How Does Dental Insurance Work?

Posted on Sep 9, 2012

Good quality dental services are essential, but they are not cheap. One of the primary ways in which you can save on the services of dentists is to use dental insurance. The question is how much you will save exactly and whether the coverage is worth it. Learn more about this type of insurance to get the answers to your questions.

What is covered by dental insurance?

The services offered by dentists are divided into three categories for the purpose of insurance. The preventive care services include checkups, teeth cleaning, x-rays and sealants applications.

These are covered by all policies and the cover is usually 100 per cent. The basic and restorative care services include fillings, simple toot extractions and root canals, to name the most common ones. If these are included in a policy, about 80 per cent of their cost is covered by the insurer.

There are various complex and extensive treatments in the category of major services such as surgeries, crowns, bridges and implants. Typically, only around 50 per cent of their cost is covered by the insurer.

What are the exclusions and limitations?

Cosmetic dental treatments of all kinds are not covered by dental insurance policies. This is because they are selected optionally and are not mandatory for oral health. Most policies come with a missing tooth clause which states that you have to pay for the treatment necessary to fix this problem out of your pocket if you have lost your tooth before the inception of the coverage.

Some procedures performed by dentists are subject to a waiting period. This means that you cannot use the insurance to pay for them during a set period of time. For example, you may not be able to use the policy to cover the cost of a crown 12 months after its start.

Most dental insurance policies come with an annual maximum limit. If you require services from dentists that cost more than the maximum annual amount of coverage set on your policy, you will have to pay for them out of your pocket. The annual maximum limit is often very low.

How can you get dental insurance?

The plans available from employers are typically the most affordable. If this is not an option for you, you need to shop around to find the best policy. The policies which work with a set network of dentists typically cost less compared to the ones which give you a free choice of dentist.

Do the necessary calculations before you decide on dental insurance and check whether local dentists such as Sacramento Dental services offer discounts and payment plans.

Source: http://www.endangeredfishalliance.org/how-does-dental-insurance-work/

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