Your Dental Insurance Plan: Getting Coverage for Braces and Orthodontic Dental Care

/Home/Dental Insurance Issues

Your Dental Insurance Plan: Getting Coverage for Braces and Orthodontic Dental Care
By Bobbie Sage
About.com

Does your dental insurance plan cover orthodontic care such as braces? Many people who currently have dental insurance assume that they have some coverage for orthodontic care but that is not always the case. If your children will soon need braces you will now want to start the search for a good dental insurance plan to help offset the costs of orthodontic care.

Review Your Current Dental Plan Coverages

The first step in starting your search for orthodontic insurance is to review what you have currently. Take a look at your individual or employer sponsored dental insurance plan to see what coverage you have for braces and orthodontic care. If you find you have no or little coverage you can research other dental insurance plans.

Dental Insurance Plan or Dental Discount Plan?

Researching dental plans is not too complicated. First, decide if you want a dental insurance plan or a dental discount plan. With a dental insurance discount plan you will get a certain percentage off your dental visits and orthodontic care. Usually you will have to use certain doctors that accept the discount plan. With a dental insurance plan you would use it as you would health insurance... you would possibly pay a co-pay for some services and maybe a deductible before some services depending on what you choose. You can learn more about dental plans at Choices in Dental Insurance Plans

What Orthodontic Care is Covered?

After you have decided which dental plan you would like, either a dental insurance plan or a dental discount plan, next you will want to research what orthodontic care is covered. Along with researching the orthodontic coverages, you will want to research four more areas of the dental plan: Premiums, Deductibles, Co-pays and Exclusions. Everyone's situation is different so just because you find a dental plan with a low premium, that does not mean it is the best plan for you. Find out more about these four important aspects at The Top 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing A Dental Insurance Plan.

Don't Forget Your Employer and Dental Professionals

As you are doing your research it is important to always check with your employer to see what coverages they offer and you can also check with dental and orthodontic doctor's offices to see if they have any recommendations. Knowing what insurance certain doctors accept is especially important if you would like to go to a specific doctor.