Dental Insurance Articles
How Pre-Existing Conditions Can Affect Dental Insurance Quotes
2010-08-10
Just hearing the words "pre-existing conditions" can strike trepidation into the hearts of seekers of dental insurance quotes everywhere. The idea that one must enter into an agreement with a new dental insurance quotes provider with a perfect record - aka a perfect mouth - makes the concept of finding a quality dental insurance plan feel impossible. The good news is that, for dental insurance quote purposes at least, the term pre-existing condition doesn't translate in a strict literal fashion. The American Dental Association reports that dental plans are not designed to cover the entire cost of dental services, but rather to partner with the insured to bear an equal or greater portion of the costs for obtaining services. Typical dental insurance plans will cover between fifty and eighty percent of costs, but not the full amount.
So, when it comes to evaluating what constitutes a pre-existing condition in the world of dental insurance quotes, the comparison is not apples to apples with comprehensive health coverage plans. Teeth that may in the future need dental procedures such as fillings, root canals, bridges, or other common dental procedures are not considered pre-existing conditions. However, replacement of a tooth that was previously extracted and crowned by a prior dental care provider would be considered a pre-existing condition. In layman's terms, a dental health insurance quote is designed to cover new rather than repair procedures. Correcting another dentist's work would thus be considered a pre-existing condition, as would replacement of a prior procedure such as a denture or a crown before a customary amount of time had elapsed.
Often, pre-existing conditions translate more accurately into a certain wait period that must elapse before full coverage is provided for a dental insurance plan. So for instance, one common offering is to extend to the insured six initial months of preventative care benefits only, and after that six month period has elapsed, full coverage for additional dental care needs will be extended. Additionally, it is important to understand that some dental procedures, most notably cosmetic and elective procedures such as sealants, caps, whitening, and other such smile enhancing procedures, will virtually never be covered by dental insurance quotes.
It is critical to understand what a dental insurance quote does and does not cover prior to making a decision, and to ask any questions of the insurance agent regarding how the individual provider views pre-existing conditions and disbursing dental benefits, handling claims, and what to expect when receiving reimbursable dental care. Doing some extra research up front and comparing a variety of dental insurance quotes will yield a much more satisfactory experience once a dental insurance plan is chosen.