Dental insurance is a type of health insurance specifically designed to cover part of the costs associated with dental care. It helps individuals manage the expenses of routine dental check-ups, preventive care, and more significant dental procedures such as fillings, root canals, crowns, bridges, and sometimes orthodontics and periodontics. Dental insurance policies aim to encourage regular dental visits and maintenance, which can prevent the need for more extensive and expensive treatments in the future.
Key features of dental insurance include:
Coverage tiers
Dental insurance typically categorizes coverage into preventive, basic, and major services, each with varying levels of coverage. Preventive care, which includes exams, cleanings, and X-rays, is often covered at the highest percentage. Basic procedures like fillings and root canals may have a lower coverage level, and major services like crowns and bridges the lowest.
Deductibles
Many dental insurance plans include a deductible, which is the amount the insured must pay out-of-pocket before the insurance coverage kicks in for certain services.
Annual maximums
Dental plans often have an annual maximum benefit limit, which is the maximum amount the insurance will pay for dental care within a given year. Once this limit is reached, the insured is responsible for all additional costs.
Copayments and coinsurance
Depending on the plan, the insured may be required to pay a copayment for certain services or coinsurance, which is a percentage of the cost of the service.
Waiting periods
Some dental insurance plans include waiting periods for certain types of treatments, meaning the insured must wait a specified amount of time from the start of the policy before being eligible for coverage for those treatments.
Dental insurance can be offered as part of an employer’s benefits package, purchased as an individual policy, or included in some health insurance plans as an added benefit. The federal Canadian Dental Care Plan covers some dental costs for eligible residents who don’t have dental coverage, and in Quebec, the RAMQ covers some dental services for children under 10.