If you have recently signed up for dental insurance, you may notice that your plan has a waiting period. Understanding what services are covered right away and what services you must pay for entirely out of pocket can help you make informed decisions about getting necessary work done.

What Is a Waiting Period?

As its name suggests, a dental insurance waiting period is the amount of time that must pass before your policy pays out for certain services. Depending on your plan, the waiting period may be as short as six months or it may extend to a full year or more.

Why Does Your Dental Policy Have a Waiting Period?

Dental insurance waiting periods are put in place to control costs. By imposing waiting periods, dental insurers can ensure that customers are not signing up for policies only when they need expensive procedures and then dropping their coverage as soon as the work is done. Without waiting periods, your monthly premiums would be significantly higher.

Are Any Dental Services Covered During the Waiting Period?

Because the waiting period is in place primarily to make sure that individuals do not wait until they need expensive services to sign up for dental insurance, some services may be covered right away. Preventative care, including x-rays, exams, cleanings, and fluoride treatments, are typically covered without a waiting period.

If you need certain treatments, such as non-surgical extractions or fillings, you may need to wait between three and six months if you want your policy to cover the service. Major dental work such as dentures, bridges and crowns may not be covered until you have had your policy for a full year. You must look at the policy documentation to determine your waiting periods for each procedure.​

Networks

Getting an HMO or PPO Dental plan matters. However, it’s always best to make sure your dentist is currently contracted with your dental plan. Do not ask your dentist if they “take the plan”. You may get a yes answer, when in fact, your dentist takes any insurance, but leaves out the fact that they are not contracted, leaving you with a higher dental bill. MUCH higher.

Waiving the Waiting Period

In some cases, you may have the option of waiving your dental plan’s waiting period. If you lose dental insurance that you had through an employer but sign up for a private plan under the same insurance company, the insurer may waive the waiting period. Alternately, if you are switching from one plan to another without a break in coverage, your new insurance company may choose to waive the waiting period. Ask before enrolling.

Finding Dental Coverage with Nevada Insurance Enrollment

As you are researching your dental insurance options, whether you have a waiting period is just one factor to consider. It is also important to consider a plan’s out-of-pocket costs, including the monthly premium, any deductibles, the portion of the cost you pay when you get a service and the annual maximum amount your plan pays out for services.

Finding dental insurance that meets your needs also requires that you understand your plan type and know whether you must receive care from a network provider to have services covered.

Shopping for dental insurance can be confusing. Through Nevada Insurance Enrollment, you can get one-on-one help from experienced health insurance agents who specialize in comparing policies and finding the best policies for clients’ needs and budgets.