Do you offer payment plans or CareCredit?

Question

Dr. Jason Kung, DDS, MS · Accepted Answer

Cost should never be the reason a tooth gets pulled. Here's exactly how we work with patients on payment.

**CareCredit.** CareCredit is a healthcare-specific credit line that offers 0% interest if paid in full within 6 or 12 months (depending on the plan and amount financed). Most patients qualify with a quick application that takes about five minutes — you can apply at the office or in advance at carecredit.com. CareCredit can be used for the entire treatment plan, including the crown your general dentist places after the root canal. If the balance is not paid in full within the promotional period, deferred interest applies, so we'll talk through whether the 6-month or 12-month plan fits your situation.

**HSA and FSA accounts.** Your Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) covers all endodontic treatment — root canals, retreatments, apicoectomy, and consultations. These dollars are pre-tax, so they effectively reduce your cost by your marginal tax rate (often 25–35%). If you have an FSA with a use-it-or-lose-it deadline, scheduling treatment before year-end is one of the easiest ways to make sure those dollars don't disappear.

**Major credit cards.** We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Many patients use credit cards with cash-back or travel-points programs and pay the balance off in their next billing cycle.

**Courtesy discount for payment-in-full.** When a treatment plan is paid in full at the time of service (cash, check, debit, or HSA/FSA), we offer a courtesy discount for patients without insurance. Ask at the consultation — we'll quote both the with-insurance and pay-in-full numbers so you can compare.

**Insurance billing.** We are out-of-network with all PPOs, but most plans still reimburse 50–80% of the specialist fee. We verify your specific benefits before treatment, give you a written estimate of your expected out-of-pocket cost, perform treatment, and submit the claim electronically. Insurance pays you (or our office, if you assign benefits) typically within 2–4 weeks.

**What to do if cost is a concern.** Tell us at the consultation. We can:

• Sequence treatment over multiple billing cycles or insurance years if your annual maximum is close to being met.

• Provide a pre-treatment estimate to your insurance carrier so you know exactly what they'll cover before you commit.

• Discuss the long-term cost comparison between root canal + crown and extraction + implant + crown — saving the tooth is almost always less expensive over 10–20 years even when the first appointment costs more.

What we will not do is push you toward a more expensive option for financial reasons, or recommend treatment your tooth doesn't actually need. Every patient gets the same honest assessment.

Microscope-guided root canals by a Specialist Endodontist.