Cheap Cosmetic Dentist UK
Normally most people think of cosmetic dentistry as very expensive and only for the very rich. Although cosmetic dentistry normally does cost more than routine dental treatment, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it always will be very expensive and that you will not be able to afford it.
Fortunately, there are certain ways in which you can knock off up to 50%, or even more, off the cost of having cosmetic dentistry. So in this article we have highlighted eight methods in which you can knock off at least, or up to, 50% off any cosmetic dentistry.
Number one: shop around in the UK
You can guarantee that from the place of your work, or from your home, there will be at least 10 dental practices within fairly easy driving distance. Obviously not all of these dental practices will be carrying out cosmetic dentistry, but at least three or four of these may be ones that you want to perhaps go to in order to have cosmetic dentistry carried out.
Look at our link on cosmetic dentistry, which will also show you how to find the right dentist and the right dental practice for your cosmetic dentistry. We always say that you should choose at least five different dental practices before you choose the definitive one for your cosmetic dentistry.
If possible, ask family or friends or work colleagues if they have had cosmetic dentistry carried out; and find out who they used and would they recommend them. The other place is obviously websites. Web sites can be very deceptive, so you should choose a range of websites before you choose your cosmetic dentist. Some of the best cosmetic dentists that I know do not have the all-singing, all-dancing, no expenses spared website. The reason for this is that these dentists are really good at what they do, and they don’t need any more patients than the ones they already have coming in; so that’s the reason why they haven’t invested endless amounts on their websites.
On the other hand, you can have that all-singing, all-dancing, snazzy web site; but that is just a false front and underneath it the dental practice may be just an average dental practice who just has recently decided to jump on the bandwagon of becoming a cosmetic surgery practice.
Number two: shop around.
Obviously once you have been to a cosmetic dentist, you will have got a treatment plan and you will know how much your treatment will cost. By shopping around you will notice that there could be a considerable difference in the range of treatments and the options you are being given. Even with treatment that is carried out commonly, such as tooth whitening, the prices can vary hugely. This is because one dentist prefers a particular brand of tooth whitening and another dentist prefers a different method of teeth whitening. They may both give the same results, but the costs of providing a particular brand of tooth whitening can vary.
So the moral of the story is that you should always shop around. You can also possibly think about going abroad for your dental treatment. Although we don’t recommend having treatment abroad as a general rule, without careful and considerable research.
Number three: ask for discounts.
Once you have a treatment plan and you have decided to use a particular dental practice, and a particular dentist for your cosmetic treatment; that final price may not be the absolutely final price. There is absolutely no harm in asking the dentist for a discount. Before you ask the dentist for a discount, it is probably better to speak to the practice manager instead.
Here is some inside information. A practice manager will have, or give you, more leeway to a discount than the dentist. The dentist will just simply, out of principle, often refuse a discount; but the practice manager who has targets and deadlines will be more amenable to giving you a discount.
Number four: negotiate a payment upfront.
Cosmetic dentistry will often take place over more than one visit but if you offered to pay the cost of the full treatment upfront, that may be something that the dental practice is interested in and which may attract some discount for you. Any amount of discount is better than no discount. The amount of discount can vary from 5% to perhaps 20%, depending on the deal you’re able to strike.
Number five: cash only.
Most patients will pay for cosmetic dental treatment with their bank or credit cards, as nowadays nobody uses cheques; and in any case cheques cannot always be honored. The other alternative you do have is cash. However if you offer to pay by cash, and the dental practice is part of a large corporate group, then cash will not really be beneficial to the practice. On the other hand, if you went to a dental practice where the dentist is the actual owner, he knows that cash will be better than having payment by credit card.
You can read between the lines, that cash could be advantageous for the dental practice owner by up to 40%. So there is always no harm in asking the dentist if you can have a discount if you paid by cash only.
Number six: further negotiation skills.
If the dentist or the practice manager refuses to budge over any discount, you can always play the ‘extra family member’ card. You could always entice the dental practice to give you a discount by saying that you have a family member or a friend or your children who will also register if you are given a discount. All dental practices need new patients, so this could be a useful bargaining tool for you to get that discount.
Number seven: appointments at short notice.
Another negotiation tactic is to make the practice aware that you can attend an appointment at short notice. All dental practices will have patients who need to cancel at the last minute or they suddenly find a big gap in their appointment books. You can make the dental practice aware that if that you are given a discount, you can attend and fill that sudden gap in their appointment book.
There is nothing worse for a dentist than having to fill in a big gap in the appointment book at short notice. Obviously, however, you do have to then make yourself available if the dentist did ring you at short notice.
Number eight: treatment phases.
Don’t forget that cosmetic dental treatment is usually carried out over more than one visit, and if after using all the above tactics you are still struggling to pay the amount needed; you can always ask for your treatment to be carried out in phases.
We have lots of patients who, as an example, need tooth whitening, veneers and white fillings. When treatment is done under phases, the tooth whitening can be carried out first. Then after a break of two or three months, the veneers can be placed. After another few months, the white cosmetic fillings can be carried out and even these can be done in phases in this way; you’re not having all the treatment done in one go and the payments will be much easier to manage.