Bay Area Dentist Prices?

March 9, 2017 11:06 AM

Help me figure out what I should be paying for a dental cleaning in the bay area?

In the Midwest and I think the East Coast I've never bothered getting dental insurance. Cleanings have been like $100-150 with on occasional insistence on getting x-rays for maybe $60-100. (I've never had any cavities or gum disease or needed dental work, etc.)

I've called around in the Bay Area and every dentist so far is charging $380+ including mandatory x-rays for a first visit, etc. when I just want a cleaning. Am I doing something wrong?? It seems like with dental insurance I could bring things down to may $200-ish per year. Should I do that or am I calling the wrong dentists?

posted by zeek321 to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

I was just looking up dental prices yesterday, I have Metlife for dental insurance and they provide a link to this dental procedure fee site, where you put in a zip code and it gives you the negotiated prices that Metlife bases their benefits payments on, as well as an estimated "full sticker price" for a sampling of common procedures. $380 for cleaning, exam, and x-rays seems to line up with what the site is estimating for the Bay Area.

Many dental insurance plans will cover preventative care (annual cleanings and exams, x-rays, etc) at 100% but not all, and there's no way to tell you if it's a better deal for you without getting into specifics.
posted by yeahlikethat at 12:17 PM on March 9, 2017

Cleanings are about $150 +/- $30 here. What's getting you is that x-rays are about $200 and a new dentist is unlikely to take you on without baseline x-rays. Now if you have recent x-rays from somewhere else (6-12 months old) I'd bet they would be fine with going off those. Otherwise yeah, $330-$380 seems in the right ballpark.
posted by saradarlin at 12:27 PM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]

You might check Groupon -- I am no longer living in the Bay Area, but when I was there I feel like I was constantly seeing offers for first-time dental visits at a variety of dentists in the area that included at least cleanings and sometimes cleanings + X-rays at a discounted price. This would at least get you an appointment now while you figure out insurance options (I think for most dental insurance, there is a 12 month grace period for it to start covering anything unless you sign up when you start a new job.)
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:56 PM on March 9, 2017

It depends on where you go and what your insurance is. Many dentists will run a special for first-time customers-- google around and find who has the best deal, and just go to a new dentist every year so you're a "new customer." You shouldn't be paying more than $150-ish for xrays, cleaning, and exam. You do have to shop around, though. Some dentists will offer a cash discount (memail me if you want me to recommend someone.)

If you are uninsured, your best option is the UCSF Dental Center clinic. They usually have a coupon for a $50-ish cleaning/exam/xrays for a new clients. They are cheaper because you are getting care from students, so it takes longer, but the care given is excellent and the work I got there has held up well over the years. I don't think they're sliding scale, but they might be?
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:05 PM on March 9, 2017

Coming in to say: try the local dental school. Not only are they less expensive but they tend to offer the latest and greatest dental practices.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:39 PM on March 9, 2017

I went to Lake Merritt Dental (near BART) recently with no insurance and it was like $150 (ish?) for a cleaning and x-rays. They weren't very personable (they recommended $5000 to have my wisdom teeth taken out, which they explained by showing me a video) but they did clean my teeth and their office was easy to make an appointment with.
posted by bradbane at 6:26 PM on March 9, 2017

It looks like my dentist (in Sunnyvale) charged my insurance $165 for a cleaning and x-rays. I would bet that San Jose and Sunnyvale would have lower prices than further up the peninsula.
posted by that girl at 7:56 PM on March 9, 2017

Caution! Some Groupon dental scams include offering a "cleaning" where they pretend you'll get a full cleaning to get you into the office, but then do not actually do the scraping (only the whirly polishing of the tooth surface) and demand extra for removing plaque, saying cleaning plaque is not part of a standard visit. Not sure if Groupon is willing to repay on these scams.
posted by benadryl at 7:59 PM on March 9, 2017

I pay $150 for a periodontal maintenance cleaning--longer and more specialized than a regular cleaning--at Malek-now-Melko Dental. I do have insurance though, so I'm not sure if this is a regular cash rate or a negotiated rate. (My insurance only covers 2 periodontal cleanings a year and I go every 3 months between my general and perio dentists, so I pay for half of them and explicitly ask the staff not to submit to insurance so that the more expensive periodontist cleanings can be covered.)

It's located in Mountain View, so further south but still Peninsula rather than San Jose suburbs.
posted by serelliya at 9:57 AM on March 10, 2017