Dental Insurance Explained – 4 Things You Must Know

Getting good dental care should be a priority for everyone. Strong teeth are an important part of staying healthy. But dental care can be expensive. Dental insurance can help make the rising costs of professional dental care affordable.

Where Can I Find Dental Insurance?

Many people get their dental insurance through their employers. Most employer-sponsored health plans include some dental coverage.

But even with an employer’s policy, you might find it doesn’t give you enough coverage to meet all your family’s needs. For example, orthodontic care — which includes pricey procedures like straightening teeth and treating jaw problems — isn't usually covered by a standard dental plan.

To help you find dental coverage, here are 4 things you should know about dental insurance.

1. Understanding Deductibles And Yearly Maximums

The deductible is the part of a medical bill that you have to pay before your insurance company will cover the rest. Sometimes a plan that looks cheap can surprise you with a big bill when you actually get care.

Yearly maximums are the total amount of money the policy will pay out over the course of a year. If your dental care costs more than your yearly maximum, you'll have to pay the difference.

2. Finding The Right Dentist

Most dental insurance plans are managed care plans. That means they have “networks” of dentists for you to choose from. When choosing a policy, make sure that its network is large enough to suit you. If you already have a dentist, find out if they are part of the plan’s network.

If you have small children, see if the plan’s network has pediatric dentists in your area. Pediatric dentists specialize in the dental care of children, and can provide better care for your child than a dentist specializing in adult patients.

3. Make Sure Your Coverage Is All There

Dental insurance typically has three areas of coverage:

• Preventive dental care focuses on keeping teeth healthy. Check-ups and cleaning are examples of preventive dental care.
• Restorative dental care is focused on fixing dental problems. Most plans consider fillings to be restorative care.
• Major dental care includes crowns, root canals, and bridges.

Make sure the plan you choose covers all three types of care. Many dental insurance companies don’t cover major care. And remember that some policies define “major care” differently than others.

4. Will They Make You Wait?

Some dental insurance policies have a “waiting period” before they will cover certain procedures. If you don’t need any immediate restorative or major care, a waiting period may not be an issue for you.

If you are in need of immediate dental care, choose a policy without a waiting period. Otherwise, you could be paying your own dental expenses and your dental insurance premiums at the same time.

If you're still shopping around for ways to save on dental care, also consider a dental discount plan which gets you big savings on dental care. Visit our partner DentalPlans.com to compare discount plans and purchase online.