You know having dental insurance is important. After all, it’s designed to help you save when pursuing essential oral healthcare. But when it comes to understanding the details of various plans, it can all be overwhelming. Don’t worry, as you’re not alone. Many individuals struggle to grasp the terminology used as part of dental insurance, which is why it’s important to have a trusted team that can help make the process easy and stress-free. But if you don’t want to wait for someone else to try and explain everything to you on the day of your visit, take a few moments to learn some of the basics.
Your Dental Benefits Will Not Roll Over
When enrolling in a dental insurance plan, you can expect your benefits to be good for a single calendar year. This means that any available funds left will not roll over to the following year. Instead, your deductible will reset, and you’ll be expected to meet it once again before your insurance company agrees to pay more of its share for your treatment.
You’ll Find Most of Your Savings Comes with Preventive Care
Each dental plan is different, but the breakdown of benefits is somewhat the same. What this means is that in most situations, preventive care is covered at 80-100%. This is good news since most dental plans include dental checkups and cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatment, and other similar services as preventive care. Not only can you take better care of your oral health, but it’s unlikely to cost you anything at all!
There Are Deductible and Annual Maximums
Dental insurance works the same way as health, auto, and other similar forms of insurance in that there is a deductible. This is the designated amount you must agree to pay out of pocket before your insurance company will pay their share. Typically, dental plans have low deductibles (i.e., $50), but you must meet this before you can expect your insurer to cover more of the bill.
Also, your plan will have an annual maximum. This is the total amount your insurance company will pay in a single year. There can be annual and lifetime maximums, with the former usually consisting of preventive and restorative treatment; however, the latter tends to include orthodontics and even TMJ.
Many additional components of dental insurance are important to know about, such as waiting periods, reimbursement levels, and even the difference between HMOs and PPOs. However, you are always welcome to ask your dental team for help in better understanding the details of your individual plan so that you can get the most out of it before the end of the year.
About the Authors
Dr. Aaron Swingdorf and Dr. Luke Viall are two dentists who deliver exceptional dental care in Chaska. Helping patients better understand their oral health, treatment plans, and even dental insurance, we encourage individuals to ask questions and look for ways to maximize available benefits. If you are unsure what kind of coverage your insurance carrier provides or need help understanding your policy, contact us at (952) 448-4151 or visit our website to learn more.
We used the following sources to generate this particular blog article, some of which include:
