Last week I talked about how bummed I was about the ridiculous amount of money I was going to have to spend on the oral surgeon. I found out that pulling impacted wisdom teeth is not cheap and I was pretty worried where I was going to get the cash to pay for it (I still haven’t started an emergency fund but that is whole other problem). Well, luck struck me twice in one day Monday.

1. Always go to a doctor/dentist that is in-network.
The oral surgeon that was recommended to me from my dentist was out-of-network so on the suggestion of my boyfriend, I decided to seek another opinion from an in-network surgeon . While my insurance pays out the same percentage for in-network and out-of-network dentists, they give me a larger cap on what they will cover for in-network doctors. I didn’t think it was a big deal until I saw that $1600 bill and decided to get a second opinion from an in-network surgeon. I called my dentist and asked for some more recommendations. Good thing I did.

2. Give dentist ALL of your insurance info up front.
When I called to make the appointment they took down my medical and dental coverage info over the phone. After having the consultation with the doctor, and him telling me exactly the same thing as I told the previous guy, I met with the financial planner. She is the one that tells me what I will owe and bills the insurance. She had already contacted both my medical and dental insurance companies. Turns out that my medical coverage pays for 100% of oral surgery on partially or fully impacted wisdom teeth, since it is a necessary surgery. That meant that two of my teeth would come out for free and that the anesthesia was free. The last surgeons office never even called my medical insurance to see if some dental was covered.

3. Always call your insurance company prior to any visits with a doctor to see what is covered. This way when you get the estimate from the doctor you  if it is being billed correctly.
This was the advice that the financial planner gave me when I told her what my last dentist had quoted. She was shocked and said it merely was an issue of doing all of your homework.  She also never charged me for ice packs and it was cheaper there for pulling the two teeth that I had to pay out for. Which brings me to my next rule…

4. Get a second opinion if the price seems to high. Sometimes it is actually cheaper to go to someone else.
I didn’t think there was much of a difference in what one doctor charged versus another but apparently that is not true.  Different offices do have a price difference on certain procedures.  So if the first surgeon had pulled my teeth I would have paid a minimum of $420 of the $1600 bill after insurance. My bill now is $160 after paying deductibles and fees. That is a pretty big difference.

5. Always listen to your boyfriend when it comes to financial advice.
Well, this rule really only applies to me I guess. But if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be saving so much.

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