Insurance
What is a fee-for-service practice?
Why is it beneficial?
As a fee-for-service Vallejo dentist, our care is guided by clinical judgment, not insurance limitations.
Insurance plans often determine fees, timelines, and what treatments are covered. That structure can restrict the time, materials, and long-term planning a patient may benefit from. Our model reflects the integrity and transparency that drives all of our decisions. Our fees reflect the time, precision, and advanced training behind the care we provide. This allows us to practice minimally invasive, restorative dentistry with intention, recommending only what you need and want, and nothing more.
We believe in co-diagnosis: you’ll see what we see and receive gentle education on your options so you can make decisions based on long-term health, not insurance policies. For patients without dental insurance, this approach often means your investment is applied directly to your care rather than shaped by reimbursement rules. Every patient receives the same level of attention, transparency, and thoughtfulness regardless of their insurance. No pressure or overtreatment. Just ethical, well-planned dentistry designed to last.
Dental insurance isn’t insurance at all! It’s actually a benefit plan, like a gift card from your employer. Most dental plans have a yearly maximum of $1,500 and will not pay anything over that, whether it’s dentally necessary or not. This number hasn’t changed in 40 years despite increasing premiums and the cost of providing dentistry, and the average dental plan has become more restrictive about what they’ll cover.
With most dental insurance, we can get an estimate on how much they’ll cover for your dental care, and collect your portion at the time of service. For patients with Delta Dental, we will collect the full payment at the time of service, and Delta Dental will send the reimbursement payment directly to the patient in 7-10 business days. For patients who wish to finance their portion of treatment, we offer flexible financing through Cherry and Care Credit.
We accept all dental plans that allow the patient to choose their own dentist. To maintain transparency in our pricing, we do not directly contract with dental plans which require us to discount our dentistry to appear on their advertising lists. This allows us to provide dental care that is highly tailored, of exceptional quality, and provided in a way that’s gentle and not rushed. Most plans, with the exception of HMOs, allow patients to choose their own dentist and dental care that best fits their needs. Benefits from the same employer and even the same insurance carrier can vary widely; please contact our team for questions about how your plan can work with our practice.
We believe that a good dental plan should allow the patient to choose their own dentist with few or no restrictions. What most insurance companies don’t tell you is that less comprehensive plans will only cover 100% of a capped fee, whereas a better plan will pay 100% of the average fee for the area. Ask to compare the maximum allowances for more common procedures like exams, cleanings, fillings, and crowns.
Most plans allow for the patient to choose an office to send their benefits to (called “assignment of benefits”), regardless of the dentist’s participation in that insurance plan (with the exception of Delta Dental).
If your plan does not allow you to choose your own dentist, pay fees based on the average for an area, or assign benefits to your dentist, please speak with your employer about other options that may be available.
Some employers choose flex spending plans to cover dental care instead of traditional benefits. Others offer direct reimbursement plans for dental treatment at a practice of your choosing.
For patients who don’t have these options available to them, we recommend choosing a health plan that provides a Health Savings Account (HSA). HSAs allow patients to contribute a pre-tax dollar amount annually that can be used to pay for health care. Money that isn’t used continues to accumulate interest and is often allowed to roll over to the next year.
We’re often asked if there’s a dental plan we recommend and truthfully, we have not found a plan that makes sense for the level of quality and care we believe patients deserve. Most plans charge more in premiums than they actually pay back between non-covered services, waiting periods, and other restrictions. For large employer-provided group plans, the employees who do not go to the dentist pay for the loss that insurance would incur if everyone on the plan went. For individual plans, insurance has to pay less to the dentist than the collected premium.
We believe that providing judgement-free prevention education to our patients is the best way to reduce dental costs. Good oral hygiene, routine dental care, avoiding snacking and acidic drinks between meals, reducing risk factors like dry mouth, and fixing minor issues promptly help ensure that in-office care is comfortable, affordable, and minimally invasive.
For patients who prefer a structure similar to dental insurance, we offer an in-house membership plan.
Our membership offers a straightforward savings plan designed for patients who value consistent preventive care and transparency.
The membership can be paid monthly or annually and includes:
- Routine cleanings
- Comprehensive exams
- All necessary 2D imaging
- Two limited emergency exams per year (for concerns such as toothaches or adjustments), including any 2D imaging taken at those visits
The included preventive care represents approximately a 10% savings compared to paying at each visit.
Members also receive 10% off additional restorative treatment. This discount may be combined with our senior discount, for up to 20% savings off our standard fee.
For patients needing more than single-tooth treatment, the savings often offset the cost of the annual membership.
We also recognize that some patients maintain excellent oral health and require less frequent cleanings. If appropriate, we’re happy to discuss whether a modified preventive schedule makes sense for you.
As with everything we do, recommendations are individualized and based on your long-term health, not a preset formula.