Dental Insurance

Sound dental care can be a vital component of our well-being. As with all insurance-related decisions, you should consider a number of factors when buying dental insurance such as the many types of plans to consider. These include PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations), HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations), dental indemnity insurance plans and discount dental plans.
dental work being performed

Exploring Dental Insurance Coverage Types

Having dental insurance coverage can help you ensure your tooth and gum health. Unfortunately, if you have to shoulder the complete cost of dental care, you may find it difficult to pay out of pocket. Without dental insurance coverage, you may be inclined to pass on regular cleanings and checkups, possibly leading to serious dental health problems.

LIke medical insurance plans, dental insurance policies are usually categorized as indemnity or managed-care plans. The major differences between these categorizations are in out-of-pocket costs, choice of dental-care providers and how bills are paid.

In most cases, dental indemnity insurance plans offer a broader selection of dental-care providers compared with managed-care policies. With an indemnity policy, the insurance carrier pays for eligible services for coverage only after the company receives a bill. This means that you may have to pay the costs for medical assistance up front and then obtain reimbursement from your insurance carrier. Managed-care policies usually run their own dental provider networks. Dentists who participate in a given network perform services for patients at pre-negotiated rates and frequently submit the claim to the dental insurance company for you.

dental insurance form

What Is Covered in Basic Dental Insurance?

Understanding what’s covered by your dental insurance plan can be challenging. Coverage differs by policy and by provider, so it’s important to read your policy’s fine print to completely grasp what your dental insurance covers. Generally, basic dental insurance coverage includes these three categories:
  • Preventive and diagnostic dental care: Almost all dental plans and dental insurance policies cover basic dental costs designed to prevent dental problems. For the policyholder, this means most dental insurance plans cover a significant part or even all of the costs connected to basic services such as cleaning, checkups and other dental procedures intended to prevent tooth and gum disease. This coverage is key because it encourages people to seek out regular dental care, helping prevent complicated and costly problems down the road.
  • Basic dental care and dental procedures: Most dental plans and dental insurance policies cover basic dental procedures. These procedures include fillings, tooth extractions and fixing chipped teeth. Basic dental care varies by provider, however. Generally, because dental insurance providers cover a sizeable portion of basic dental care, it’s wise to choose a provider covering as many dental-care basics and procedures as possible.
  • Major dental care: Although not all dental insurance plans cover costs associated with major dental care, some cover at least a portion. Major dental care includes procedures such as surgery, orthodontics and denture work. If you require major dental care, you may wish to look for dental insurance providers that are willing to pay for as significant a percentage of this kind of care as possible.

BeneFinder’s agents are ready to help you save money and time in finding the best dental insurance plan for you and your entire family.

Can Benefinder Help You?

Whether you're looking for premier insurance solutions for individuals and families our interested in our powerful, all-encompassing Human Capital Management software, we'd love to talk to you about how we can help!

Get Our Whitepaper

How Human Capital Management Software Can Save You From Outsourcing