Is Cosmetic Dentistry Covered by Dental Plans?

is cosmetic dentistry covered by dental plans?

Cosmetic dentistry in Edmonton entails any dental procedure that is primarily concerned with enhancing and improving the appearance of your smile. At Manchester Dental, we are happy to provide our patients with options for cosmetic dentistry treatments.

Often, we get asked if these procedures are covered by dental insurance. While dental procedures are not covered by public healthcare, certain procedures are covered by private-pay insurance plans. In this blog post, we tell you all you need to know about insurance coverage for cosmetic dental procedures.

What Kinds of Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments Are Available?

With advances in modern technology and dental techniques, our dentist in Edmonton can provide a plethora of cosmetic dental procedures to patients. Some of these procedures include:

  • Dental veneers
  • Dental crowns
  • Teeth whitening
  • Dental implants

Sometimes, you can speak to a dentist near you about getting a complete smile makeover, which may include multiple cosmetic dentistry procedures used together to provide you with a healthy and radiant smile.

Are All Cosmetic Procedures Covered?

In most cases, private-pay dental health plans are focused on helping you afford restorative and preventative dental health procedures because these benefit your long-term health and well-being.

Since procedures involved with cosmetic dentistry near you are almost entirely cosmetic in nature, these procedures are not considered essential to your long-term oral health. Typically, these procedures are considered elective procedures, and due to this, most insurance plans will not cover them.

However, some cosmetic dental procedures can have added benefits to your overall oral health and can also be considered preventative or restorative in nature. Your dental plan may elect to cover a portion of the procedure in these cases.

For example, dental implants, which work to replace your missing teeth, are not often covered by insurance because they are not thought to enhance your oral health significantly. However, extracting a damaged tooth does impact your oral health, and that portion of the entire dental implant procedure is often covered.

How Do I Determine Which Cosmetic Dental Procedures Are Covered?

As mentioned above, a good rule of thumb when it comes to understanding if your cosmetic procedure is covered is to see if the procedure provides any restorative or preventative benefits on top of the cosmetic benefits. If it does, it is possible that your dental plan may cover a portion of the cost.

At Manchester Dental, our team is happy to work with you to help you maximize your dental plan and keep your out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum when it comes to cosmetic dentistry procedures.

Once you visit our dental clinic looking for specific cosmetic dentistry treatments, our team will first provide you with a comprehensive oral examination to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. If it is determined that the procedure is right for you, our experienced and friendly front desk staff will work with your insurance provider on your behalf. They can ask your provider for a pre-determination, which will provide you with a fairly accurate estimate of the costs that your company will cover.

If you are struggling to pay for your treatment and insurance will not help you, please don’t hesitate to chat with our team about your options for financing and payment plans. We are happy to help you come up with a plan so you can get the smile of your dreams.