If you see your dentist often, you may rely on dental insurance. The right policy, after all, can cover many oral procedures and services. Still, you might need to find out where things stand with dental emergencies. Can you trust dental insurance to cover emergency care? Fortunately, the answer to this question usually is “yes.” If you want to learn why, your Arlington dentist will happily tell you more. Here, then, is a summary of dental insurance and how it relates to emergency oral care.
What Does Dental Insurance Normally Cover?
Most dental plans cover preventive, restorative, and orthodontic work. This coverage tends to operate on a 100-80-50 structure. Said structure includes:
- Preventive Care – Dental insurance may cover all (or most) of a patient’s preventive care. As such, it could fully pay for your dental checkups, teeth cleanings, oral X-rays, etc.
- Basic Procedures – A given policy often covers 80% of a basic procedure’s cost. Examples of such treatments include cavity work and dental fillings.
- Major Procedures – Bridges and implants are major procedures, which typically receive 50% coverage from dental insurance.
Will Dental Insurance Cover Emergency Visits?
As it happens, dental insurance usually does cover emergency visits. How it does so, though, depends on a plan’s type and similar details.
For instance, PPO and DHMO plans offer partial coverage for dental emergencies. You see, root canals and tooth extractions follow the 80% rule of basic procedures. Crowns placed for urgent care are major procedures and thus get half their cost covered. Even knocked-out teeth can receive coverage for diagnostic care (i.e., X-rays).
Other Ways to Finance Emergency Oral Care
Even without insurance, there are other ways to finance emergency oral care. Many dental practices, in fact, offer payment options.
One such option is flexible financing. By relying on third parties, it allows patients to cover treatment costs through monthly installments. That way, you can pay for a dental emergency gradually instead of all at once.
Another choice is an in-house membership plan. By paying a monthly or annual fee, it would give you discounts on various services. These price drops could also include emergency care.
In the end, dental insurance does cover emergency care. So, use it well the next time you face an urgent oral issue and save money on treatment.
About the Practice
We Smile Dental of Arlington is based in Arlington, TX. Led by Dr. Atluri, our practice emphasizes convenient and effective dental care. To that end, we offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services for adults and children alike. Naturally, we’re even well-equipped to perform emergency procedures like tooth extractions and root canal therapy. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (682)-452-1150.