With the trend of the increased popularity of dental implants, more people asking if dental insurance will help pay for the treatment. The answer as usual is “it depends”. Every insurance company is different, but normally by doing a benefits check it can be determined if implants are covered benefit as well as if the crown or other prosthesis, which attaches to the implant or implants is a covered benefit. At this time it can also be determined what percentage of the cost is covered as well as the allowable benefit amount per procedure. (Some insurance providers will disclose this information and some will not).
Another important piece of information to gather is the whether the insurance policy has a “missing tooth clause”. If the policy contains a missing tooth clause, the insurance company will not pay to replace a tooth, which was lost prior to the patient obtaining the insurance contract, hence, it’s best not to have a missing tooth clause. Additionally, some policies cover the restoration or prosthesis portion (tooth portion) of the implant process, but not the surgical portion. This may not seem to make sense, but it certainly saves the insurance company costs. During the past several years it seems that more companies are covering dental implant procedures as they have become more popular and are often considered the best option and standard of care. If you are not sure about your dental coverage and possible limitations, contact our office to do a benefits check for you.
For questions about this and other dental procedures contact Dr. Guller at: askdrguller@aol.com or call 201-391-5565.
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