Q.: I currently have dental insurance. It is quite basic dental insurance. It covers the basic services only. I need three dental implants. That is the only additional help I need. I got a quote from a dentist of a friend of mine who gave me a discounted price of about $2500 for dental implant work per tooth, or total of about $7200 for three implants.
I am ready now. I have been waiting on this because of the finances but I do not want to wait any more. I am ready to get my implants within the next month if possible. Also, my sister has already started her dental implant work and she paid $1000 already for the first phase of the implant. Can she get coverage for the rest of the procedure as well? Would that be considered pre-existing condition?
M. L., Bronxville, New Jersey
A.: Hi, M. L., We are receiving many requests for dental implant work coverage these days. Dental implants are becoming more of a common place as we can tell. However, most dental coverages are lagging in this realization and refuse to cover dental implants. The few insurances that do cover implants will have long waiting periods and relatively low annual maximums, so not much of major implant work would be covered anyways. You want to look into dental insurance alternatives, such as discount dental plans. The advantage of these are that they do not have annual maximums and in the US they cover dental implants. I will suggest a few resources below. The savings will be 20%-25% on the low end, and as much as 50%-60% on the high end, depending on the service, the implant service, crown service, etc. As far as your sister, these plans do not have pre-existing condition clauses. Your sister will be able to get savings on the rest of the implant procedure at a discount as well.
--Dental Cool
Resources
Top nationwide plans that cover dental implants
Selection of competing dental discount plans that cover dental implants
Showing posts with label dental implant work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dental implant work. Show all posts
Thursday, December 3
Need Teeth Work. No Dental Insurance. Four Teeth Implants.
Q.:I need teeth work done. Got no insurance now whatsoever. I need two teeth in the back pulled, on each side, total of four. I need these four teeth replaced, again with two teeth implants on each side. These would be four implants on top. My bottom teeth seem fine, none of them are deteriorating.
I have toothaches on and off. Haven't seen a dentist yet but I know they charge at least $50-$100 for an exam, $50-$60 for X-rays, not including cleanings. The extractions would be $150 or more each and I have seen implants advertised at $825 each. I may need general coverage for root canals sometime later but not now. I also have no health insurance at this time. I would have seen the dentist already if it wasn't for the costs involved. What do you suggest?
G. N., Palm Springs, California
A.: G. N., at this time, no dental insurance will help you much. The problem is you are in pain, you need your services right away. Any insurance worth their salt would not insure you because they would lose money if they paid for any major services like root canals or dental implants right away. So you could get started with an insurance plan but it won't help because insurance plans will have long waiting periods and exclusion clauses for major dental work. Most insurances do not cover dental implant work for example.
Not all is lost though. What you can do is sign up for one of the nationwide discount dental plans. As opposed to insurance plans, you can go see a dentist right away, get your services, even the major ones, and get instant savings on all these services. The restriction is that you need to see a participating dentist in order to receive the savings. I will list some of the largest plans of this kind for you. So just pick one that has dentists and specialists in / around your zip code, sign up for the plan and start scheduling your office visit. The selection of dentists should not be a problem in Southern California at all. Good luck!
--Dental Cool
Resources
Nationwide discount dental plans, Site 1
Nationwide discount dental plans, Site 2
I have toothaches on and off. Haven't seen a dentist yet but I know they charge at least $50-$100 for an exam, $50-$60 for X-rays, not including cleanings. The extractions would be $150 or more each and I have seen implants advertised at $825 each. I may need general coverage for root canals sometime later but not now. I also have no health insurance at this time. I would have seen the dentist already if it wasn't for the costs involved. What do you suggest?
G. N., Palm Springs, California
A.: G. N., at this time, no dental insurance will help you much. The problem is you are in pain, you need your services right away. Any insurance worth their salt would not insure you because they would lose money if they paid for any major services like root canals or dental implants right away. So you could get started with an insurance plan but it won't help because insurance plans will have long waiting periods and exclusion clauses for major dental work. Most insurances do not cover dental implant work for example.
Not all is lost though. What you can do is sign up for one of the nationwide discount dental plans. As opposed to insurance plans, you can go see a dentist right away, get your services, even the major ones, and get instant savings on all these services. The restriction is that you need to see a participating dentist in order to receive the savings. I will list some of the largest plans of this kind for you. So just pick one that has dentists and specialists in / around your zip code, sign up for the plan and start scheduling your office visit. The selection of dentists should not be a problem in Southern California at all. Good luck!
--Dental Cool
Resources
Nationwide discount dental plans, Site 1
Nationwide discount dental plans, Site 2
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