Dental Insurance Information

Many patients are concerned when they learn that the dental procedures they desire are not covered by their dental insurance program. They are especially troubled when they learn that their insurance usually has a co-pay and a maximum annual benefit of $1,000. Most dental insurance programs do not cover 100 percent of the basic dental care recommended by the American Dental Association.

When it comes to dental insurance, the truthful answer to a patient's question of “What's covered?” would probably have to be “Not much.” Here, in a nutshell, is the coverage patients can expect from their dental insurance:

• An allowance for basic care for specific dental services. Nothing more. No dental insurance policy will pay for all the dental services you receive. The insurance carrier picks up a percentage, and you pay the rest.
• "Bare Bones" coverage based upon the lowest cost dental services and materials available in your designated area. Anything above this lowest common denominator will be denied by the insurance carrier as exceeding "usual and customary" charges.
• Basic benefits that have been negotiated as part of your dental plan. The services covered in your plan have little or nothing to do with your own particular dental needs or with established ADA standards of dental care. They are just the services covered by your insurance plan. Period.

As dentists, our job is to help people stave off oral disease while improving their physical appearance and, hopefully, enhancing their self-image. To do this, we combine our years of experience and advanced studies with the most progressive, state-of-the-art dental technology available today. We have no interest in compromising our patients’ dental care because of unrealistic rules and restraints imposed by dental insurance companies.

For information regarding payment for services

If you would like to review your insurance information, please call Kimberly Breiwick at 218-326-3437.