Dental Insurance

Dental insurance is insurance that provides coverage for services relating to the care and treatment of your teeth and gums. Typically, it provides coverage for some or all of the following dental services:

• Diagnostic procedures
• Semiannual checkups (including cleanings) and periodic x-rays
• Procedures that restore teeth
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery (teeth extraction and oral surgery)
• Periodontics (treatment of bone and gum diseases)
• Prosthodontics (fillings, dentures, bridges, and crowns)
• Orthodontics (repositioning of the teeth)
• Oral surgery
• Root canal therapy

Dental insurance may provide direct payment to the dentist for the dental care and treatment you receive. Or you may be required to cover the applicable charges out-of-pocket at the time of service, and then file a claim for reimbursement. It depends on the specific plan.

With group dental insurance, deductible and co-payment features usually come into play, generally the deductible does not apply to routine cleaning and oral examinations it comes into play for major work. Most plans also place a limit on the total amount of dental benefits you can receive each year (typically $1,000 to $1,500 annually). Finally, if you've just enrolled in a dental plan, be aware that there may be a waiting period before dental benefits start.

Dental insurance is affordable and may even be covered for employees under a group plan.

Discount Dental Plans

Discount dental plans offer a discount on services and are not true insurance. It simply gives the covered participants a discount on dental services. This coverage is less expensive than true dental insurance but again only provides a discount