If you have experienced the loss of one or more natural teeth, you should certainly explore your options for tooth replacement. Your dentist will likely recommend that you get dental implants, which offer many benefits, including strength, durability, and support for the health of your jawbone. However, dental implants have at least one significant drawback; they tend to cost more than other forms of tooth replacement. Can you expect your medical insurance to cover them? This blog post explains what you should know.
Coverage Can Vary
Some health insurance plans do not provide any coverage for dental implants, but others do. It is important to check into the details of your specific plan rather than make assumptions about which benefits are available to you.
If your plan does apply to dental implants, there are a couple of important notes that you should keep in mind:
- Coverage levels can vary, so even with insurance, you may still need to pay a significant portion of the total cost of your procedure. Your care team can provide you with a price estimate.
- You can also explore how your dental insurance might apply; it may reduce your out-of-pocket cost for implants and pre-implant procedures.
Using Medical Insurance for Dental Implants
Here are some tips that might help you enjoy a smooth process as you strive to use your medical insurance for dental implants:
- Talk to your care team to find out whether they take insurance and what you can expect from the claims process.
- You might need to establish medical necessity, meaning that you should be able to prove that the implants are necessary in your unique situation. Again, your care team may be able to help with this. Some situations that might qualify as medical necessity include:
- You lost your teeth as a result of a facial injury.
- You are battling cancer or another serious illness that can affect dental health.
- Dental implants are recommended to stop bone loss in the jaw from osteoporosis or another bone condition.
- If your current insurance does not cover dental implants, investigate whether other plans may cover them. During open enrollment, you may be able to get a more favorable policy.
Affording Dental Implants
Your care team wants you to be able to afford dental implants, so do not hesitate to ask them what provisions are available beyond insurance. For example, you might qualify for a budget-friendly payment plan. You may also be able to use FSA or HSA funds to rebuild your smile.
It is worth checking to see if your medical insurance covers dental implants. Hopefully, it will help you replace your lost teeth with minimal financial strain.
Meet the Practice
At Richardson Oral Surgery Center, we are proud to provide a range of advanced dental implant services in a modern, welcoming environment. We also are pleased to work with patients to help them manage the financial aspect of their care. To learn how we may be able to do so in your case, contact our friendly team at 469-991-7866.