No question about it – insurance plans can be confusing for everyone. Not only does your provider have to accept your insurance, your insurance plan needs to cover your provider! And you also have to keep in mind that not every insurance plan will pay for every procedure, regardless of whether or not you and your dentist agree that it is necessary!
Before you arrive at our office or you decide on an important procedure, you need to know more about your insurance coverage. Here’s a quick guide to checking your dental insurance in Bangor and making sure your appointment and your treatment go smoothly.
How to Check Your Dental Insurance Benefits
Step One – Check our Payment Options page on this website to see if your insurance plan is listed among those we accept. Fortunately, we accept a wide range of insurance plans, so there’s a good chance yours is probably on that list. If you don’t see yours, call us and ask about it. It could be a smaller plan under the umbrella of a larger plan (which we probably accept) or we could have recently started accepting the plan and simply haven’t had a chance to update our list yet!
Step Two – Make sure your insurance plan will pay for services received at our office. Depending on your individual plan, you may be rewarded or penalized financially for seeing certain practitioners. The best way to do this is to check the insurance plan’s website or call the number on the back of your card.
Step Three – Find out if the treatment you need is covered by your plan. Do you know you need a crown? Are you just seeking a preventive cleaning and exam right now? This information can probably be found in the booklet provided by your insurance company. If you no longer have this, you might be able to get a copy from your HR department (if your insurance is through your employer) or by calling the customer service line for your insurance plan. You want to know:
a) Is the procedure covered?
b) What percentage of the payment are you responsible for?
c) What are the limitations on this coverage? (For instance, will the insurance only pay for amalgam fillings or metal crowns? Will they only pay for one cleaning per year?)
Need help understanding your dental benefits?
We know this can be a lot to keep track of. Please don’t feel overwhelmed. We are more than happy to help you find out this information and determine your out-of-pocket costs for your treatment. If you are concerned about the amount of your out-of-pocket costs, please talk to us. We accept financing through CareCredit, which can help make your treatment more affordable. Ultimately, who do you want making the decisions about your dental care – you and your dentist… or the insurance company?
Don’t hesitate to call our office and talk to us about your dental insurance in Bangor, ME!
