A Guide to Dental Insurance

Your Best Bet

Most insurance plans are a gamble. Life, automobile, homeowners', and disability insurance provide large payoffs on chance claims for comparatively small premiums or bets. Dental insurance is different. People use their dental insurance. Many people see their dentist at least twice a year. People get cavities and need fillings. Dental work requires periodic replacement. Think of dental insurance as a gamble with low odds and rules that benefit the house. 

Whenever discussing dental insurance it is important to understand some of the lingo. Dental insurance breaks dental treatment down into four main categories: diagnostic, basic, major and non-covered services. Diagnostic services are best exemplified by the average dental check up. Cleanings, radiographs (x-rays), and examinations fall into this category. Basic services include most single visit fillings, root canal treatment, extractions, gum treatments and denture repairs. Major services include crowns, tooth replacement procedures, and some types of fillings. 

Each employer decides what treatment will be covered based on a menu of options provided by the insurance company. These options are called riders. Riders may include treatments such as dental implants, more frequent checkups, dentures, bridgework, and tooth colored fillings for back teeth (silver fillings are considered standard).

Some options may call for insurance to cover the cost of the Least Expensive Acceptable Treatment, which may be referred to as a LEAT benefit. A common LEAT benefit is that many employers choose coverage that pays the silver-filling fee for a tooth colored filling. The employee is required to make up the difference. This is not an example of the insurance company trying to save itself money. This is a choice that the employer makes when purchasing insurance.