Dental Implant Grants: A Periodontist’s Warning on Scams
As a periodontal practice, 2nd Chance Smile Implant Center’s primary goal is to provide our patients with the highest quality dental care while ensuring they make informed and safe decisions about their dental care. Recently, there has been an influx of advertisements and promotions for dental implant grants, free trials, low cost trials and more promising to cover the costs of expensive implant procedures and we have been fielding a lot of phone calls regarding these as we have even been added to social media posts as being a participating office for these programs without our consent. Therefore, we feel compelled to address a critical issue: many of these dental grant programs are, unfortunately, scams designed to exploit those in need of affordable dental care. The call goes something like this: “I saw your ad for XXX, how do I apply?” The XXX is a free trial, a low-cost trial, a specific cost for a dental implant, a grant program, and so on. When asked how they got our number, we have heard Facebook, Tik Tok, or they clicked on an ad and got our number. Problem is, we are not affiliated with ANY of them. We are not part of a grant program, free trial, low cost trial or the like. We offer financing and insurance, but that is all we offer for paying for dental procedures. So if you are here, you most likely saw something that we are not a part of.
Now down to the nitty gritty. We have gotten so many calls about the dental grant program, we felt compelled to dive into the issue.
The Allure of Dental Implant Grants
Dental implants can be life-changing and give our patients the ability to eat and smile again, but their high cost can be prohibitive. We offer financing to our patients, but for many the idea of receiving a grant to offset these costs is very attractive. These grants claim to offer financial relief, or a low cost or even free trial; making it seem easier for people to afford dental implants. Dental implants, done right, are expensive, that is a fact. There is a lot of work and hardware that goes into dental implants, so they can be costly. However, the reality of what these dental grants truly offer is often starkly different from what they promote.
The Reality behind Dental Implant Grants
Bottom line, we don’t work with Cosmetic Dental Grants. Why? The ones you are finding on-line – aren’t real and the ones that say they are, are merely discount programs and not affiliated with any federal grant. Dental grants, Cosmetic Dentistry Grants, Free Trials, Low cost trials, could be a great solution to dental problems. However, programs that offer legitimate dental implant grants are exceedingly rare, if not completely non-existent. Most insurance providers and government assistance programs categorize dental implants as elective cosmetic procedures, making it unlikely that they will provide grants to pay for them, but they will provide assistance through their insurance programs. While an ad for “government grants for dental implants” may seem official, you should treat the wording alone as a red flag.
In California, the only listed dental grants are through the California Dental Association for Clinics and the Children’s Initiative. A quick internet search will bring up dozens of websites and links for dental grants, but be warned – most, if not all, are not as they appear.
The cost of dental implants varies. The cost of the materials, the surgeon’s time and expertise, and the aftercare and recovery process are included in the price of any implant. The price may seem high, understandably, but it’s important to note that dental implants are a specialized procedure requiring years of training and expensive high-tech equipment and a costly end product that has to last for decades.
Because we have be unwittingly affiliated with these programs, our aim is to expose these so-called grants to help understand how dental implants work. We want to help ensure you arrive at the treatment you deserve, even in a face of these scams.
The Reality: Dental Grants are Rare and have Limited Availability and Strict Criteria
Grants are limited in number: Genuine dental implant grants do exist, however, they are extremely limited. Organizations that offer these grants often have a small number of awards available each year, making the competition fierce.
Strict Eligibility Requirements: To qualify for a dental implant grant, applicants typically need to meet strict criteria. This can include income limitations, specific dental health requirements, and sometimes even residency restrictions. The application process can be rigorous, and not everyone who applies will be deemed eligible.
Comprehensive Application Process: Applying for a dental implant grant usually involves a detailed application process. This can include providing extensive documentation, attending multiple consultations, and sometimes even participating in interviews. The time and effort required can be considerable.
How Dental Implant Grant Scams Work
The government or legitimate NGOs do not typically hand out free dental implant grants. They do not offer vouchers for a cosmetic dentistry grants of any kind. So, when a website, social media site, page, video or email tells you about a “grant” for cosmetic dental treatments, understand that they cannot be legitimate grants in the true meaning of the word.
An actual, real grant is offered by a government office or certified non-profit organization. They are often categorized by group such as veteran or seniors By contrast, these scam “grants” are offered by different companies some posing as non-profits, sometimes single offices, many are under an umbrella company, all in an attempt to scam patients into overpaying for cheap implants through a discount program they offer as a “grant” and anyone can apply. Patients enter the deal thinking the offer for free or reduced-price implants represents legitimate financial aid. They won’t find out the true cost of their treatment until later.
Elements of the scam
Upfront Fees: One common tactic used by scammers is to request an upfront fee to process your grant application. They may justify this fee as a “processing” or “administrative” cost. Legitimate grant programs do not ask for money upfront.
Guaranteed Approval: Be wary of any program that promises guaranteed approval. Real grant programs have competitive processes and strict eligibility criteria. Scammers use the promise of guaranteed money to lure in desperate individuals.
