standinfor.me

Email templates · Dentist

Email template to ask a dentist for the self-pay price

You need dental work and you are paying out of your own pocket, either because you have no dental insurance or because the treatment is not covered. Dental offices almost always have a self-pay price, sometimes called the cash price, that is lower than the amount they would bill an insurer, and many offer a further discount if you pay in full on the day. The trouble is that the price is rarely posted. Every dental procedure has a standard code, called a CDT code, that offices use for billing, and if you ask for the price by code, two offices will be quoting the same thing. Asking by email gets you a number to compare and to hold them to.

Before you send

  • The exact procedure, ideally with its CDT code. If a dentist has already examined you, ask the front desk for the treatment plan with codes on it. Common ones are D2740 for a porcelain crown and D7140 for a simple extraction.
  • Which tooth or teeth, since some prices depend on the tooth's position.
  • Whether you already have recent X-rays. A new office may need its own, which is another line on the bill.
  • Whether you can pay in full at the visit. Say so, because it often unlocks a discount.
  • Two or three other offices to send the same question to. Prices for the same crown can differ by hundreds of dollars across a single city.
Subject Self-pay price for [procedure], code [CDT code] 
Hi [office name] team,

I'm looking to have [procedure, for example a porcelain crown] done on tooth [tooth number or "an upper molar"] and I'll be paying myself, without insurance.

Could you send me your self-pay price for CDT code [code] and for the exam and any X-rays you'd need? If you offer a discount for paying in full at the appointment, or a membership plan for patients without insurance, I'd like to know that too.

For context, [whether you have recent X-rays you can have sent over, with the month they were taken, or need new ones]. I'm hoping to schedule within [timeframe], so a written price would help me plan.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A helpful office replies with a number for the code and says whether the exam and X-rays are included. If the reply is "it depends, come in for a consult," ask what the consult itself costs and whether the price for the code is fixed once they've seen you.
  • Compare like with like. A crown price that includes the temporary crown, the lab fee and the follow-up visit is not the same as one that lists them separately.
  • Ask about the in-house membership plan if they have one. For someone without insurance, a yearly fee that includes cleanings and a percentage off procedures often beats the self-pay price.
  • If the number is much higher than the other offices, say so politely and ask if they can match. Offices with open chair time frequently can.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Find me the self-pay price for dental work 
Hi StandIn,

Please find out what a few dental offices would charge me, paying cash, for a specific procedure.

The procedure: [name and CDT code if I have it, and the tooth].
My area: [city or zip code, and how far I'm willing to travel].
X-rays: [recent ones and their date, or "I'd need new ones"].
Paying in full at the visit: [yes / no].
Timeframe: [when I'd like it done].
Offices I've already considered: [names, if any].

Ask each office for a written self-pay price by code, including the exam and X-rays, ask about pay-in-full discounts or membership plans, and bring me a comparison with the true total at each office.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Related templates