Are dental sealants covered by dental insurance companies?
As a way of helping to make you aware of the benefits of this procedure, you might be interested to learn that many dental insurance policies do cover tooth sealants. Insurance companies rely on their "bean counters" to statistically determine what their projected claims costs will be. Since dental sealants are an effective means by which to reduce tooth decay, and therefore the need for fillings, dental insurance companies realize that if they do provide coverage for dental sealants it will save them money in the long run.
If you are covered by a dental insurance policy which does provide coverage for dental sealants you still must examine the policy. Some policies will only provide for this procedure for certain teeth, and only when the patient falls within a certain age group.
The cost of maintaining dental sealants.
Once a dental sealant has been placed it is possible that a part, or even all, of the sealant will break off or dislodge. Dental sealants can only be relied upon to provide protection when they are fully intact. For your own information, you might ask your dentist what their policy is regarding the cost of replacing or repairing a tooth sealant. Many dental insurance companies will only provide benefits for sealing teeth once every three years.
The cost of sealing several teeth might be prohibitive, especially if you have several children.
You might find that the cost of placing dental sealants on all of the teeth your dentist has recommended to be a financial obstacle. If so, there can often be some compromise in the way this treatment is approached.
Dentists usually have a feel for which teeth have the most pressing need for the protection that sealants provide. The presence of stain in the grooves of a tooth, the way the tooth's surface feels to the dentist's during examination, or the presence heavy plaque accumulation on the tooth's surface can each be tipoffs. Explain to your dentist that finances are a concern and ask them if it might be appropriate to seal some teeth now and seal the remainder later.
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Tooth Sealants
