Dental Insurance for Dental Implants
Yes, you can get dental insurance benefits for
dental implants, but the benefits may be restricted.
Dental insurance started in the 1960s as an
attractive addition to labor contracts. However, as medical costs have
gone up, employers have tried to trim costs on dental benefits packages,
and so these benefit packages have become less and less valuable. In the
1960s, the annual benefit would cover quite a bit of work. In the 2000s, a
typical plan may cover one crown for a year.
So, we advise you to not think in terms of
procedures being "covered" by dental insurance. Instead, think of the plan
as helping you pay for various procedures.
Many plans will say that they don't cover dental
implants. But this doesn't mean that there is no benefit for dental
implants. Plans state this to limit their liability. The dental plan
obligates the insurance company to pay for the replacement of missing
teeth - it's just that their benefit will be based on the cost of the
least expensive replacement.
What this means is that if, say, you have multiple
teeth missing, and a removable partial denture would work for you, the
dental insurance benefit for implants will be based on the cost of the
removable partial.
Dental implants are becoming the standard of care
for the replacement of missing teeth. Yes, they are generally more
expensive than other tooth replacement options. But our advice is to not
let these insurance plan limitations dictate what you do to take care of
yourself. Do what is best for you. The insurance company does what
is best for them, and that is to limit their expenses as much as
possible.
(Note: Many people find our web site content so valuable, they want to
copy it onto their site. Click here if you want to
copy some of our web site content).
Click here to
ask Dr. Hall a question about dental implants.
All on Four Dental Implants
Cheap Dental Implants
Dental Implant Combinations
Dental Implants Cost
Dental Implant Candidate
Dental implants and insurance
Dental Implant Mistakes
What's New in Dental Implants
Click here for
referral to an expert cosmetic dentist.
