While insurance can be a great way to make the routine oral healthcare and restorative and emergency dental treatments your teeth need affordable, your policy may be difficult to understand at times. While your dentist and their team will be happy to help you understand how your plan works during your regular checkup or consultation, having a little information about how dental insurance works ahead of time can make the process smoother. Here are three things about most dental insurance policies to keep in mind.
Dental Insurance Encourages Preventative Care
As the old proverb goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Dental insurance providers have taken this adage to heart and built their policies to encourage their customers to receive regular preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends that everyone receives two routine dental exams and cleanings a year, and insurance providers typically cover these appointments completely.
By paying for policyholders’ preventive care, insurance companies make it easier for them to prevent oral infections and dental emergencies that require much more expensive treatments to resolve. This helps keep insurance rates low while keeping patients in excellent oral health.
Dental Insurance Plans May Involve a Waiting Period
When you sign up for your company’s dental plan, you may find that it imposes a waiting period before it begins covering restorative work such as restorations and extractions. This is done to discourage customers from buying insurance, using it extensively to resolve many issues in a brief period, and then cancelling the policy, which would drive up rates for the other policyholders. These waiting periods typically last for several months.
Dental Insurance Usually Covers Restorative and Emergency Treatments Only Partially
While dental insurance plans often cover at least one dental emergency exam a year, restorative treatments and emergency procedures are typically covered by 50% to 80%, which means you’ll probably have to pay some of the cost out of pocket. Thankfully, many dentists offer financing options that can help break dental bills into small monthly payments that are easy to manage.
Your dentist will be happy to help you understand your insurance policy and financing options during your appointment. Receiving regular dental care twice a year will help ensure that your smile stays healthy, strong, and beautiful for life.
About the Practice
Devonshire Dental of Boston offers exemplary oral health care by a skilled team of general dentists and specialists. Led by Drs. Dean Levy, Christa Rizkallah, and Christine Melito, the staff ensures that each patient receives genuine compassion and courteous customer service. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry, and the office accepts insurance from Delta Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and other providers. To schedule your next checkup or consultation, contact the office online or dial (617) 350-7474.