Dental insurance is meant to make paying for treatment easier, but many patients have a hard time taking full advantage of their plans because they don’t completely understand the details. To maximize your benefits, it’s important to learn as much about your dental coverage as possible. Here are 5 important insurance facts that you should always keep in mind.
1. Preventive Dental Care Tends to Get Better Coverage
When it comes to restorative treatments such as crowns or root canal therapy, you can usually expect your dental insurance to cover about 50% to 80% of the cost of care. But for routine checkups, cleanings, and other preventive services, many plans offer 100% coverage. That means it’s better for your budget to keep up with your biannual dental appointments instead of waiting until an emergency strikes to give your dentist a call.
2. Every Insurance Provider is Different
Each insurance provider has their own prices that they charge for coverage, and their plans can vary significantly. Before choosing a dental insurance company, you should compare all of the available options to see which plan best suits your needs. That way, you can be sure that you get the best possible coverage for any services that are necessary for protecting your smile.
3. Many Dental Plans Have Waiting Periods
When you first purchase dental insurance, you may have to wait for a certain amount of time before your coverage kicks in. Note that when it comes to preventive services, the waiting period is often very short, or it might not exist at all. On the other hand, you may have to wait as long as 3 months before your insurance company is willing to pay for restorative care. Keep this in mind if you need important dental work performed in the near future.
4. PPOs are Different from HMOs
PPO stands for “preferred provider organization” while HMO is short for “health maintenance organization.” Both are types of dental insurance, but they work differently. HMOs are usually cheaper, but they will only pay for services provided by dental professionals within their network. Meanwhile, PPOs offset a higher cost by allowing you to see any dentist you want.
5. Dental Insurance Benefits Don’t Roll Over; They Expire
Dental insurance plans are reset at the end of the year (or a given 12-month period). That means if you don’t use the benefits you paid for, you’ll ultimately lose them. To ensure that your dental insurance doesn’t go to waste, make sure that you’re visiting your dentist at least twice annually.
About the Author
Dr. Mohammad Golparvar has nearly two full decades of dental experience and is a proud graduate of the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. He enjoys performing complex dental treatments, and he keeps up with the latest technologies so that he can keep providing excellent care for all of his patients. His Manchester practice, Webster Dental Associates, gladly accepts most dental insurance plans. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Golparvar, visit his website or call (603) 669-4252.