8 ways to fight high dental expenses
By Beverly Blair Harzog • Bankrate.com

Filling? $200. Crown? $900. Root canal? $1,205. Dental insurance? Priceless  ... especially when you don't have it.

In a perfect world, we'd all have dental insurance, and it would pay 100 percent of our costs. But in a world where many are self-employed, paying monthly premiums might not be a cost-effective solution. Even full-time workers participating in an employee dental plan often find coverage less than satisfactory.

Thankfully, there are ways to survive without giving up your vacation or telling your high-schooler to start looking at community colleges.

"According to the latest 2006 figures, about 45 percent of Americans are without dental insurance," says Evelyn Ireland, executive director of the National Association of Dental Plans, based in Dallas. But even if you're fortunate enough to have insurance, benefit ceilings, deductibles, copays and waiting periods can make the coverage far less than stellar.

Fight high dental costs The solution to this dental dilemma? Stop worrying and start strategizing. There are ways to keep your caps and your cash.

8 ways to stay financially afloat: 1. Open a savings account for dental expenses. 2. Take allowable deductions for unreimbursed expenses. 3. Evaluate dental discount plans. 4. Pay expenses with pretax dollars. 5. Visit dental schools. 6. Get an interest-free credit card. 7. Check out plans offered by trade associations. 8. Practice prevent defense.

1. Open a savings account for dental expenses.
Set aside an amount of money every month, say $150, in a separate account. At the end of the year, you'll have $1,800. This will cover checkups for a family of four with about $900 left over for fillings or a crown. Resist the urge to spend the money that's left in the account at the end of the year. You never know when you'll need a crown and a root canal in the very same year your teenage son has four fillings.

2. Take allowable deductions for unreimbursed expenses.
You can deduct the amount that exceeds 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, or AGI, from your taxes. But exceeding that amount can be daunting. Let's say your AGI is $60,000. You can only deduct the expenses that exceed $4,500 ($60,000 x 0.075 = $4,500). So it's in your best interest to plan ahead for expensive procedures, like braces. "Orthodontia is usually considered medically necessary, so it's a deduction. You have the option of deducting the entire expense in one year. It often makes sense to 'lump' deductions for maximum tax benefit," says Joseph Anthony, of Joseph Anthony & Associates Inc., a tax preparation and planning services firm in Portland, Ore. Check with a tax professional to be sure you're taking every allowable deduction that you're entitled to. "There's a misconception that if it's not covered under a medical or dental plan, then it isn't deductible on your tax return. But this isn't always the case," says Anthony.