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Dental Insurance

Surprisingly, only 30-40% of our patients have dental insurance. Our treatment coordinator will assist you in obtaining the maximum benefits allowed under your dental plan. Unlike medical insurance, dental insurance was designed only to help defray the cost of care, not to provide comprehensive coverage. Most plans have a yearly maximum of $1,000-$1,500. This limit has changed minimally over the last 20 years. If this limit had kept up with inflation or your premiums, it would be over $5,000 today! Your employer does not tell you that your dental benefits are being reduced every year since the maximum does not keep up with inflation.

There are hundreds of different insurance companies and it is impossible to know in advance what your benefits will be. Dealing with these companies can be difficult and time consuming. It may be helpful for you to contact your insurance company to inquire about your yearly maximum and how much of that remains. We encourage you to bring your benefits book to your first appointment so we can better assist you in understanding your coverage.

As a courtesy, we will complete all of your insurance forms in a timely manner and submit them electronically to speed the process. However, we do not have a relationship with your insurance company and it is the patient who is responsible for finances.

Please, keep us informed of any change to your insurance. It is important that all information about you and your insurance be current so that you can be reimbursed in a timely manner.

Before we begin any treatment, Dr. Cataldo or the staff will provide you with an estimate of the necessary therapy to treat your disease. While most patients prefer to schedule regardless of insurance coverage, we will, if you request, submit an estimate of treatment to your carrier electronically before scheduling treatment. They will then provide what portion of the fee they will cover if there are available funds. Unfortunately, it could take four to six weeks to receive an answer, which could result in a worsening of your disease. Insurance companies are notorious for not receiving your claims or other delaying tactics which can delay necessary treatment.

Finally, most treatment is time sensitive. This means that once started, treatment needs to be completed in a relatively short time to prevent untreated areas from re-infecting treated areas. Delaying treatment until the next calendar year can result in a poor treatment outcome.