Understanding Your Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is a great benefit that can save you money on dental treatment. There are several different insurance companies that carry many individual and group coverage plans. To maximize your benefits and prevent financial surprises, it is important to thoroughly understand your insurance policy.
Most insurance companies will provide you with a general benefit booklet to let you know what services you are covered for, how often you can have services done, and how much coverage you can expect. Depending on your insurance company you may also be able to locate this information on their website, or you can also phone them to get your coverage information over the phone. Here are some useful insurance limitations to look for:
- How often will your insurance cover a recall exam, dental x-rays, scaling, polishing and fluoride? Scaling doesn’t always follow a frequency limitation; often it is limited by units of time. So even if your polish and fluoride is only covered once per year, you might still have enough units to have scaling done in between!
- What services are you covered for? Does your policy cover basic services (cleanings, fillings) and major services (dentures, crowns and bridges) as well? Are cosmetic services covered?
- What percentages are these services covered at? For example, your basic coverage may be 80%, and your major coverage may be 50%. This information is helpful when calculating your benefits for needed treatment.
- Does your policy have a yearly dollar maximum? If so, how much? Is the maximum combined for all services, or separate for basic and major services?
- Does your policy follow a calendar year?
If you already have this information we can copy it into your profile and use it to provide more accurate estimates on your regular treatment. You can bring your booklet to the office and one of our Treatment Coordinators can explain the details of your plan, or while you are here in the office, we can phone your insurance provider to get the needed information. Having this information available at your appointment allows us to efficiently process your claims and estimates!
For more information on dental insurance, please click here.
Marie C
Treatment Coordinator
The Benefits of Dental Insurance
Dental insurance can be very helpful to patients who require frequent appointments at the dentist. These benefits may be paid for by your employer, but it is important to not let them go to waste. Most insurance companies have a yearly dollar limit, and if that amount is not used it will not carry over and accumulate into the next year.
A common phrase I hear from patients is “I have dental insurance, but I don’t like going to the dentist.” That is like paying for car insurance but never driving your car! Dental insurance is a present your employer gives you because they care about you, and there are a lot of people who do not have this wonderful opportunity. Everyone values their car and it will last longer if you take it in for regular tune-ups. The same can be said for your teeth, with the exception that replacing teeth is much harder to do.
Regular check-ups using intra-oral photos and digital x-rays can detect and prevent future problems, and catch existing problems before they cause pain. Please do not delay your check-ups and be sure to take advantage of your dental benefits!
Happy flossing!
Yvonne M, RDH