Why Dental Care Costs So Much In The U.S.

On By In Dental Care

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Americans have a tendency to avoid the dentist. More than 40% of Americans said they don’t see a dentist as often as they would like, according to a 2018 survey by the American Dental Association. Their number one reason for skipping visits is cost, even among those with dental insurance. Dental insurance policies can be confusing and difficult to use, making some Americans wonder whether dental insurance is worth investing in at all. Watch the video to find out to learn what it actually costs to go to the dentist, whether dental insurance is worth investing in and what patients and policymakers can do about it.

Chapters
0:00 – Introduction
1:42 – How dental insurance works
4:15 – Dental care costs
6:17 – Is dental insurance worth it?
9:49 – Solutions

Americans have a tendency to avoid the dentist. More than 40% of Americans said they don’t see a dentist as often as they would like, according to a 2018 survey by the American Dental Association.

People have lots of reasons for not going, including fear, inconvenience and trouble finding a dentist who take their insurance.

But the top reason Americans cite for avoiding the dentist is cost, with nearly 60% of Americans saying cost was the main reason they haven’t visited the dentist in the past 12 months. Cost remained the number one reason regardless of age, income level or type of insurance.

Dental insurance can be confusing since it’s considered a separate service from medical insurance, which means it has different policies and procedures that many patients are not familiar with.

From a lack of transparency about benefits to rules like annual maximums — which means plans stop paying for treatment after hitting a certain amount for the year — some patients question whether dental insurance is worth investing in at all.

“There’s this misnomer that you need dental insurance to go to the dentist, you really don’t,” said Dr. Mark Vitale, a general dentist and owner of Edison Dental Arts in Edison, New Jersey. “Dental insurance is not the panacea that most people think it is.”

But the industry landscape is shifting as more traditional health insurance companies are supplementing their medical plans with dental benefits.

“Dental insurance is extremely profitable to the insurance companies, which is why many of the insured many of the major carriers offer dental insurance,” Vitale said.

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Why Dental Care Costs So Much In The U.S.

587 comments

    1. A coworker from years ago that I worked with in a hospital was an RN for a few years and is now partway done her schooling for dentistry. It’s not an easy route by any means but if it’s your passion, go for it.

  2. Anyone remember the Simpsons episode with… “DENTAL PLAN!” “Lisa needs braces.”?

  3. Dental insurance is so crazy cheap overall that it just makes sense to get it. I think I pay like 6 bucks a month for the highest plan they offer and it cover just about anything.

    1. It does not “cover” hardly anything. Cleanings are covered 100%, fillings can be anywhere from 50 to 80% coverage, any major procedure usually has a year waiting period and the annual benefit is usually around 1500 which is nothing if you need real work done. You can only access an affordable premium for coverage if you work for a company who has a group policy.

  4. The US healthcare system just gets progressively worse. This video is a perfect explanation as to why. Boomer dentists find it too hard to modernize their practices. spend boat loads on treatment rooms filled with things we don’t need and greater than 40% of the cost goes to insurance. Their solution — Don’t get sick or need any kind of treatment. Welcome to America!!

  5. $1500 u still pay thousands out of pocket because part of that $1500 only cover certain things. I still had $600 left but wasn’t put in because it didn’t cover what I had done. So it’s a rip off

    2. with insurance they charged my family member $2000 for partial dentures… not even good ones made from platinum or iridium… not the rubber ones but definitely not diamond studded… i’m talking low-mid tier; $2000… not even implants, but dentures… and after you pay for all that insurance if they screw up your mouth the dentist can get away with it because it’s a “practice”… but if i go “practice” my own form of dentistry on the street i go to prison… the insurance companies and doctors are all in on it together… they’ve made guilds and call it “practice” so you can’t sue them when they screw you up worse

  8. I’m glad my company has good insurance options, but i’ve had to opt into a new plan for 2022 that is more expensive. The benefit is crazy low because it’s expensive to do anything with your mouth

  9. The graph at 0:12 adds up to more than 100%. It could be a graph of contributing reasons not to visit the dentist, but it can’t a graph of the top reason like the video says

  10. from someone who has a MD and a DMD… NO your name is NOT ” doctor Marie…etc” your name is just “Marie”… some people are just full of themselves!

    2. Nah, if you went through the schooling and earned your doctorate, you’ve earned your title as Dr. That’s not her being “full of herself” it’s her recognizing her title.

  11. We opted to give up dental insurance so our boss could buy a yacht. 😒

    3. Funny-I bought a yacht with what my family saved by opting out of dental insurance and going on family holidays twice a year to Mexico to have all our dental work completed. Medical and dental services in 🇺🇸 have been corrupted by unions, insurance co’s, government and other middlemen.

