Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at Lakeview Dental

Dental insurance gives you a specific amount of money (usually $1500) that you can use towards dental procedures during 1 year. This does not mean that they pay for the first $1500 and you pay for everything above that. You are covered at percentages: a different percentage for each category of procedure. For each treatment, you will pay a portion and the insurance will pay a portion. Once they have paid the maximum ($1500, for example), they will not pay for anything else until your benefits renew the following year.

In order to verify your insurance, we will need the policy holder’s name, date of birth, employer (if insurance comes through employer), and member ID number or social security number. We will also need the insurance carrier’s name and state of operation (I.e. Delta Dental of Colorado, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Idaho, etc.). If you are not the policy holder, we will also need your name and date of birth.

We are Delta Dental Premier Providers. Because we prefer to make patient-driven decisions instead of insurance-driven decisions, we are not in-network with very many insurances beyond that. However, most dental insurance coverage is the same in or out of network and we are happy to work with all insurance companies!

If you see “PPO only,” “EPO,” or “HMO” on your insurance card, it may mean that you have been assigned a specific dentist and will not have any coverage at our office. 

Medicaid and Medicare do not have benefits at our office (excluding Medicare Advantage through Delta Dental).

Being in-network means a doctor agrees to do a service for a lower fee than normal in return for referrals. Despite remarkable inflation during and post-COVID years, many insurance companies have not raised their rates, making compensation less than adequate. Dentists can make up for this lost profit by using lesser quality materials and spending less time with patients. We never ever want to compromise our high standard of care, so we choose not to enter contracts with insurance companies that would force us to sacrifice time or technique. We hope to help patients understand that they do not have to depend on their networks in order to get great care and receive great support from whatever insurance plan they have.

Yes! Most dental benefits are the same in or out of network. We are happy to look up your specific insurance and let you know what coverage would look like at our office.

To understand allowed fees, let’s look at an example. Let’s say that you are out of network and receive a dental cleaning. Let’s say that we charge $100 for that cleaning but your insurance has an “allowed fee” of $90 for a dental cleaning. Even though they pay “100%” of the cleaning, they will only pay 100% of their allowed fee. That means that you will have a $10 copay for your cleaning. For most insurances, the difference between our fee and their allowed fee is negligible or nonexistent. Our many out of network patients feel it is absolutely worth it to pay the small difference of fees in order to benefit from the big difference in quality of care. However, some insurances’ allowed fees are very low. If this is the case for you, your New Patient Special will protect you from being billed high amounts after your first visit and we will let you know so that you are not surprised by high co-pays at future visits.

Cosmetic dentistry at Lakeview Dental focuses on enhancing the appearance of your teeth and smile. Services like teeth whitening and veneers  can transform discolored, broken, or uneven teeth into a beautiful, confident smile.

There are lots of different types of whitening with varying degrees of effectiveness: 

1. Over the counter, at-home whitening strips: You can purchase mildly effective disposable whitening strips at your local supermarket. For less than $50, you can get a supply that will last you a couple of weeks. You may likely see poor improvement, particularly if you are more mature in years.  
2. Dentist-provided, non-custom whitening trays: You can purchase Opalescense whitening trays at our office for less than $100. For patients less than 55, in only 5 days, you’ll notice a difference. This is a great solution if you have a tight budget or tight timeline for a bright smile. However, this is not an ideal treatment if you are hoping for significant, lasting results. 
3. Laser whitening: When you see advertising for “one day whitening” in the mall or other locations, they are doing laser whitening. Laser whitening ranges from $300-$1000 per session and is temporarily quite effective. Laser whitening dehydrates your teeth, making them appear brighter. However, over time, your teeth will re-saturate and return to their previous shade. Since we are invested in results that last, we do not perform laser whitening in our office.
4. KOR whitening: KOR Whitening is the best option in the industry, so we are proud to be KOR providers. With a combination of at-home whitening and in-office treatments that are all temperature-protected, you will see extraordinary results. They also carry prescriptions that can help people of all ages. No matter your age, KOR has been shown to have exceptional results in whitening people’s teeth to the shade they desire. The initial investment for KOR ranges from $1000-$1500, but lasts a lifetime: because you will be given custom trays, you can purchase more whitening agent (which is more affordable than all of the above options!) and continue to maintain the shade that you love.

The whitening options that we provide in our office range from $90-$1500.

Our greatest priority is to help our patients be healthy and keep their teeth for a lifetime. Therefore, if you have good bone and do not have active periodontal disease, you are a great candidate for cosmetic dentistry! Some people feel like there is no hope for getting their smile to what they want it to be. We are proud to say that we have been able to find options for a large variety of patients that give them a smile they are proud of! We’d be happy to discuss in detail all of your cosmetic dental options and give you a big-picture understanding of how it may work out specifically for you.

TMD therapy treats temporomandibular disorders, which can cause pain in your jaw joint and tension in the muscles that control jaw movement. If you're experiencing facial muscle tightness, headaches/migraines, neck pain, or jaw pain, our TMD therapy could provide relief.

TMD focuses on the joint and TMD focuses on the muscles. For TMD, we may refer you to a jaw specialist, but we can often identify occlusion issues that contribute to headaches, neck pain, jaw pain, and facial muscle tightness. In layman’s terms, that means that your bite may be causing your headaches. We have several options for adjusting your bite and relaxing your muscles in order to improve your overall quality of life.