Can You Count on Dental Insurance in an Emergency?

When faced with a dental emergency (like a severe toothache or knocked-out tooth), a lot of people don’t worry about their physical health, but rather their financial health. There are so many questions, “Will my dental insurance help pay for this? What all is covered? What will this cost me out of pocket?”

Knowing the answers to these can help make a stressful situation a little easier and more transparent, and that’s exactly what you’ll find below.

Dental Insurance & Emergencies

While every dental insurance plan is different based on the provider and specific policy, in general, most dental insurance will cover at least one emergency exam each year.

This is in addition to the two standard checkups you receive so you avoid issues like cavities, gum disease, and other common problems.

An emergency exam will typically include your dentist taking a close look at your teeth and capturing diagnostic images. That way, they can determine the underlying cause and scope of your issue, which will help guide treatment.

Just the Exam?

Thankfully, most treatments used for dental emergencies are at least partially covered by dental insurance, including fillings, crowns, root canal treatment, and various types of tooth replacement.

With that in mind, it’s standard for dental insurance to NOT cover cosmetic treatments like veneers and whitening because they are classified as “elective” procedures.

What Will I Owe?

While the exam itself will probably be fully covered, insurance may pay for 50-80% of restorative procedures depending on the details of your plan.

You can breathe easy because you won’t have to figure all of this out on your own. After reading over your plan, you can always call your insurance provider to get answers to more specific questions.

Or, if you’re literally in the middle of a dental emergency and sitting in your dentist’s office, their team will quickly go over your benefits and give you an estimate of your out-of-pocket costs before you’re asked to commit to treatment. That way you have all the information you need to decide what is best for you.

It’s Going to Be OK!

Yes, you can count on your dental insurance if you’re dealing with an emergency, so if any tooth-related pain or trauma pops up in your future, you now have one less thing to worry about.

About the Practice

Dr. Rasheed Zahawi and Dr. Yaritza Vazquez are your expert dentists at Harris Parkway Dental Care. You can count on them if you ever find yourself dealing with a dental emergency, as they have years of experience and accept same-day appointments. Our team are also experts at navigating dental insurance to help our patients always make the most of their benefits.

If you or a loved one is in pain, there’s no need to wait—call 817-423-2223 to start getting the relief you deserve.