental PPO.  By being a preferred provider for Delta Dental, we’re able to help save on out-of-pocket expenses for your family.  We get questions on insurance all the time and we’ve listed below a few important things about insurance plans.

Dental PPO Plans

Dental PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plans offer a network feature and usually offer a balance between lower costs and dentist choice. PPO dentists participate in the network thereby agreeing to accept contracted fees as payment in full rather than their usual fee for patients with the PPO. When you visit a PPO dentist, you typically pay a certain percentage of the reduced rate (called coinsurance) and the plan pays the rest. The percentage usually varies by the type of coverage such as diagnostic and preventive, major services, etc. For example, preventive services may be covered at 80% (you would pay 20%), while crowns and bridges may be covered at 50%. PPOs usually require you to meet a deductible and have an annual maximum amount of coverage (example: $1,000 per year).

While you typically have the lowest out-of-pocket costs if you visit a PPO dentist, the plan allow you to visit the dentist of your choice, even if she is not in the network.

Why Choose a Delta Dental Dentist?

We get asked this question everyday.  What’s the difference between seeing a dentist that’s in-network and one that is out-of-network?  The biggest difference is the amount of “out of pocket” expense that the patient pays.  In other words, you will pay more seeing an out-of-network dentist.  Fortunately for most families, Denton Smiles Dentistry is in-network with most insurance plans.  Here’s some other reasons to stay in-network:

No waiting for reimbursement

When you are treated by a Delta Dental dentist, you don’t have to pay the entire bill and wait for reimbursement from Delta Dental. Instead, we pay your dentist directly, and send you a notice explaining your portion of the bill. You pay the dentist only that amount.  It should be noted that in some cases, if your insurance provider does not pay your portion then it is YOUR responsibility to pay the difference.

Less paperwork

Delta Dental dentists handle all claim forms and other paperwork for you.

Delta Dental dentists agree to a set determination of fees

For example, if you are responsible for a 20 percent co-insurance amount, you pay 20 percent of your dentist’s accepted or approved fee. We also make sure you are not charged extra for services that should be included in the cost of treatment.   Remember that the only exception to this is if your insurance provider denies payment for your procedure.

What does my insurance cover?

This question is probably the most asked question behind the ever popular “will this hurt?” question.  All insurance plans are different and the amount of coverage can vary between plans.  It’s important to remember that your insurance plan was chosen either by yourself or by your employer.  Denton Smiles Dentistry does not make the insurance rules…..the insurance company does.  As always, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to explain your insurance plan to you.  For those who are more self motivated, you can look up your specific plan details by clicking this Delta Dental link.

Till next time,

Dr. Vo

Have you ever gone to a mall and seen the kiosks for tooth whitening?  They are almost always cheaper than the tooth whitening at your dentist’s office and they use that blue light that they used on “Extreme Makeover.”  Why not give it a try?

Mall whitening does use the same chemical (hydrogen peroxide gel) as dentist office whitening. Actually, over-the-counter whitening strips like Crest Whitestrips also use this ingredient.  We all use hydrogen peroxide because it works.  However, I can think of a few problems that can be avoided if you whiten your teeth at the dentist’s office.

• Some people aren’t good candidates for whitening.  If you’ve had fillings, crowns or bridge work on your front teeth whitening might not be a great choice for you.  Often it can be a great choice in combination with a well thought out treatment plan from your dentist.  Will the folks in the mall tell you this?
• Whitening causes sensitivity.  If you whiten you will probably notice cold and sometimes sweet causing some pain.  This is normal due to the chemical process that goes on when you whiten and is usually not long lasting.  There are treatments prior to and after whitening that can reduce this sensitivity significantly.  Your dentist can best help you with this.
• Who is going to help you if you have a problem?  Can the folks at the kiosk see you for follow up treatment, apply desensitizers or help you?  Before you have whitening done in the mall ask them if there’s a number you can call if you have an emergency.

• The light doesn’t do anything.  Peer reviewed research has proven over and over again that the light does nothing to enhance the whitening process.  Mall kiosks aren’t the only ones who have decided to use this marketing technique.  Many dentists have paid a fair amount of money for bleaching lights that don’t do anything, but they will use them to market the service.  This is dishonest.  Period.
• The people running the kiosks aren’t dentists.  They are not trained to diagnose or treat dental conditions.  The technicality that they cite for being able to do bleaching without proper training is that they never apply the whitening chemicals to the teeth.  They simply fill the trays and hand them to their “patients.”
• The chemicals that are used to whiten teeth are serious.  They aren’t dangerous when handled properly but they can cause burns to the lips and gums.  The protocols for in office bleaching at the dentist office focus on reducing this risk by isolating the teeth from the lips and gums.
• In-chair whitening alone yields less dramatic results.  Most of the dramatic whitening (and sensitivity) from “in chair” bleaching comes from dehydrating the teeth.  ”In chair” can jump start good results, but long lasting whitening is going to require that you add “in home” trays.  The best trays are custom made by a dental office.

Why do people choose to do whitening in the mall?  My best guess is because of the cost.  The all important phrase, “You get what you pay for” applies right here.  Whitening in the dental office can be expensive but a very worthwhile investment when compared to “Mall Whitening.”

As an incentive to get your whitening done in our office instead of the mall,  we’re offering a special price of $400 for in-office whitening with take home trays.  That’s a savings of $100.  This includes pre-appointment impressions for desensitizing/whitening trays, an in-chair whitening treatment, and at home whitening supplies along with any follow-up consultation you might need.

Did I mention that our in office whitening treatment allows you to watch television while you whiten and enjoy our sparkling personalities?  Sounds like a great deal to me.  For more information about our In-office whitening/ take home trays program, give us a call today!

Till next time,

Dr. Vo

Denton Smiles Dentistry in Denton, TX gladly accepts Texas Medicaid.  We are the caring Denton Medicaid Dentist.

Every Child Deserves Quality Dental Care

That is why we gladly accept participants enrolled in Texas Medicaid and the Texas Children’s Health Insurance Program (Texas CHIP). Whether you are an existing patient that is now eligible for this program or you are a new patient that has never been to our practice, we are here to help.

* Important Changes to Medicaid Dental Coverage *

By now you should have received a letter telling you that changes are coming. The good news is, if you follow the directions below, your children will still be able to get their full benefits at Denton Smiles Dentistry.

When you receive your children’s new enrollment forms in the mail, just follow these three simple steps:

2.  Pick your main dentist!

If you have any questions at all, please call our office.  We’re here to help!

Till next time,

Dr. Vo

This is the first official blog post on the Denton Smiles Dentistry blog!   Our hope is that the blog can provide easy access and information about our dental practice while providing a discussion about dental topics of interest for our patients and potential patients.  We would love to answer any dental related questions or any critiques of the blog via email or by phone at (940) 380-1188.

We appreciate you stopping by and make sure you come back frequently to read new blog posts!

Sincerely,

Dr. Vo and Dr. Tran