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Dental health is an important element of overall healthcare — but for many, the cost of dental procedures and dental insurance can make it feel like more of an added burden. The American Dental Association notes that just 43% of Americans visit the dentist each year, with only households earning 400% more than the federal poverty level seeing a majority of individuals receive dental care.
In fact, for households below the federal poverty level, only 26% visit the dentist annually. Concerns over the cost of dental insurance and dental procedures can cause many to forgo essential care, eventually leading to additional health complications.
This is what Nick Iacono, General Manager of Altogether Dental, a dental membership program, aims to address. Here’s a closer look at how Altogether Dental is working to improve the dental health landscape.
The challenges of traditional dental insurance
For many households, one of the greatest challenges of trying to use traditional dental insurance is the relatively low number of procedures that are actually covered. As a report from Vox notes, insurers will fully cover a dental cleaning or routine checkup, but usually only partially cover more complicated procedures, like getting a crown.
Even more troublesome, most dental insurance plans have “maximums” on how much they will cover — often meaning they will only cover $1,000 to $2,000 of dental procedures per year before the patient needs to pay for everything else out of pocket.
“Unfavorable coinsurance on a procedure or maxing out dental coverage for the year can put financial stress on households — and that’s a big part of why people will delay or skip going to the dentist,” Iacono says. “Unfortunately, this delay tactic usually only causes the dental condition to worsen, which could end up requiring a more costly and complicated procedure in the future. The limits, deductibles and exclusions that are so pervasive with standard dental health insurance can really harm households’ ability to get care.”
Meaningful discounts on all dental care
After witnessing the inefficiencies of dental insurance, Iacono and his team founded Altogether Dental in 2021 to make dental care more affordable and accessible. Altogether Dental directly counters the common issues inherent to dental insurance by offering discounts on all dental procedures, regardless of their complexity.
“People deserve access to savings for every type of dental procedure they might need, regardless of how complex or costly that is,” Iacono says. “The Altogether Dental membership covers all treatments, including those that are often excluded by insurance companies, allowing you to save anywhere from 15% to 50% or more on any procedure. For example, our members save an average of 56% on the extraction of an erupted tooth, 41% on a porcelain crown and 36% on a root canal. This can represent hundreds of dollars in savings on each of these procedures.”
Pricing transparency is key to Altogether Dental, which is why members are able to ask their dental office about what the discounted rate would be before their procedure, preventing any surprise bills.
In addition to the direct discount on dental services, the Altogether Dental membership also has no deductible or annual limit, meaning that members are able to take advantage of the discounts beginning with their first visit — and as often as they need them. Available product discounts from partner brands like Aquafresh and Sensodyne also offer additional savings opportunities.
A low-cost alternative with a growing network
While dental insurance isn’t as expensive as traditional health insurance, it can still represent a significant monthly expense. Forbes reports that for individuals, average monthly premiums range from $26 per month for preventive-only coverage to $52 per month for a more comprehensive plan. Monthly premiums are even higher for families, and as noted earlier, even a comprehensive plan will only partially cover major services.
This makes the low monthly cost of Altogether Dental even more attractive. “Our rates start at $7.50 per month for individuals, and then go up to $15 per month for a family membership,” Iacono explains. “After paying your monthly subscription fee and a one-time membership setup fee, you are ready to begin saving on your dental services right away. There is no waiting period, either — you can book a dental appointment as soon as you’ve signed up.”
Despite being founded in 2021, Altogether Dental plans are already available nationwide thanks to a large partner network.
“Altogether Dental is part of the Aetna Dental Access network, meaning the membership is accepted at over 42,000 dentists across the nation,” Iacono says. “We are HIPAA compliant and a member of the National Association of Dental Plans, ensuring that you can get quality dental care at an affordable rate. Chances are good that your preferred dentist is already an Aetna Dental Access participant, so you can continue going to your preferred dentist while enjoying discounted care.”
A way to save on dental care
With an Altogether Dental membership, households don’t have to decide between seeking necessary dental care and addressing other health or financial needs. By providing substantial discounts on all dental treatments at an affordable monthly rate, Altogether Dental helps make dental care manageable, enabling more people to get the level of care that they need.
