Why Doesn’t Dental Insurance Pay All My Dental Costs?

Dental insurance is meant to be an aid to help restore your mouth to sound dental health. It must be considered only as a subsidy for preventive and reconstructive dentistry. The percentage you receive and the services which are paid for are determined by benefit levels set by your employer.

Most insurance plans require the insured to pay a certain deductible before they will pay any benefits. In addition, insurance companies usually establish a maximum dollar amount they will pay each year or for any one treatment. When this limit is reached, the company will not pay any more. This limit has not changed much in the past 20 years, despite the fact that treatment costs like everything have risen during that time.

Finally, benefits vary widely depending on the contract between the employer and the insurance company which may be somewhat lower than current acceptable fees. The care, skill and judgement that produce optimum dentistry often cost more than benefits allowed by insurance companies.

For specific information about your dental coverage and coordination of benefits if you are covered under two different insurance plans, contact the employee benefits office at your company.