Dental Insurance Richardson

Getting the Most Out of Your Dental Benefits

Person with dental insurance pulled up on their phone

Many patients are pleasantly surprised to find out that they can use their dental insurance to help pay for oral surgery services like the ones we offer. While this is all well and good, people expectedly have questions like, “What exactly is covered? How much is covered? Are you in-network with my insurance?”

Our team at the Richardson Oral Surgery Center is happy to provide all of the information you need about dental insurance in Richardson—you can keep reading to find answers to basic questions, or you are always welcome to give us a call and talk to a helpful team member.

How Dental Insurance Works

Patient filling out dental insurance form

Dental insurance and health insurance are very similar in that you pay a premium each month, and this entitles you to fully and partially covered services for the year.

There is typically an amount of money you need to spend out of pocket before you have access to your benefits (deductible) as well as an upper limit for how much the plan will pay each year for an individual (annual maximum). It’s also important to know that dental benefits reset every year, so whatever is left of your annual maximum does not roll over every 12 months.

Using Dental Insurance for Oral Surgery

Most dental insurance plans are designed to make it easy for patients to keep up with routine preventive services like checkups and cleanings so they can avoid bigger dental issues that require more expensive treatments.

But how can it help you afford oral surgery?

Thankfully, the vast majority of plans will cover things like exams and X-rays, plus they can help offset the cost of tooth extractions (including wisdom teeth). Coverage is less consistent when it comes to dental implants and sedation.

In some cases, a plan might help pay for the restoration that goes on top of the implant (a crown, bridge, or denture), but it won’t cover the implant post itself or the placement surgery.

Prior to completing any procedure with us, we’ll go over your dental insurance with you and provide an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs so you know what to expect right from the beginning.

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network

Person with dental insurance pulled up on their phone

When a dental practice is in-network with your dental insurance, that means they have a contract to provide their services at set (usually reduced) rates to everyone with that policy. With an out-of-network practice, the dentist has more freedom when it comes to what they charge and the types of services they offer.

In-Network Coverage

Richardson Oral Surgery Center is an in-network provider with several popular plans, including:

Out-of-Network

Visiting an out-of-network dentist or oral surgeon does NOT automatically mean you’ll end up paying a lot more. Sometimes the cost difference is negligible. That’s why it’s important to find a practice and doctor you like and then discuss your payment options with them.

Here, we’re happy to accept all insurance plans whether we are in or out-of-network, and patients also have the option of breaking up their costs into smaller monthly installments (with little-to-no interest) using CareCredit.