Dental Implants and Insurance

You could easily become frustrated with insurance coverage for dental implants if you expect too much from the insurance company. But if you remember that the company is in business to make money, you will find the issue easier to deal with.

The dental insurance company needs to compete, and it does this by trying to offer a satisfactory plan to the employer for a competitive price. Since dental implants are not needed by a majority of people, there isn't much incentive for the company to offer generous coverage. It's hard to sell that kind of plan to an employer.

What they do is, when you are missing teeth, they will pay benefits for the least expensive treatment option. So, let's say you're missing several teeth on the upper arch. The least expensive way to treat that would be with a removable partial denture. Well, you don't want that because it means you have to wear hardware in your mouth, and it moves when you chew, and it is hard on the teeth it attaches to. You feel they should cover dental implants because that is clearly a superior treatment. But they aren't a charitable organization and what is "best" for you isn't their concern. They're in business to make money for their shareholders, and it doesn't make sense for them to pay thousands of dollars for a treatment when they can pay a few hundred.

So if you can move away from the entitlement mentality and into the "you get what you pay for" mentality, you'll be much less frustrated and will be content for any help you can get from your dental insurance for implants.

Plus, be aware that all dental insurance plans will have an annual cap on the amount they will pay, and that this annual cap is set pretty low--around one or two thousand dollars. Again, this is to keep the plan economical for the employer.

Thus, since your dental implant costs will be mostly or all out-of-pocket, you need to be especially careful about your choice of an implant dentist. Since insurance won't pick up the bill if mistakes are made, make sure your dentist is one who will do it right the first time. See our page about choosing the best implant dentist for tips.

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