Understanding Your Payment Options: Insurance, Medicaid, and Financing

Cost is the most common reason patients in Monroe put off dental visits. Not lack of concern for their teeth, not fear of the chair, but genuine uncertainty: they do not know what care will cost or whether they can cover it. The longer that wait, the more complicated and expensive the treatment tends to become. What could have been a routine filling becomes a root canal. A cleaning that would have caught early gum disease turns into a periodontal treatment.

At Pinnacle Dental Group, we have built our payment options around that reality. We work with most major dental insurance carriers, accept Medicaid, and provide access to patient financing through Cherry and CareCredit for procedures of all sizes. Most patients in Monroe have more options than they realize, and walking you through them before treatment begins is part of what we do.

How We Help You Get the Most From Your Insurance

Most dental insurance plans divide coverage into three tiers. Preventive services like exams, cleanings, and X-rays are typically covered at or near 100 percent. Basic restorative work such as fillings usually falls in the 70 to 80 percent range. Major procedures like crowns or root canals are often covered at around 50 percent, depending on your plan.

Pinnacle Dental Group works with most major dental insurance providers serving Monroe and Monroe County. Our front desk team verifies your benefits before your appointment, explains what your plan covers, and lays out your out-of-pocket responsibility before any treatment starts. A few things worth knowing:

• Dental benefits reset on December 31, and unused benefits disappear with them. If you have a pending cleaning, filling, or other treatment, scheduling before year-end can save you real money.
• Most plan annual maximums fall between $1,000 and $2,000 per person. Preventive care applies toward that maximum at the highest reimbursement rate, which makes twice-yearly visits the smartest financial move on any plan.
• If both you and your spouse carry dental coverage, coordination of benefits may allow you to apply one plan as primary and the other as secondary, reducing your out-of-pocket costs.

Bring your insurance card and any plan documents to your first visit. Our team will review the details and make sure you are using every dollar of benefit available to you.

Yes, We Accept Medicaid: Here Is What That Covers

Finding a dentist in Monroe that accepts Medicaid can be harder than it should be. Pinnacle Dental Group is a participating provider and currently accepts the following Michigan Medicaid plans:

• Healthy Michigan Plan (Delta Dental): Covers eligible adults ages 19 to 64, including most preventive and restorative dental services.
• Healthy Kids Dental (Delta Dental): Covers eligible children and adolescents under age 21, including preventive care, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, extractions, and more.
• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan: A Michigan Medicaid managed care plan covering eligible beneficiaries for preventive, diagnostic, restorative, and oral surgery services.

Services typically covered under Medicaid at our office include exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions, root canals, crowns, dentures, sealants, fluoride treatments, deep cleanings, and emergency dental care. The extent of coverage can vary by plan, so if you are unsure what your specific Medicaid plan includes, call us and we will help you verify your eligibility and benefits before you come in.

Financing Options for Larger Procedures

Pinnacle Dental Group accepts cash, personal checks, and all major credit and debit cards.

For patients who prefer to spread the cost of treatment into monthly payments, we offer access to financing through Cherry and CareCredit. Both programs can be used for procedures large and small, starting as low as $250 with Cherry. Whether you are scheduling a filling or planning a full-mouth restoration, financing can remove cost as a barrier to moving forward.

There should never be any surprises when it comes to what you owe. If you have concerns about how you will cover a procedure, bring them up before your appointment and we will work through the options with you.

Which Option Is Right for Your Situation?

The right payment path depends on your coverage, your budget, and the type of care you need. Here is a practical way to think through it:

• Have employer-sponsored dental insurance? Start by maximizing those benefits. Make sure you are scheduling your twice-yearly preventive visits and using your annual maximum before it resets on December 31.
• Qualify for Medicaid? We accept the Healthy Michigan Plan and Healthy Kids Dental through Delta Dental, as well as the UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. If you are enrolled in any of these, your dental care may already be covered, and our team will verify your benefits before your appointment.
• Want to spread the cost of treatment into monthly payments? Both Cherry and CareCredit financing are available for procedures of all sizes, starting at $250 with Cherry. Cherry is particularly well-suited for patients who need flexible approval options, including those with lower credit scores.

Ready to Talk Through Your Options?

If cost has been the reason you have been putting off a visit, one conversation with our team can change that. As a dentist accepting Medicaid and most major insurance plans, and with access to flexible financing for patients at every credit level, we have built our practice around removing that barrier. We will review your situation, verify your benefits or eligibility, and show you exactly what your care will cost before anything is scheduled.

Pinnacle Dental Group serves patients from across Monroe County at 1262 N Macomb Street, Monroe, MI 48162. Call us at 734-241-6166 or use our online contact form to get started.

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