If you’re looking for an affordable dentistry near me, the first thing you should do is figure out what your insurance covers and what you have to pay out of pocket. Then compare dental care costs at different providers to find the cheapest dentist near me that will still give you quality service. There are plenty of great dentists in my area, but I wanted to find an affordable dentist in my area that would work with my schedule and within my budget to get the work done I needed done, so I did a little bit of research to find some great local options.
Ask your friends
If you have friends and family who have visited a good dentist in your area, be sure to ask them where they go. Word of mouth is sometimes all it takes to find a reputable dental professional. Once you know their names, ask them if they’d mind referring you; a simple referral can sometimes lead to significant savings. It’s also a great idea to ask friends and family for recommendations on other professionals that are important to your daily life—for example, hairdressers or doctors. After all, these people will often notice quality service even more than you will! If you don’t know anyone with solid recommendations, try posting on social media. Chances are someone has been through something similar and might be able to point you in the right direction.
Search in Google Maps
One of my favorite uses for Google Maps is to see where local dentists are located. When you search dentist on Google Maps, it’ll give you all of your options within a certain radius. You can then sort them by reviews or price, which will help you identify low-cost dental clinics that won’t give you problems down the road (like bad hygiene habits). If you’re like me and live in a city where dental hygiene isn’t exactly considered sacred, searching through reviews is important—you don’t want to risk going to a place where they just bulk up cavities because it’s easier than fixing them right.
To be clear, I’m not saying every dentist is out to make money at your expense; there are plenty of great ones out there who genuinely care about their patients’ oral health. But if you’ve got a terrible toothache, you probably don’t have time to research every single one in town before making an appointment. This way, you can quickly figure out which ones will actually take care of business and move on with your life.
Use apps like Zocdoc
Using a service like Zocdoc can help you quickly and easily locate and book discount dentists in your area. This is especially useful if you need a last-minute appointment or are looking for after-hours care, which many dentists offer. Before booking your visit, be sure to check if there’s a consultation fee or cancellation fee (and whether you will be charged for either). To help make paying for dental services more affordable, ask about special financing options. A lot of offices offer CareCredit—which allows patients to finance their dental services over time—or special payment plans.
Search on Reddit
Your best bet for finding a good, affordable dentistry near me is to ask other people who’ve been to one. On Reddit, you can try r/LosAngeles and r/Seattle. If those don’t work, try searching using the name of your city with dentist or dental care. Other relevant subreddits include: r/Vancouver and r/toronto . Of course, what’s cheap for someone living in LA may not be so cheap for you if you live in Saskatoon or Cancun or Scranton. Keep that in mind when asking about prices.
Call the office directly
If you’re wondering how to find a cheap dentist, start by calling some offices directly. Ask about their prices for different procedures and make sure you ask about any extra fees that may pop up. Find out what kinds of insurance they accept and how much it will cost if you don’t have coverage. If a number of offices in your area are more or less charging around $200 for a cleaning, you’ll probably want to head to one in that price range if at all possible—and then feel free to negotiate from there. While we can’t promise it will be painless, you should get your teeth cleaned for less than $100.
Look for Discounts and Deals
When you’re trying to save money, it can be tempting to only focus on price. But that strategy won’t get you far: Dentists don’t work on commission and they aren’t always to give out discounts. So be proactive: Ask your dentist if they offer a discount for cash payments (many do), or ask how much they would charge to perform a certain procedure if you use a certain insurance plan. If there are dentists who don’t accept your insurance, ask if there are any available treatment plans that would save you money in total—that way, instead of just focusing on one factor like price, you can weigh price against other benefits (like convenience or quality).