  12. Because they are first class thieves, let’s go back to the barber pole where the barber pulled teeth.
    In all fairness all of America are thieves and the dentists just jumped on the band wagon.
    My dentist in Mexico saves 2 thirds in cost and their work is good. I haven’t been back since the Pandemic but will go soon.

    When i go back to Tijuana i will also get some Ivermectin and whatever else i need for survival.
    Sorry America you have become a joke when it come to medicine.And screw insurance companies they are disgusting.

  13. The eye doctor and the dentist have always been elective health options because no one can afford them I mean people can barely afford basic medical coverage and even my parents who had good insurance through their employers almost never could afford to take us to the dentist and if we did go we only got the free teeth cleaning

  14. Well anything health-related really is expensive in the US. Ambulances, prescription glasses, insurance, surgery, childbirth (like omg I heard you guys even pay to hold your baby!)

    2. We aren’t a country as in United States of America. It’s an illusion so Im sure America is actually a Company and/or Business. United States of America Inc. LLC. Ticket: USA,USAA,USAB
      U.S.A Inc LLC

    3. @Roman Corey ofc they do. All countries do. But even tho US spends more on healthcare than any other country on earth, the money is not used well and only goes into the hands of politicians and insurance companies

  15. costs so much? freakn cheap as hell. And why would you have dental insurance?
    like 25-50$ per a cleaning…. so MAYBE 100$/yr…. is that really costing too much?

    You brush your teeth, problem solved…. no need for all the other things that insurance would cover you.
    If you have a real medical problem, your normal insurance should cover that. If it doesn’t fire that insurance provider and hire one that does.

    Edit: wow this video actually points it out, just brush your teeth and go in for a yearly cleaning, that simple.

    1. That’s what people who have cheap liability on their car think, and then cry and wished they had full coverage when getting in an accident huehue

    2. @Gart Lonm its kind of difficult to “rarely” use it when prescriptions can cost $1500-$2000 a month and even more in some cases

    3. Not really. Insurance by design is supposed to be rarely used. The way we use medical insurance is bonkers. It would be like if we used car insurance for routine maintenance rather than accidents. We use medical insurance for routine stuff rather than paying our providers directly to point many won’t let you pay directly. I read about a doctor who opened a clinic for small stuff and checkups and he rarely charges above $100

  19. Why it costs so much? Greed and unnecessarily complex treatment to keep that oh so American smile…

  20. Dentists are the biggest ass holes of doctors. I hate dentists . I suffered so much from them.

    1. @Restoration work dental cabinetry is very expensive. As any Henry Schein or Patterson rep.

    3. Let me break it down for you: per operatory:
      Cabinetry: $27K
      Chair with delivery unit and light: $25k
      X-ray head: $5k
      Sterilization equipment: $7k
      Handpieces and small tools; $3k
      Intraoral Scanner: $40k
      Intraoral. Camera: $3k
      Computer: $1K
      TV screes and Tablet: $1K
      Basic supplies: $2k
      TOTAL: $114K per operatory not including the build out cost:

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    5. It might cost that much, but how quickly do they make that money back. I bet it takes less than a year.

    1. @Salina LaCroix no I’m not. I just don’t live in the US where it costs half a million dollars to get a degree to be a dentist. I think your country needs an educational reformation.

    2. @novaphoenix70 your school system is broken. It shouldn’t cost you guys millions of dollars to be a dentist.

      Fortunately, I don’t live in the US, where you can find a dentist that’s reasonably priced, even without insurance. I live in a third world country btw. At least that’s something that’s still good in this godforsaken country.

    3. So the half a million dollar training that’s required to do work on you is just suppose to be given to you for cheap?? Are you joking??

    4. Any why, exactly, are they supposed to be “cheap?” Years of schooling and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans. Translation – none of that is inexpensive.

  26. The better question would be:
    why does healthcare in general cost so much in the US while most other countries have a socialized healthcare system that is cheaper for every single individual, provides better treatment that everybody can afford (and often doesn’t cost the individual anything extra) and more socially just?

    2. For this reason many healthcare workers in those countries are leaving their jobs. The cost is too low and over control meanwhile the cost of living is higher.

    3. @JRT For all the money spent in America on healthcare people should be living till 100 running 5K races.

  28. The bottom LINE IS preventive care Get your mouth 👄 check out once a year brush your teeth 🪥 often and change the types of foods you eat “high carbs and high sugar foods kills your teeth. The public need as to know how important dental care is. Just like with your health and your car. If you take care of it car “maintenance “and your health “medical” you can keep more money in your pocket.

