Your teeth are important for more than just dazzling people with that winning smile
Good oral hygiene has an impact on your overall health and can even help prevent heart disease. Dental insurance, as a supplement to personal health insurance, can help with the cost of protecting your oral health.
How Does Dental Insurance Work?
Dental insurance plans are similar to health insurance plans in many ways. One key difference: most policies have waiting periods ranging from six months to a year before any basic work can be done, and sometimes even longer for major procedures. Some policies don’t have a waiting period if you switch from an existing plan or if you’re willing to pay a bit more for coverage.
As with health insurance and vision insurance policies, dental insurance plans use deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance to determine how much a patient will pay out of pocket for care. Most policies also cap the amount the insurer will pay in a year, called the yearly coverage maximum. Once that amount is reached, the patient must pay 100% for any remaining care.
What Does Dental Insurance Cover?
Generally speaking, dental insurance policies categorize procedures as either preventive, basic, or major. Most plans will cover 100% of preventive care, like annual or semiannual exams, certain types of routine X-rays, some cavity fillings, and basic cleaning. Many cover 80% of basic procedures like gum disease treatment, root canals, and extractions, and 50% of major work like bridges, crowns, and dentures. Dental insurance providers often categorize these procedures differently, so it’s important to understand the details when comparing policies.
Most policies do not cover cosmetic procedures, like whitening or veneers. Braces and other orthodontic procedures aren’t always covered, but often can be added for an additional cost and, at times, a waiting period.
Our agents can help you sort through all the different options available and help you find a dental insurance policy you can smile about!