Dental Insurance – Chesterfield

Affordable Dental Care for Your Child

Maintaining an excellent at-home hygiene routine is necessary to keep your child’s smile healthy. However, even if your family is very diligent about oral care, there are still going to be areas in their smile that are missed. This is where their routine cleanings and checkups can help. To make these visits as affordable as possible, dental insurance is a very useful tool if available to you. Continue reading to learn more about dental insurance, how it works, and how you can maximize your benefits.

Dental insurance form

How Dental Insurance Works

Coins and a piggy bank

When you pay your monthly premium, you gain access to discounts on a variety of dental treatments and procedures. Everyone’s plan may look a little bit different, but here is what you can typically expect:

  • 100% coverage on preventive treatment
  • 80% coverage on basic restorative treatment
  • 50% coverage on major restorative treatment

The purpose behind this structure is that when your child attends regular cleanings and checkups, this minimizes the need for restorative treatments in the future. Here are some other things that you should keep in mind:

  • Dental insurance plans renew at the beginning of the calendar year. Benefits will not be carried over.
  • You must meet your annual deductible before coverage kicks in.
  • Your annual maximum is the designated amount of money that your dental insurance company agrees to pay in a year. If you don’t reach this amount, the remaining balance is returned to your insurance company.

What Is that Difference Between Dental & Medical Insurance?

Dental insurance cards

Medical insurance and dental insurance seem like they would be similar, but they have several key differences. The main one is that dental insurance is focused on preventive care. That’s why most plans include complete coverage for cleanings, checkups, routine X-rays and other preventive treatments. This way, patients can avoid more complex procedures, like root canals and tooth extractions.

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network Dentist

Receptionist at a desk

When you are choosing which dentist you want to see, it is important to know if they are in or out of network. Here’s what this means.

In-Network Coverage

When a dentist is in-network with an insurance company, this means that they have mutually agreed on a contract to offer services at set fees. By choosing an in-network dentist for your child, you can better maximize your benefits and lower your out-of-pocket costs. We are proud to be in-network with Delta Dental Premier.

Out-of-Network

If you have another dental insurance provider, this doesn’t mean that you can’t save. Give us a call so we can discuss your plan. We want all our patients to receive the quality dental care they need at an affordable cost.