Most of us will need some kind of dental work at some point in our lives. By having the appropriate dental coverage, your family can maintain their oral health without a huge financial burden. Having dental insurance offers protection against unexpected dental expenses. It also pays for all or a portion of the bill for dental procedures.
There is an overwhelming selection of dental insurance plans to choose from, each of which is appropriate for different circumstances. It’s crucial to choose the right plan to ensure everyone in the family has the coverage they need and you don’t end up overpaying.
This guide will help you choose a dental insurance plan that best fits your family’s needs.
How it Works
Dental coverage comes as part of a private health insurance plan. General dental treatments such as regular checkups and cleaning are covered automatically with the option to add on extras to cover major procedures such as root canal treatments, orthodontics, and cosmetic dentistry.
Like other forms of insurance policies, you generally pay a monthly premium and in exchange, the insurance provider pays for a percentage of the cost of care. With dentist visits need at least every six months, insurance helps you save money in the long run.
How to Choose
Your choice of dental coverage needs to reflect you and your family’s needs. Different insurance plans are designed to meet different needs, each targeting singles, couples or families with varying dental health needs.
Some things to consider include:
- Whether anyone in your family has pre-existing dental conditions
- How many people are in the family
- Whether your child/children may require orthodontic treatment (braces etc.) in the near future
- Whether the dental insurance plan needs to cover any elderly family members
Treatment-Specific Coverage
After considering your family’s needs and determining the extent of your dental care, you should research individual insurance providers and their policies. Most providers offer specific information about how much coverage you will receive for each treatment. If they don’t, you should ask them.
This is important as the type of procedure being performed determines how much coverage you will receive. Basic preventative care, such as cleaning and examinations are covered at a much higher rate (around 90 per cent) compared with invasive procedures such as extractions and fillings (around 50 per cent).
There are even more limitations on specialised care, such as dental implants or orthodontic treatment. In addition to having limited coverage, many dental insurance plans have annual or lifetime maximums on the amount they will pay. Make sure you look at these if you or any family members are likely to require specialised dental care.
Deductibles
Like other kinds of insurance, dental coverage generally comes with a deductible. This is the amount you need to pay on your own before your insurance comes into effect. The benefit of having a higher annual deductible is that monthly premiums will be lower.
So choosing an insurance policy with a high deductible can save money on a monthly basis but runs the risk of a big price tag if someone in the family needs extensive or complex dental procedures. Once again, take your needs and the needs of your family into consideration.
Preferred Providers
All of the above will vary depending on the dentist you visit. This is because different insurance companies have different networks of providers. In other words, many dental clinics have an agreement or partnership with an insurance company.
If you see an in-network dentist, you can access dental care at very affordable prices. This is a very important consideration when choosing a dental insurance plan. If you see a dentist who doesn’t belong to an insurer’s network, your policy may provide much less coverage or even none at all.
Dental Insurance at City Central Dental
At City Central Dental, we strive to offer quality dental care that is affordable and accessible for families in Adelaide. To achieve this, we have partnered with a number of high-quality dental insurance providers, including Medibank, Australian Unity, HCF, Bupa, and Smile.
Visit our insurance page for information about our partners or get in touch with our friendly team. Call us today on 08 8231 9922 or contact us online.
