Dental Insurance – Parsippany, NJ
Helping Make Dental Care Affordable
Caring for your smile is a joint effort between you and your dental team. While its up to you to brush and floss daily, the American Dental Association recommends you visit your dentist every six months for regular dental exams and cleanings. These appointments will not only get your teeth looking and feeling their best, but they can also help prevent a variety of painful and costly dental problems. Dental insurance was designed to help pay for preventive care like your biannual exams and cleanings, saving you time, money, and your natural teeth! At Zen Dental Care, we’re proud to be in-network with a variety of popular dental plans. Here’s how together with your provider, we make caring for your smile affordable!
How Dental Insurance Works
Dental insurance works similarly to most other types of insurance, including health insurance and auto insurance. You, the policy owner, are responsible for paying a monthly fee in exchange for the benefits you receive from the insurer. With dental insurance, however, there are some key factors to keep in mind, including:
- Most dental insurance policies are based on a calendar year, meaning that your benefits will not roll over at the end of the year. They will renew on January 1, resetting your deductible back to $0.
- You must meet your deductible each year before your dental insurance company will agree to pay for any minor or major restorative dental care.
- Your annual maximum is the designated amount of money that is provided to you by your dental insurance company. This is the most money they will agree to pay in a single year.
Because most dental insurance companies agree to cover between 80 to 100% of your preventive care, we highly recommend that you attend your regular, six-month dental check-ups and cleanings, since these will be of little to no cost to you. They also have the added benefit of helping you prevent the need for costly repairs or restorations that are not completely covered by your dental insurance.
What is the Difference Between Dental & Medical Insurance?
While dental insurance and medical insurance may seem similar, they have a few important differences. Mainly, dental insurance is designed to be preventive, while medical insurance is generally used to help you after a problem has already occurred.
That’s why your dental insurance covers more for your check-ups and cleanings, fluoride treatments, and X-rays. Your dental insurance company wants to avoid paying for costly treatment like root canals, tooth extractions, dental crowns, and periodontal therapy. Furthermore, if at the end of the year money is left unspent in your annual maximum, your dental insurance company keeps it, causing you to lose money that was rightfully yours!
With medical insurance, though your plan may cover general wellness checkups, it will likely pay much more for things like hospitalizations, surgeries, and X-rays.
In-Network vs. Out-of-Network
The difference between in-network and out-of-network coverage can be confusing. When examining your plan, the main differences will be that your deductible, premium, and annual maximum will likely not be the same, and you’ll likely pay a lot less when you see a dentist who is in-network with your individual insurance plan.
In-Network Coverage
Dr. Elsaid is an in-network provider with Delta Dental, United Healthcare, MetLife, and Aetna, however she is happy to work with patients who have other major plans to help assist them in getting high quality dental care at an affordable price. When you work with one of these in-network providers, we can assure you that you are paying the least amount for the treatment you receive.
Out of Network
When you choose to see a dentist who is out of network with your individual dental insurance plan, there is always a possibility that you will pay more for your care. Still, you can rest assured that you will still receive the same high-quality dentistry whether you are in-network, out-of-network, or have no dental insurance at all. If your dental insurance provider is out-of-network, the team at Zen Dental Care is still happy to help you file paperwork and claims and assist you with understanding your policy.