Pressure Tactics: Scammers often use high-pressure sales tactics to push you into making quick decisions. They might tell you that the grant opportunity is limited and that you must act immediately. Legitimate programs provide ample time for you to consider your options and make informed decisions.
Personal Information Theft: Some scams are designed to steal your personal information. They may ask for sensitive details under the guise of processing your application, which they then use for identity theft or other fraudulent activities.
The process of the full scam often goes something like this:
A patient sees an ad online or receives an email with an offer for a dental implant grant or a free dental implant. This ad promises the moon and the stars for extremely expensive dental treatments, so they fill out a questionnaire or call the number and schedule an appointment.
The other way it works, which has happened to us, is local offices get pulled into and listed as a provider for these grants. So when a patient calls or emails us, thinking we are part of the dental grant process or free trial or low-cost something or other, they get frustrated with us, all the while, we have no clue what they are talking about. They will continue calling around until someone DOES know and they go in to schedule an appointment.
Once the patient is in the scammers office, they are told they qualify for a grant of a certain amount, $5,000 for example, to help pay for dental implant treatments such as a full arch replacement or All On 4 Implants or Fix on 6 Implants. But to receive this grant, they are told they must pay a difference since the grant won’t cover all the costs. This is the core of the scam.
Looking to save money, the patient agrees to pay let’s say $25,000 for the portion of the treatment the “grant” doesn’t cover, on the promise of saving $5,000 in the long run. They then receive their dental implant treatment.
You may already realize how this scam works. To clarify, the $25,000 the patient paid to receive the discount is often more than the treatment would cost from a reputable specialist. In other words, the $5,000 they believe they saved from the grant does not exist, and the scammer pockets the full price of the treatment (or more).
We have reached out to some of these supposed Grant Offices, only to be put on terminal hold, told they will call us back or never answer an email. They never answered our simple question, as a practitioner, how do these grants work with us? They couldn’t answer the question, because there is no answer to the question. Then from Tik Tok, we had a team member fill out a questionnaire – from a DIFFERENT grant office and they emailed, called and texted constantly about our pending approval, to set up an appointment to meet with THEIR specialists, etc., all from the umbrella organization mentioned above. Different people called numerous times a day, stating that the team member just had to answer to some questions and then see their specialist. Yet when our office called, we were put off. It is exactly what we found in comments on line all over the place. Sadly – It isn’t real.
For comparison – What are the REAL costs for Dental Implants?
The reason people are looking for a deal is because legitimate dental implants are costly. Real dental implants are an investment in your oral health. Worthwhile investments cost a certain amount, and there’s no magical way to reduce it.
Dental implants include the implant screw, abutment, and crown (false tooth). Sometimes they also include extraction of the tooth, bone graft and more. These make up a high-quality dental implant system are all made of different, highly durable materials that cost a fixed amount and are often hand made by a specialist to FIT YOUR MOUTH. Cheaper dental implants may use cheaper materials, which undermines the purpose of getting an implant in the first place. Therefore, just because the implants are cheaper, doesn’t mean you’ll save anything. Once you’re hooked on the scam, they’ll charge you the premium rate anyway.
Dental implants aren’t just materials. Dental Implants require surgery and the costs also represent an experienced surgeon’s time. So, if you see a low offer for dental implants, you should assume that the surgeon’s time isn’t worth as much and they’re proving that they’re probably not as experienced as they seem or the surgeon’s time isn’t included in the “offer” and will be added later.
If you saw an ad for a free kidney transplant, you’d assume it is a scam, the same goes for an expensive dental procedure. So while offices like ours do advertise, and we do take many insurances, and offer a free consultation; a genuine dental implant offer or advertisement comes that comes from a trusted dental implant surgeon’s office and will never use the words “grant” or “free.” These are incompatible with the concept of getting a high-quality implant that will last a lifetime, which is what an experienced surgeon offers.
These legitimate offers will never be in the format of a scam, such as “pay X now to get X later.” Instead, offices like ours will help you set up monthly payment plans and we also offer third-party financing options to help you afford your treatment.
So what do you do?
While the idea of dental implant grants can be appealing, it’s essential to approach such offers with caution. Many of these programs are designed to exploit vulnerable individuals and offer high pressure tactics to get you to sign. As a periodontist, I urge you to be vigilant and to seek advice from trusted dental professionals. By exploring legitimate alternatives and being aware of potential scams, you can make informed decisions and protect yourself from fraudulent schemes.
Remember, your dental health is a critical part of your overall well-being. Don’t let the lure of a “too good to be true” grant compromise your safety and financial security. Stay informed, ask questions, and trust your dental care provider to guide you in the right direction.
Along with our own research – we have used elements from another implant practice in Florida that has run into the SAME issues https://www.implantcenternearme.com/blog-posts/dental-implant-grant-scams
You can also read this article here https://legacydental.com/blog/399-dental-implants-possible-or-scam/
