As much as you need urgent dental care, the thought of paying for it may worry you. How much an emergency dentist costs could impact whether you pursue treatment or not. With that said, there’s at least a sliver of good news: You can trust dental insurance to cover this sort of care. Your Jacksonville dental practice will even explain why that’s the case. So, here’s a primer on how dental insurance can often cover an emergency dental visit.
Remember the 100-80-50 Rule
Because urgent dental work is a vital health service, most dental plans do cover it. More specifically, the coverage for dental emergencies usually sticks to the 100-80-50 rule. Any given plan often divides and covers dental work according to the following categories:
- Preventive Services – In general, dental insurance covers preventive care at roughly 100%. Such care includes dental checkups, teeth cleanings, oral X-rays, etc.
- Basic Procedures – If you get a basic dental procedure, insurance will often cover 80% of its price. That rate applies to dental fillings, root canals, and simple extractions.
- Major Procedures – Today’s dental restorations (dental bridges, dental implants, etc.) get the least coverage. In fact, these major procedures typically have 50% of their cost covered.
Using the above categories, emergency dental work encompasses basic and major procedures. That means a dental insurance plan will cover much of its cost.
Check Your Plan’s Type
The type of dental insurance you have can also impact your emergency’s cost. Therefore, check your plan’s type before you commit to care.
Most dental plans now are either PPOs or DHMOs. A PPO lets you see dentists in and out of the network, but the co-pay is lower for in-network practices. On the other hand, a DHMO only applies or “kicks in” for specific in-network dentists. Any dental care outside the network won’t qualify for coverage.
Try to note your plan’s type alongside the 100-80-50 rule. By doing so, you can better grasp your treatment’s cost ahead of time.
Consider Other Payment Options
If your insurance situation isn’t great, you can always look at other payment options. Many dental practices offer additional methods to make emergency visits affordable.
To give an example, check whether a dentist offers flexible financing. This option usually lets patients work with 3rd party financiers to afford treatment. In other words, it’d let you pay for your dental emergency through manageable monthly installments.
Dental insurance can (and often will) cover an emergency visit, so don’t panic about your care’s cost. Just talk to your dental provider and get the budget-friendly help you need!
About the Practice
Khoi Dental Group is based in Jacksonville, FL. Led by Drs. Khoi Le and Edward Murray, our practice offers world-class, comprehensive dentistry to every patient. We thus provide preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services tailored to your smile, as well as emergency oral care. Our office also accepts dental insurance from a wide range of plan providers! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (904)-262-8449.