Question 1

Do you take my dental insurance?

Accepted Answer

We work with all dental benefit plans that give you the freedom to choose your own dentist. We strongly believe that dental insurances should not dictate patient treatment nor should it limit patient freedom of choice. We do not participate in plans where patients are assigned to a dental office, often not by choice. Dr. Shumaker and Dr. Allen want all our patients to receive the highest standard of care our profession can offer. Our team will do everything possible to help you understand and to get the most out of your insurance benefits. Our front desk team has years of experience in maximizing your insurance benefits, as well as other options, to help cover some or all of the costs of the dental care you need. We are on your side!

Question 2

If Northern Colorado Periodontics is not In-Network providers for my dental insurance, does this mean I cannot come to their office for care?

Accepted Answer

Definitely not! This is a common question. Most dental insurance will allow you to be seen and treated by an Out of Network provider for a small co-payment of just a few dollars. Your annual maximum benefit of $1000-1500 still applies whether you go to a provider who is in-network or out-of-network. Your total annual benefit usually does not change. We recommend you check with your insurance to see what your Out of Network benefits are.  Keep in mind that insurance will often tell you that you should go to an in-network provider because the insurance company makes more profit when you do.  However if you specifically ask about what benefits your plan has for Out-of-Network providers, often you will find that the benefit is similar to in-network with only a small co-payment.

Question 3

What do I need to know about dental insurance?

Accepted Answer

Dealing with dental insurance can sometimes be frustrating. It is difficult to know exactly what is covered and what is not. Each company has several different plans under their dental insurance product line. Unlike medical insurance, which gives you a million dollar or more lifetime maximum, most dental plans provide a small yearly allowance. The average allowance is $1,000-$1500. That amount helps patients secure some of the needed care but not all. There may be deductible and co-insurance involved. Over the years, patient’s expectations and demand for dental services have increased, however, dental care covered by dental benefit plans is comparatively limited. When dental insurance plans first appeared in the early 1970’s, most plans had a yearly maximum of $1000-1500. Today, most plans still have an annual maximum of $1000-1500 with virtually no adjustment for inflation.  Dental insurance is a contract between your employer and a dental insurance company.  The benefits you receive from your policy are based on the terms of the contract negotiated between your employer and the dental insurance company. We have no say in this relationship and no say in the terms of your contract. In many instances, dental insurance provides only basic care and coverage for specific dental services.

Question 4

Who decides how much of a procedure fee is covered by my insurance?

Accepted Answer

You may have noticed that at times, your dental insurer reimburses you or the dentist 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 that the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This is simply is not accurate. The term “UCR” is misleading and it is more accurate to call it the “insurance allowable fee” instead.  Insurance companies set their own schedules and make up their own “insurance allowable fees” to ensure their own profitability.  Most of them will not give out these fees to patients or dentists.  Each company uses a different set of fees they consider the “allowable for the area. In most cases, the allowable fees are set about 30-50% below actual industry standard for the local area, so that the insurance company can make a profit from the difference.  In general, the less expensive insurance policies will use a lower “insurance allowable fee” schedule.

Question 5

What other alternatives are available to help me get the care I need?

Accepted Answer

Discover three flexible payment options for your dental care needs. The first payment option that our team offers is interest-free financing through Care Credit. This is a great option to help spread out payments for any portion of your needed care that your insurance will not cover. We've also partnered with Key Bank's Latitude credit card program, providing long-term financing with zero interest for 15 months and no retroactive interest. Another great alternative to cover the costs of dental services is the use of your Flexible Spending or Health Savings Account (Flexplan or HSA’s). Dental healthcare is a qualified service which can be paid out of these types of plans in most cases. Please ask our treatment coordinators if you are interested in more information on any of these three payment options.

Question 6

What else do I need to know about my dental insurance?

Accepted Answer

One of the most frustrating things for our team, is when a patient decides that their dental insurance company knows more about the care they need than a Doctor does. Insurance companies are not dental “experts” however many try to dictate patient care in the interest of their own profitability. We appreciate your trust and confidence that we have the training, knowledge, skills, and integrity to have your best interest at heart. If we find that your needed care will exceed the benefits of your insurance we will do our best to prioritize your treatment as what needs to be done now, what can be delayed, and what may be elective. If you have payment or insurance problems or questions, please ask our team at 970-237-5385 (Fort Collins) or 970-825-0640 (Greeley) or by email at office@nocoperio.com (Fort Collins), Greeley@nocoperio.com (Greeley).

Payment Options

Payment Methods

Insurance:

Credit Cards:

Flex Accounts and Health Savings Accounts (HSA):

Care Credit:

Key Bank:

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about Dental Insurance:

Q: Do you take my dental insurance?

Q: If Northern Colorado Periodontics is not In-Network providers for my dental insurance, does this mean I cannot come to their office for care?

Q: What do I need to know about dental insurance?

Q: Who decides how much of a procedure fee is covered by my insurance?

Q: What other alternatives are available to help me get the care I need?

Q: What else do I need to know about my dental insurance?

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