6 Tips for Maximizing Your Dental Insurance

Dental insurance can be complicated but it doesn’t have to be. Dental insurance is a type of health insurance that focuses specifically on dental and oral health. With dental insurance, your coverage will make dental treatments more affordable, and in many cases, preventative care can be free. Dental insurance plans usually provide coverage for a range of dental treatments, such as teeth cleanings, fillings, crowns, tooth extractions, root canals, and more.

As part of Dental Insurance Awareness Day, our team wanted to share our top dental insurance tips to get the most out of your coverage:

1. Use Your Preventative Care: It’s important to maximize your preventative care options such as cleanings and X-rays so that Dr. Fitzpatrick can identify issues before they become larger and more costly.
   

2. Max Out Your Out Of Pocket Payment: If you are going to undergo a big dental treatment, you may want to plan to complete it within one insurance year so your annual maximum that you pay is reached just one time rather than over two years.
   

3. Know Your Benefits: Review your dental insurance benefits (you can go through it with your insurance provider) to ensure you are using all your benefits and you don’t waste any treatments that are covered.
   

4. Choose a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) Plan: Choosing a PPO plan with both in-network and out-of-network benefits. This will increase the likelihood of you being able to use your dental benefits at Solstice Smiles Dental. If you are changing your dental insurance provider, call us before you choose to see whether we are an in-network provider.
   

5. Beware of Waiting Periods: Beware that some dental insurance plans have waiting periods. This means that you may not be fully covered until the waiting period is complete.
   

6. Orthodontic Treatment Coverage: Note that orthodontic treatments, such as braces or Invisalign can often be subject to separate coverage. If you are interested in straightening your teeth, check whether your plan has adult orthodontic coverage.

At Solstice Smiles Dental in Petworth, we welcome a range of PPO dental insurance plans. We will happily submit your claim directly to your plan provider on your behalf, however please note that you are required to cover any costs not covered by your insurance. Please remember to bring your insurance card to your appointment for your first visit and let us know if you have any changes to your insurance! We are happy to help you with cost estimates (as we never know the actual cost until treatment is completed) in advance of your treatment so you can plan accordingly. As always if you have any questions about your oral health or your dental insurance we are always here to help!