Individual Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is coverage for your teeth and related mouth parts. Dental insurance covers a yearly check up and cleaning and cavity filling as well as xrays and special procedures deemed necessary for overall oral health.
Some health insurance policies include dental coverage, but those that do not, require the insured to purchase individual dental insurance if they wish to have oral healthcare coverage. Individual dental insurance does not have to be purchased as part of a health care policy.
A typical individual dental insurance plan will offer a network of Dentists the insured plan member can choose from for services. The plan will also cover a maximum financial benefit on a yearly basis, although, general and diagnostic preventative care is typically covered 100%. Any cost incurred beyond the maximum allowable becomes the responsibility of the insured. There may be a small co-pay required payable by the insured for each office visit.
A basic individual dental insurance plan will cover 80% of the maintenance and cleaning visits. The plan may also include denture repair, 50% of the cost of fillings, oral surgery limited to a tooth extraction and root canals. Some plans require a waiting period of anywhere from 3 months to a year before any dental work beyond routine maintenance is covered. A basic plan usually does not cover cosmetic dental work such as teeth whitening, veneer or braces.
Individual dental insurance typically does not cover orthodontics. Dental policies were designed to provide coverage for routine care to prevent dental emergencies and to help when and if the dental emergencies do occur. Orthodontics is not considered preventative care. If someone needs orthodontic care for health reasons rather than cosmetic reasons might be covered at the discretion of the individual dental insurance under writer. Some health care insurance providers offer supplementary orthodontic coverage to help with the cost of installing and maintaining braces.
When you are considering individual dental insurance, there are a number of things that should be taken into account. The number one question is who is eligible for coverage? Will the plan cover children who do not live with you, but with another parent or guardian? Will the plan cover your college student? Is there a network Dentist in your area or will the plan cover your current dentist? Does the deductible apply to the entire insurance policy or is there a deductible for each person covered under the plan? If there is an individual deductible for each person, it may not make sense to be insured in such a plan that may require paying thousands of dollars in deductibles before the coverage kicks in.
Check out any waiting period before coverage begins or coverage for dental work other than routine care and maintenance. Also check out how many cleanings are covered per year. Most dentists recommend a check up and teeth cleaning every 6 months. Check to see if the plan covers fluoride treatments or orthodontic care.
Before deciding on an individual dental insurance, decide the elements that are important for your dental agenda.