Once people get dental insurance, their first instinct is often to use it right away. That’s only natural – who wouldn’t want affordable dentistry as soon as possible? However, a plan’s benefits can’t (and won’t) apply until the end of your dental insurance waiting periods. You should thus learn about these aspects of insurance, especially before making major treatment decisions. With that said, here’s a primer on dental insurance waiting periods from your Morgan Hill dentist.
What are Dental Insurance Waiting Periods?
As counterintuitive as it sounds, you can’t use a dental plan right after getting one. You can only apply its benefits to treatments after the waiting period is over.
Overall, a dental insurance waiting period is the time that must pass before benefits “kick in.” A plan won’t cover certain dental services or procedures until it fully concludes. The period can also vary from one insurance provider to the next, ranging from as short as a month to as long as a year. Its final length will depend on your specific plan and other related factors.
Why Do They Exist?
Dental insurance waiting periods aren’t a needless delay of cost-effective dentistry. In reality, they play a crucial role in the modern insurance industry.
These periods make dental plans profitable for insurers. Because they exist, patients won’t simply get insurance when they need immediate oral care. A scenario like that – where you get a policy and drop it right after treatment – would cause the plan provider to lose more money than they make. In contrast, waiting periods make you pay monthly premiums even when your smile is stable.
Put another way, the waiting periods are “insurance” for insurance companies. They make it less costly for a plan provider to cover your care.
How Do They Typically Work?
The waiting periods don’t apply the same way to every dental procedure. On the contrary, they differ depending on which of the following types of care you get:
- Basic Care: For basic work like dental sealants and fillings, the average waiting period is roughly 3-6 months.
- Preventive Care: Preventive dental work generally doesn’t involve waiting periods. To that extent, you can get coverage for X-rays, cleanings, and fluoride without a wait.
- Major Care: Since major care includes dental crowns, bridges, and implants, it has longer waiting periods. A typical one can range from six months to an entire year. Still, different plans can define “major care” differently; remember to consult your provider.
For more details on dental insurance waiting periods, please talk to your insurance company. They’ll let you know when you can apply benefits to your treatment!
About the Practice
Timeless Smiles Morgan Hill is based in Morgan Hill, CA. Led by Dr. Jenny Hong, our practice combines the latest dental technology with attentive and patient-focused care. The result is comprehensive dentistry tailored to your smile, whether it needs preventive, cosmetic, or restorative work. That means you and your family can trust us to help your grins thrive! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (408)-763-3008.