If you don’t have dental insurance — or your plan covers less than you expected — you’re not out of options. A significant portion of patients who come through Church Family Dentistry & Cosmetics in Durham are either uninsured, underinsured, or paying out of pocket for treatment their plan doesn’t cover. This post walks through how to approach dental costs without leaning on insurance.
Why This Comes Up More Than You’d Think
Dental insurance in the US is structured differently from medical insurance. Most plans cap annual benefits between $1,000 and $2,000 — which doesn’t go far if you need a crown, implant, or any kind of restorative work. Many plans also exclude cosmetic treatment entirely and have waiting periods for major procedures. The result is that a lot of patients effectively pay out of pocket for a meaningful portion of their care even when they technically have coverage.
Knowing how to navigate that gap matters. At Church Family Dentistry, Dr. Will Church runs a fee-for-service practice — which means treatment recommendations are based on what your teeth actually need, not on what insurance will approve. For uninsured patients, that also means no network restrictions and no pre-authorization delays.
Option 1: Third-Party Financing
Financing is the most practical option for most uninsured patients who need treatment that runs beyond what they can pay upfront. Church Family Dentistry works with three providers, each suited to a different situation.
Cherry is a good fit for patients who want a straightforward monthly payment for small to mid-range treatment costs. The approval process is fast and considers more than just credit score. Monthly payments are fixed, which makes budgeting predictable.
Sunbit has one of the more accessible approval processes in the dental financing space and is specifically designed to serve a broader range of applicants than traditional financing products. If you’ve run into barriers qualifying elsewhere, Sunbit is worth trying.
Proceed is built for larger treatment investments — full-mouth restorations, multiple implants, extensive cosmetic work. It offers higher approval amounts and longer repayment terms, which makes substantial treatment more achievable without a large upfront payment.
Applications for all three can typically be completed in minutes, online or in the office. Our team can help you compare options before you commit to any of them. You can also review our full financing options page for more detail on each provider.
Option 2: HSA or FSA Funds
If your employer offers a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA), those funds can generally be applied toward dental treatment — including restorative work, implants, and orthodontics. Even patients without traditional dental insurance often have access to these accounts through a high-deductible health plan.
FSA funds are use-it-or-lose-it on an annual cycle, so timing matters. If you have a balance you need to spend before year-end, dental treatment is one of the most straightforward eligible uses. Our team can confirm compatibility with your specific account and help you plan timing if that’s a factor.
Option 3: Phased Treatment
Not every treatment plan needs to happen all at once. For patients managing costs without insurance, Dr. Church can structure a phased treatment plan that addresses the most urgent needs first and sequences elective or cosmetic work over time. That approach distributes the financial load across multiple visits or billing cycles without compromising the overall outcome.
The key is having that conversation upfront at your consultation rather than discovering mid-treatment that the cost is more than you anticipated. Dr. Church’s team builds out a full cost breakdown before anything begins so you can make an informed decision about pacing.
Option 4: Combining Approaches
These options aren’t mutually exclusive. A common scenario: a patient uses HSA funds to cover the exam and any preventive work, finances a more expensive procedure through Cherry or Proceed, and schedules additional elective treatment for a later visit. That combination can spread a significant total treatment cost into manageable pieces without requiring a single large payment.
If you have partial insurance coverage — say, a plan that covers preventive care but not major restorative work — the same logic applies. We apply whatever insurance benefit is available, then help you finance the remainder.
What to Expect at Your Consultation
At Church Family Dentistry, no treatment is recommended before you have a complete picture of what it costs and what your payment options are. Dr. Church uses cone beam CBCT imaging to plan treatment accurately from the start, which reduces the chance of mid-treatment surprises on either the clinical or financial side.
If cost is a concern, say so at your consultation. That’s not an awkward conversation here — it’s a practical one, and the team is equipped to work through it with you. Being uninsured doesn’t mean paying more or getting less; it means the financial conversation looks a little different.
Contact our Durham office to schedule a consultation with Dr. Church. Financing through Cherry, Sunbit, and Proceed is available for patients who are ready to move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions: Paying for Dental Care Without Insurance
Is dental care more expensive without insurance?
Not necessarily. Insurance networks negotiate rates with in-network providers, but those rates don’t always reflect the lowest possible cost — and the annual benefit cap (often $1,000–2,000) limits how much insurance actually contributes. At a fee-for-service practice like Church Family Dentistry, uninsured patients pay the practice’s standard fee, which is often comparable to in-network rates at other offices. Financing options further reduce the burden of any single payment.
Can I use financing for preventive care, or only major procedures?
Financing can technically be used for any treatment, though it makes the most financial sense for larger amounts where a monthly payment structure creates meaningful savings versus paying upfront. For routine preventive visits, most patients find the cost manageable without financing. Where financing typically comes in is for restorative work, cosmetic treatment, implants, or orthodontics — the procedures with a cost that patients are more likely to delay without a payment plan option.
What if I have bad credit — can I still finance dental treatment?
Sunbit in particular is designed for patients who may not qualify for traditional financing products. It uses a broader approval model that considers more than just credit score. Cherry also looks beyond credit in its approval process. If one option doesn’t work, another may. Our team can help you apply to multiple providers to find the best fit rather than stopping at the first decline.
Do I need to figure out financing before my appointment?
No. The consultation is where the treatment plan and cost picture come together, so there’s no reason to apply for financing before you know what treatment you need and what it costs. After your consultation, our team walks you through your financing options and can help you apply in the office before you leave. You don’t need to have anything figured out before you come in.
About the Author
Dr. Will Church
Church Family Dentistry & Cosmetics, Durham, NC
Dr. Will Church is the dentist and founder of Church Family Dentistry & Cosmetics in Durham, North Carolina. Trained at UNC School of Dentistry, Dr. Church focuses on cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and restorative care for patients throughout the Triangle area. His patient-centered philosophy prioritizes understanding each person’s goals before recommending any treatment.
