Understanding How Dental Insurance Works

Dental insurance is very similar to health insurance in that in exchange for a monthly premium, you receive sizeable discounts on a wide variety of healthcare services. The main difference between the two is that while medical insurance is more focused on fixing health issues, dental insurance is designed to help people prevent them. The idea is that if patients are able to regularly get routine care, they can treat any issues early before they require more serious (and expensive) procedures.

What Your Dental Insurance Plan Covers

No two dental insurance plans are exactly alike, but in most cases, the benefits basically work like this:

• Preventive services are covered 80-100%. This includes checkups, cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatments, and dental sealants.
• Restorative services are covered 45-75%. This includes fillings, crowns, bridges, dentures, extractions, and root canal therapy.
• Cosmetic services are typically NOT covered because they are deemed to be elective. This includes teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding.

So what is the best way to use your plan? The key is to focus on prevention. When you come in for a checkup and cleaning appointment, you’ll likely pay little to nothing out of pocket, and these treatments will lower your chances of needing restorative care that receives less coverage.

We Offer In-Network Savings & Welcome Out-of-Network Providers

The Family Dental Center of East Texas is an in-network provider with most dental insurance plans, which basically means we’re able to offer patients bigger savings with their insurance versus visiting an out-of-network dental office. We still accept all out-of-network plans, however, and depending on your policy, the difference between visiting us and an in-network dental office might be negligible. Patients are often pleasantly surprised by how much we can help them save. In any case, we can answer any insurance questions you might have if you give us a call.