What is Dental Insurance?
Dental insurance covers a portion of the cost of dental care. As with any insurance policy, there is a monthly premium, or fee, that is paid by either the individual or by an individual’s employer.
Because there are several types of dental services, they are usually grouped into three areas of coverage for payment purposes:
Types of Service
The three main areas of coverage are preventative, basic and major.
Most times, dental insurance will cover preventative care in full. This usually includes an annual or bi-annual exam, cleaning and X-ray.
Services that fall under the basic category can include office visits for dental problems or other minor restorative treatment. Basic services may include extractions, fillings and gum disease treatment. In most cases, dental insurance covers some, but not all of the cost of these services.
Like basic services, major services are not covered in full by dental insurance, so there will be some out-of-pocket expense. Major services may include crowns, bridges and dentures.
The services that are covered under preventive, basic and major depend on the dental plan. For more information on what is covered under a dental plan, members should refer to their certificate of coverage/dental benefit booklet.
Importance of Dental Insurance
Over 90 percent of systemic diseases have symptoms that can be detected in the mouth, such as swollen gums or dry mouth. Dentists can spot symptoms of many diseases including heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, oral cancer and more. Having a routine dental exam is important not only for healthy teeth, but maintaining overall health as well.