A single root canal without insurance costs $300, ranging to $2,000 depending on the type of infected tooth. The average price of a crown is about $1,250.
What should you do if you cannot afford up to $3,250 in fees because you have no money in the bank? Root canal payment plans work well for patients who can secure fast approval during an emergency.
Free therapy is available for low-income adults in specific states and anyone with a medically necessary reason.
Lowering treatment costs is the final alternative, working better for crowns given the extra time available.
Root Canal Payment Plans
If you cannot afford a root canal, payment plans can fit the $2,000 therapy cost into your budget. You do not want to delay treatment because you have no money, as a worsening infection could lead to tooth and bone loss.
Local Providers
First, don’t bother searching for root canal payment plans in your neighborhood. Would you ask your local bank branch if they perform endodontic work? Of course, that would be silly.
Oral care financing without a credit check speeds up the process, allowing you to establish your payment plan before stepping foot in the local provider office by connecting you to a vast network of online lenders.
Time is crucial when you need emergency care. You cannot afford delays associated with declined applications. Your neighborhood dentist will refer you to one third-party finance company – maybe two, who might turn you down.
Dental Insurance
Second, buying dental insurance supports your root canal payment plan by making the monthly installments more affordable, but not in the way you might think.
- Dental insurance with no waiting period for root canals takes in more in monthly premiums than it pays out in claims during the early years. Graded benefits ensure the issuing company makes a profit on the deal.
- In-network dentists charge the EOB-allowed amount. Participating endodontists agree to accept the allowed amount as a sharply discounted fee as total remuneration.
In other words, the amount financed is smaller because of the immediate discounts rather than the delayed benefits for specific treatments. Lower monthly installments also boost approval odds.
Free Root Canal Treatment
Free treatment is possible for low-income adults in specific states and those with a medically necessary reason if they cannot afford a root canal because they have no money.
Quickly learn if you qualify before moving on to other alternatives.
Medicaid Dental
Medicaid is frequently a viable way for low-income adults in specific states to find free root canal therapy. This government-funded health insurance program sometimes includes dental benefits.
Medicaid covers root canals for adults in the thirty-four states supporting restorative benefits: repair or replacement of decayed, damaged, or missing teeth. If you live in one of these regions, the government will cover most of the costs, leaving you with zero out-of-pocket expenses.
Endodontists who accept Medicaid participate in-network with the Dental Benefits Manager (DBM) selected by your state to administer the program. Find the DBM name on your insurance card and visit their website. Use the DBM “Find a Dentist” feature to locate a participating provider near your zip code.
Health Insurance
Your health insurance policy could provide free root canal therapy after a non-biting accident. For example, a fall causes trauma to your head, neck, jaw, and teeth, requiring immediate medical attention from a doctor.
Dental procedures covered by health insurance are medically necessary: care arising from non-biting accidents, certain diseases, and treatments considered integral to other services included in the plan.
For instance, endodontists recommend root canal therapy shortly after an injury dislodges teeth from their sockets. Submit a claim to your medical insurance, documenting the non-biting accident that caused your problem.
Low-Cost Root Canal
What if you can’t afford a root canal and the crown the dentist recommends to restore biting and chewing function? By dividing the problem into two concepts, you can identify ways to lower costs, making treatment fit your limited budget.
- A root canal is an emergency requiring immediate treatment
- A crown is less urgent, giving you the luxury of more time
Charitable Organizations
Adult dental charities and sliding scale clinics are viable ways to lower crown costs after a root canal because you have more time to find a provider.
Pro Bono endodontists often have long waiting lists or schedule fairs months apart. However, hundreds exist nationwide; you could get lucky through diligent searching and follow-up.
Dental Grants
Dental grants are a possible pathway to lower crown costs after a root canal. However, do not expect this help from the government, as no federal agency awards grants to individuals for personal use.
Dental grants for low-income adults come through private marketing companies promoting cosmetic dentistry rather than emergency care. Therefore, you might qualify for discounts on the crown but not the root canal.
Health Savings Account
A Health Savings Account (HSA) makes a crown on your root canal more affordable by lowering costs net of tax consequences. An HSA is a tax-favored resource for people enrolled in a High Deductible Healthcare Plan (HDHP).
You can use your HSA money to pay non-cosmetic dental expenses, reducing up to three types of taxes: federal income, state income, and FICA payroll levies.
You may not have the luxury of time to establish an HDHP and HSA before an emergency root canal, but you could make it work later on for the less urgent crown.
