Why Negotiating Dental Bills is so Hard

If you've ever tried to negotiate a dental bill, you know it's not like haggling over a used car. It's more like trying to debate a restaurant check after you've already eaten the meal — while the chef is still standing there. Awkward!

The Hidden Costs of Dental Care

Dental care in the U.S. is notoriously opaque. A routine cleaning and exam can cost anywhere from $75 to $350, depending on your location and provider. More complex procedures, like crowns or root canals, can easily exceed $1,500, with even more variance from dentist to dentist on these high-cost procedures. Without dental insurance, these costs can be a significant burden; and for those with it, payment caps (for the insurer) means even the covered patient still has to worry about total cost.

The Challenges of Negotiation

Attempting to negotiate these costs can be daunting. Patients often lack the necessary information about standard pricing and fear that pushing back might affect the quality of care they receive. Additionally, dental offices may have rigid pricing structures, making discounts seem non-negotiable. Perhaps the hardest part for many people is just how awkward and cumbersome these negotiations can be, especially about a topic with which the patient often has so little knowledge or bargaining power.

Enter Slash Dental

Slash Dental is a startup which plans to fuse proprietary data and regulatory expertise with technology to make negotiating dental bills carefree for patients. Either before or after a procedure, you'll upload a cost estimate (before) or your bill (after) to Slash Dental, and our team then works directly with your dentist's office to seek reductions or payment plans. This approach removes the discomfort of direct negotiation and leverages industry knowledge to potentially lower your out-of-pocket expenses.​

By advocating for patients, Slash Dental seeks to bring transparency and fairness to dental billing, making it easier for individuals to afford necessary care without the stress of negotiating alone. If you're interested in participating in Slash Dental's ongoing test efforts before we go fully operational, please share your email below or reach out to us at max@slashhealth.co/ben@slashhealth.co.