  29. My mom went to her native country. Got her dental done and took a vacation at the same time and spent $150 more then what she would have spent just on dental in the USA

    2. True one of my dad’s friend went to Brazil while on vacation and she got her teeth done. Not sure about the cost but it’s less expensive than here.

  30. Dental care imo is essential. Nothing worse than raggedy teeth. I was blessed with a decent smile thanks to my father. And I like to take care of them.

  31. I got a root canal for $200 in colombia while i was getting veneers two months ago. Its a simple procedure, its ridiculous that it costs 6 times the price here in the US.

    3. Its definitely not a simple procedure and I would love to see X-rays of those veneers and root canal. As a dentist I can’t even begin to tell you how many patients come through the office with dental work from other countries that “feels ok” but is going to cause them to lose their teeth and put them in dentures within 20 years because it is completely done wrong and causing worse issues that are not visibly seen with the naked eye. Dentist in other countries, though not all, can use substandard materials and do incomplete work due to lack of liability in other countries that looks fine on the surface.

  32. don’t kid yourself like everything in health care, they are out there to drain your blood, they can because our government let them

    3. Imagine thinking US is “free” lmfao.
      Guess the whole GME fiasco last year and 2008 crash taught you nothing.
      But please, do keep paying your 30k-60k in taxes every year even if you live out of country and later have them seize your assets (depending on how much you spend with medical) as per the mediCal estate recovery.
      There are 2 types of people. You are either a wage slave or tax slave or both. Chances are you are both as is everyone ELSE. Quit complaining.

    4. @Terricon4 I can’t disagree with much of what you say. I don’t trust government and as a business owner I resent the multiple government agencies with guns to my head 24/7. Government is best at leveling the playing field while providing minimum services. The free market has problems and socialist governments have problems.

    1. Sugar is so damaging to the human body besides rotten teeth. Rotten teeth from consuming sugar is probably the least of the harm sugar causes.

  38. Dentists in USA are one of the wealthiest doctors in the world. Cost of operation is a big lie

    1. Tell me you know nothing about dentistry without telling me you know nothing about dentistry 🤣👏🏾

    3. I literally was going for dentistry but couldn’t afford it. You legit have to be a millionaire to start your own dentistry

  40. Questions is how can trust this CNBC news Why cost dental insurance not cheap. Needed lots teeth pull and lots replaced them. I can’t afford anything get done. Why single are suffering more . It’s hardship why in past years cut me no increase my income let’s say three years. From past President. Can’t afford go dentist office. Cost living take more out my pocket and others bills it’s gone.

  41. “That treatment room cost $100k to setup”
    I didn’t ask for and don’t need a tv over my head with Disney+ subscription while getting my teeth cleanse

    1. @gid dy I just hoped he would have discussed the fixed expense of staffing. While the expense of equipment can reduce over time the much more expensive staff salary is alway present and increases over time.

    2. Worked at a dental office. Saying Disney plus and other stuff are the reason for high costs is insane. For instance, a CEREC machine, which builds your crown in a couple of hours instead of multiple weeks costs 100k for one machine. This combined with staff costs, real estate, overpriced supplies, etc is an expensive setup

    3. If you think the tv and Disney plus is what makes up the $100,000 then you’re crazy. The dental units, X-ray machine with properly insulated walls, computer systems make up the 100,000 dollars. Each hand piece the dentist uses costs thousands of dollars.

    4. The subscription and TV having nothing to do with the cost. A delivery unit (the furniture that holds the drills, hoses, nitrous setup, etc) costs $30,000 alone. You also need a dental chair (another $15,000) and a light on an arm (another $5000). You need an xray machine ($10,000) and you need to have all the plumbing run to the room (compressed air, suction, electrical), which is easily another $10,000 per room. If your office is digital (which it should be by now) add another $10,000 for that. Add in supplies and tools (drills, hand instruments, disposable supplies, cements and adhesives, fluoride, sealants, etc) and you arrive at the $100,000k figure very rapidly. A single dental hand instrument can costs $400! Never mind the fact that disposable gloves now cost 20 cents EACH compared to 5 cents before COVID… A dental office can spend thousands of dollars on gloves a month.

    5. The TV set is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of all the actual equipment that is needed for the substance of your visit. But yeah, that is one amenity that isn’t necessary.

  42. Just go on vacation to a country with less government corruption and visit a dentist there.

    1. And what…they shouldn’t be able to adjust their fees per year to offset regular old inflationary pressures?

    3. @Kurt Oehlberg don’t really know but when I go for a dental cleaning its free and I had a decaying tooth removed last year it was also free.

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