Getting health insurance is always a good idea as it can save you money whenever an emergency strikes. Dental insurance is often not a part of a health care plan and must be purchased separately. Is it worth it? It all depends on how much dental work a person may need in a given year.
The cost of dental insurance is around 360 dollars a year. The cost of insurance can vary depending on the state and other factors. The cost of a common check-up is around 288 dollars, which covers a cleaning and dental x-ray. The recommended time to get dental checkups are every six months. The cost of dental work without any problems is around 576 dollars a year. Dental checkups are considered preventative care. Insurance companies cover the cost of this type of care.
Dental insurance typically covers 50 to 80 percent of minor dental work. Minor dental work covers things like fillings and extractions. The cost of fillings depends on which type of filling a person gets. The price range for a silver filling is 50 to 150 dollars. A tooth-colored filling runs from 90 to 250 dollars. A gold or porcelain filling runs in the price range of 250 to 4,000 dollars. The price for fillings can go up even more if the tooth is hard to reach or impacted.
The teeth extractions vary depending on if the procedure was surgical or non-surgical. A simple non-surgical extraction can cost 75 to 300 dollars. A surgical extraction using anesthesia will cost 150 to 650. Soft tissue and hard to reach surgical extractions cost around 185 to 600 dollars. A wisdom tooth extraction cost around 75 to 200 dollars. Impacted teeth will boost the cost of the extraction up to 600 dollars.
Insurance will cover 50 percent or less for major dental work. Major dental work includes crowns, root canals, bridges, or dentures. The cost of crowns depends on the material used to make them. It cost around 328 dollars for a resin crown, 821 dollars for porcelain, and 776 dollars for a metal crown. The cost of a root canal depends on the difficulty of the procedure. An exposed root cost around 120, and a residual root removal cost around 185 dollars.
The cost of dentures varies depending on the type. A dental bridge of one or two false teeth cost 1,000 t0 3,500 dollars. A three-unit bridge of two crowns and one false tooth cost around 1,500 to 6,000 dollars. A four-unit bridge of two crowns and two false teeth cost 2,000 to 12,000 dollars. Removable partial dentures range from 300 to 4,000 dollars depending on the materials used. Full dentures cost 600 to 8,000 dollars.
Dental implants can cost 1,000 to 3,000 dollars depending on the materials used and other procedures a person might need. An implant with a crown cost 1,500 to 13,000. Two to six implants with a bridge can range up to 30,000 dollars. 4 to 12 implants with a denture plate can cost around 7,000 to 90,000 dollars.
Dental insurance does not cover anything that they consider cosmetic such as teeth whitening and veneers. Dental whitening can cost 300 to 1,000 dollars for in-office treatments and 100 to 500 for bleaching trays. Dental veneers can cost around 500 to 1,300 per tooth.
It is also important to note that dental insurance comes with a coverage limit. If you need a lot of work done, it is easy to go over the coverage limit. A dental implant, for instance, goes over the coverage limit for many plans. But it’s important to contact the dentist first, to ask these questions.
When it comes to dental insurance, some coverage is better than none. The coverage can help if you ever find yourself in a dental emergency. It can also help prompt a person to get a dental cleaning since they are already paying for the insurance.
