Are you struggling to understand what your dental insurance does and does not cover? That’s nothing to be ashamed of – dental insurance is confusing! Fortunately, your dental team works with these policies on the regular and can help you navigate all the grueling details.
In the meantime, why not read up on the basics? This post will give you a general idea of what types of services dental insurance helps pay for, as well as other ways you can afford to care for your smile. Keep reading to get the scoop.
Average Dental Insurance Coverage
Let’s start with the big picture: what types of services your dental insurance policy is likely to cover. Every plan is different, so keep that in mind, but also know that this is typically how dental insurance companies like to spread coverage:
- Preventative care, which includes services aimed at “preventing” oral problems, are usually 100% covered by providers. That means your biannual checkups, cleanings, and yearly X-rays could be completely free.
- Basic care is for restoring dental damage. You’ll find services like fillings, simple extractions, gum disease therapy, and root canals in this category. Providers are generally willing to cover 80% of expenses for these treatments.
- Major care encompasses more complex procedures. If you need oral surgery, crowns or bridges, dental implants, or dentures, for example, that’s usually considered a major dental restoration. You can expect around 50% of these costs to be covered.
- Cosmetic dental treatments are not usually covered by dental insurance. Your policy might pay some of the expenses if it’s medically necessary, but patients wanting veneers, teeth whitening, or Invisalign typically have to find other ways to reduce costs.
Other Ways to Pay for Treatment
Depending on what kind of dental service you’re interested in, these numbers might be encouraging or downright disappointing. Did you know, though, that dental insurance isn’t your only option for reducing treatment costs?
Many dentists recognize that affording dental care can be difficult and offer low-to-no-interest flexible financing through organizations like CareCredit and Lending Club. If you think your bill would be more manageable as smaller monthly payments, then flexible financing is worth checking out!
Talk to Your Dentist
Ultimately, your dentist doesn’t want money to come between you and getting the smile care you need. Don’t be afraid to talk to them about your budget – they may just have a suitable solution!
About the Practice
Dr. Mahmoud Homsi and Dr. Niraja Patel want to get to know you, not just your teeth! They see dentistry as a way to improve their patients’ lives and confidence, which is why they proudly accept in-network and out-of-network dental insurance, as well as CareCredit and Lending Club financing plans. Dr. Homsi and Dr. Patel would be happy to work with you if you need help affording dental care, so don’t hesitate to call their office at 603-228-0123 for quality service.