When you first get dental insurance, you may be eager to use it. However, you might hit an unexpected obstacle: waiting periods. Waiting periods are a common feature of PPO plans, but what exactly are they, and how do they work? This blog post explains what you should know and how you can successfully navigate your benefits despite any waiting periods.
What Are Dental Insurance Waiting Periods?
Simply put, a dental insurance waiting period is a specified period of time that you must hold your policy before you can use certain benefits.
In most cases, basic preventive services, such as checkups and cleanings, are exempt from any waiting periods. Therefore, you can feel free to schedule a routine visit with your dentist as soon as your policy is active.
Restorative services, on the other hand, usually do have waiting periods. Often, this period is 6 months for basic services (like fillings) and 12 months for more complex care.
Why Do Insurance Companies Enforce Waiting Periods?
Waiting periods can feel like a bummer, but insurance companies have good reason to enforce them. Time restrictions on treatments prevent people from buying a policy, getting the needed dental work, and then immediately cancelling their benefits. If too many people did that, the insurance company would lose a lot of money and might not be able to continue helping people afford care.
Waiting periods also encourage patients to keep up with preventive care, which can reduce costs for both the insurance company and patients.
Navigating a Policy with Waiting Periods
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you use your dental insurance, even if it has waiting periods:
- Your waiting periods might be waived if you recently switched from another dental insurance plan that you held for 12 months or longer.
- Ask your dentist if you can reasonably wait until your insurance kicks in to undergo necessary procedures. If they advise against delays, you should move forward with treatment right away.
- If you get treatment before your waiting periods are complete, you may be eligible for other options to help you afford care. For example, most patients qualify for low-interest financing.
Dental insurance waiting periods can feel complicated! If you need help understanding the stipulations of your plan, talk to your insurance company or your dental team.
Meet the Practice
At North Dallas Cosmetic Dentistry, we always make the oral health and overall wellness of our patients our top priority, regardless of insurance restrictions. Therefore, although we are happy to help you submit claims so your insurance company can reimburse you, we are not in-network with any plans. To learn more about how you can use your benefits in our practice, or to ask questions about other financial provisions, contact our office at 972-233-1311.
