{"id":256,"date":"2020-10-18T21:53:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T21:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/?p=256"},"modified":"2020-11-18T21:54:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T21:54:54","slug":"dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental Insurance 101: 4 Things You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343.jpg\" alt=\"a stack of money with dental instruments laying on top of it\" class=\"wp-image-257\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re like most patients, understanding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/new-patients.html\">dental insurance<\/a> can\nlead to countless headaches and overwhelming concern. How much will my insurer\npay? Am I covered for a root canal? Will I go over my annual maximum if I\nundergo a tooth extraction right now? These questions are commonly asked by\nindividuals just like you \u2013 people who want to improve their oral health but\nare unsure how much it will cost. To help you better understand how dental\ninsurance works, a dentist in Odessa shares a few tips that will hopefully make\nyou more comfortable when making decisions about upcoming treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nYour Benefits Do Not Rollover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All dental insurance policies are designed to last a set\nlength of time. In most cases, it is based on one single calendar year. When\nenrolling, your plan will likely be good from January to December, but\nremember, not all work the same way, so you\u2019ll need to check with your provider\nto determine your actual effective and end dates. The reason these two dates\nare so important is that your benefits will not roll over at the end of each\nbenefit period. This is why you will likely receive a notification from your\ndentist\u2019s office about using your benefits sooner rather than later. With less\nthan 3% of the population meeting or exceeding their annual maximum, billions\nof dollars are returned to insurance companies at the end of these benefit\nperiods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your dental team can help you maximize your plan, so you\ndon\u2019t lose valuable money along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nPPO Plans Allow You to Pick Your Provider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a PPO dental insurance plan, you have the\nfreedom to choose who you want to see for your oral healthcare. Because PPO\nstands for \u201cPreferred Provider Organization,\u201d you can select which dentist you\nwant to see. Should you discover two dental professionals meet all your\ncriteria, it is best if you look at your plan and determine if one is\nin-network and one is out of network. If you go with the former, you can expect\nto save more money each time you visit. Out-of-network providers can continue\nto offer high-quality service, but you will be responsible for paying more for\nthe services you receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do not want your dental insurance company dictating\nwho you see for maintaining and improving your smile, make sure to opt for a\nPPO plan. By definition, PPO stands for \u201cPreferred Provider Organization,\u201d which\nmeans you get to choose who you want to see for necessary dental care. Of\ncourse, if you are struggling to choose between two providers, you may wish to\nreview the differences in coverage. Is one in-network and one out-of-network?\nIf so, you\u2019ll need to determine if which is more important \u2013 cost or quality? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nDental Insurance Offers Various Levels of\nCoverage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on the type of plan you have, your level of\ncoverage might look different from a friend or colleague\u2019s policy. Typically,\nmost dental insurance plans provide a 100-80-50 structure. This means you\nreceive 100% coverage for preventive services (i.e. dental checkups and\ncleanings, X-rays), 80% coverage for minor restorative services (i.e. dental\nfillings), and 50% coverage for major restorative services (i.e. tooth\nextraction, root canal). This breakdown will be included when comparing\npolicies, so you\u2019ll want to make sure you are comfortable with the amount you\nwill be responsible for once a claim is filed and paid for by insurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will also find each plan offers an annual maximum, which\nis the allotted amount provided to you by your insurance company. If you have a\ncap of $1,500, any expenses that occur after going over that particular amount\nare your responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\nYou Can Still Receive Coverage Even if You\u2019re\nOut of Network<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike medical insurance that can sometimes mean out of\ncoverage if you are seeing an out of network provider, dental insurance doesn\u2019t\nwork that way. Just because you choose someone who is not in partnership with\nyour insurer does not mean you cannot receive coverage. No matter if you need a\ngeneral checkup and cleaning or a root canal, you can still be covered by your\ninsurance company; however, they may just pay significantly less than if you\nwere seeing a dentist who is in-network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By keeping these tips in mind, you can rest easy knowing you\nare in better shape to make more confident decisions about your dental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author<br>\n<\/strong>Dr. Steve Cobb is a United States military veteran who served as a Captain\nin the U.S. Air Force and completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from\nTexas A&amp;M School of Dentistry. With more than 36 years of experience\nworking in dentistry, he has been helping the residents of Odessa and its\nsurrounding communities ever since. He now leads a team of professionals who\nremain committed to helping patients improve their smiles while also saving the\nmost money with their dental insurance. Whether it is better understanding the\ncost of treatment or filing necessary paperwork on their behalf, Dr. Cobb and\nhis team believe all patients should feel confident when making the right\nfinancial decisions about their oral health. To find out how we can help you,\ncall (<strong>432) 367-4774 <\/strong>or visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re like most patients, understanding dental insurance can lead to countless headaches and overwhelming concern. How much will my insurer pay? Am I covered for a root canal? Will I go over my annual maximum if I undergo a tooth extraction right now? These questions are commonly asked by individuals just like you \u2013 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dental Insurance | 4 Things to Know | Dr. Steve Cobb<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unsure how to use your dental insurance? Let a dentist explain a few of the basics, so you can feel better prepared when seeking treatment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dental Insurance | 4 Things to Know | Dr. Steve Cobb\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unsure how to use your dental insurance? Let a dentist explain a few of the basics, so you can feel better prepared when seeking treatment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Steve Cobb Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-18T21:53:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-18T21:54:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"dr_cobb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dr_cobb\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Insurance | 4 Things to Know | Dr. Steve Cobb\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/dental-insurance-and-ways-to-better-understand-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AdobeStock_229293211__1605382500_19343.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-18T21:53:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-18T21:54:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stevewcobbdds.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/11b70e66709374fe35e88151c4f56366\"},\"description\":\"Unsure how to use your dental insurance? 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