Are Dental Implants Covered By Insurance and Other Dental Insurance Questions

If you have missing or damaged teeth that need to be replaced, it can be overwhelming to find the perfect dental solution for your needs, and it can be even more difficult to find a solution that fits your budget or is covered by your insurance. Building a better understanding of dental insurance and what it covers can help you determine which services may or may not be covered by your dental insurance plan. 

Dental insurance is a form of insurance that covers certain forms of dental care that are medically necessary to help prevent or treat issues with oral health. Dental insurance plans typically cover certain types of dental care at no cost to you, but you may need to cover the full cost of certain procedures on your own if your plan has a deductible that has not yet been met. 

You should always read the summary of your specific plan to get a better understanding of what your insurance does and does not cover, and you should contact your provider if you have uncertainties regarding this. 

The good news? If dental implants still seem too costly, Stabili-Teeth™ is a same-day, lower cost, stable solution to missing teeth. Learn more about our pricing that can’t be beat here!

Medical vs. Cosmetic Dentistry

Most dental insurance plans cover procedures that are medically necessary, but only some plans offer any coverage for cosmetic dentistry procedures. Medically necessary procedures are those that, if not performed, could be detrimental to your oral health and wellbeing in some way. Cavity fillings, fluoride treatments, and root canals are examples of necessary dental procedures. 

On the other hand, cosmetic dentistry includes dental procedures that serve to improve the appearance or aesthetics of your teeth, and are not medically necessary. For example, if you have crooked, chipped, stained, or misaligned teeth, cosmetic dentistry can help resolve these issues so that you can be more confident in your smile. Cosmetic dentistry can help improve tooth color, shape and size of teeth, jaw alignment, gum line, and the overall appearance of your smile.

If you are considering dental implants for the sole purpose of improving the way your smile looks, you may want to consult your dentist or your insurance provider to determine whether or not the procedure would be covered. 

Generally, cosmetic procedures are at your own cost, but this may not always be the case. Some insurance plans may not cover conventional implants even when they are not for cosmetic purposes, and it is always best to get that information directly from your provider so that you know what to expect. 

How To Find Out What Your Insurance Will Cover

While some plans cover dental implants, others do not, and this can make it tricky to know whether or not your plan has you covered. 

When considering dental implants, make sure to talk to your surgeon about the extent of the procedure. 

For example, some implant procedures require tooth extractions, bone grafting, and anesthesia, and all of these factors can increase the price of an implant procedure, thus potentially increasing the amount of money you may need to pay out of pocket. Once you have this information, you should contact your insurance provider.

If you determine that your dental insurance plan does cover dental implant procedures, make sure to review your plan’s annual limit. 

Depending on the annual limit, you may or may not need to pay for some additional costs out of pocket if your procedure will extend past this limit. Additionally, dental implants themselves are only the small metal posts that are placed into your jaw. The final replacement teeth, known as abutment teeth, are then attached to these posts, and not all plans cover these, so you should again check with your provider for clarification on this specific issue. 

Tooth Replacement as Medically Necessary

It is more likely that your insurance plan will cover dental implants if you are seeking the implants as a result of missing teeth that are causing other health problems. 

If you have missing teeth, it is important to have this addressed by a dentist, as there are some health concerns that can arise from missing teeth. Not only will missing teeth change the appearance of your smile, but it can also cause the skin around your mouth to sag due to the fact that when there are missing teeth, this skin is no longer being supported properly. 

Missing teeth can also make it difficult to chew properly, and can lead to more stress being placed on your remaining teeth, which can increase the risk of breaks and fractures. 

Even more, over time, missing teeth can increase your risk of experiencing jawbone deterioration because the root of your tooth is missing, too. 

All of these factors can make missing tooth replacement medically necessary, and dental implants may be covered for this reason. 

Dental Implant Pricing & Your Same Day, Lower Cost Solution with Stabili-Teeth™

Stabili-Teeth™ was created as an alternative to the traditional dentures and fixed detachables like Clear Choice or All-on-Four. Although dentures have their downfalls, they have been proven to only marginally work, and while fixed detachables work great, the cost remains very high. 

Stabili-Teeth™ builds off of the concepts that have been successful and improves upon the aspects of a denture that have failed in the past.

Conventional dental implants, while largely effective, can be extremely expensive and generally cost several thousand dollars per tooth. 

On average, one single implant costs about $4,800, meaning that if you need multiple teeth replaced, the costs can add up quickly. This also means that if your insurance plan has a lower annual limit, you may be more likely to exceed this limit, meaning you will have to pay more out of pocket. 

Even more, many people need to undergo a bone grafting procedure before getting implants in order to add onto their natural jawbone. This is done to ensure that there is sufficient bone to support implants so that the procedure is successful, and bone grafting procedures may come at an extra cost to you. 

Many factors can influence the cost of dental implants for you, including the location of the teeth you are replacing, the condition of your oral health overall, your location, and whether other additional procedures are necessary.

If conventional dental implants are discouraging you from getting your missing teeth replaced due to costs or other factors, