Find the Best Dental Plan
with NO Waiting!
Click Here to watch a video tutorial that will teach you how to determine which discount dental plan will best suit your immediate dental care needs. Find the most competitive discounts for:
- Preventive Care
- Fillings
- Crowns, Root Canals
- Perio Scaling
- Dentures
Dental Insurance vs. Discount Dental Plans
to learn more about the differences between
dental insurance and discount dental plans.
Dental Insurance Waiting Period
What Does it Mean? Can It be Avoided?
What is a Dental Insurance Waiting Period?
A dental insurance waiting period is the amount of time, after purchasing a dental insurance policy, that must pass by before dental insurance coverage kicks in for certain dental services. When you purchase a dental insurance plan, there is typically some kind of waiting period for non-preventive services, such as fillings, crowns, root canals and dentures. The dental insurance waiting period protects the insurance company from being taken advantage of. In other words, without waiting periods, dental insurance companies experience a phenomenon called "adverse selection", which occurs when people purchase a dental insurance policy only when it is needed and then drop coverage after the service is completed. Some dental insurance companies will provide credit towards the waiting period, if you can provide proof to them that you have maintained continuous prior dental coverage without any gaps in coverage. For example, Delta Dental of Colorado for individuals and families will give you credit towards waiting periods if you have exhausted COBRA or lost coverage from your previous employer.
If you find a dental insurance plan that does not impose a dental waiting period, you will find that the dental plan usually pays only a fraction of the normal coverage during the first one to two years that the policy is in force. Some dental insurance companies like to advertise that they have no waiting periods, but when it comes to getting major dental work done, they only pay, for example, 10% of the cost of the service during the first year and 20% of the cost during the second year of the policy. These are called "progressive dental plans". By the time you reach the third year of coverage, the "progressive" dental plan will typically pay the maximum amount of coverage for basic and major dental services.
Typically, dental insurance companies impose a waiting period of about 3-6 months for fillings, and 12-24 months for major services such as crowns, root canals and dentures.
The purpose of dental insurance is to encourage you to maintain your teeth with proper preventive care (waiting periods are typically waived for preventive care) while providing you with peace of mind against the high cost of UNFORSEEN dental problems after your dental waiting period has expired.
How to Avoid the Waiting Period
If you have a dental emergency or you are currently in need of major dental work and do not have dental insurance, the purchase of a dental insurance policy is going to be of little value in helping you pay for your existing dental problem. In this situation, we recommend that you consider purchasing a discount dental plan. A discount dental plan will provide you with immediate savings when you use a participating dental provider. To learn more about how to find the best dental plan for yourself or for your family, click here.
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