Dental insurance is not just health insurance for your teeth. Typical dental insurance covers preventative care services such as: cleanings, checkups, fillings, crowns, and root canals, which can all be costly without insurance. Dental insurance is not open-ended like traditional health insurance.
Here are some tips when looking for dental insurance…
- Make sure that your preferred dentist accepts the dental plan and insurance you are looking at. Many insurance companies have a list of dentists that accept the insurance plan you are looking at. When you choose a dentist within your provider’s network, you will pay less out of pocket.
- Make sure you know what your co-payments and deductibles will be. Expensive procedures, such as crowns or root canals, may have a high deductible than routine visits.
- Cosmetic dental surgery is almost never covered by dental insurance plans. Cosmetic dentistry includes teeth whitening and dental implants.
- Only buy the policy that you really need. If you don’t need braces, don’t purchase a plan which covers braces, you will typically pay more. Some plans cover an array of dental issues, while others are more limited. Know what you are buying.
- Don’t wait for problems to arise before you buy dental insurance. Most dental insurance plans have a waiting period for any major dental work, so don’t wait until your teeth hurt to purchase a policy.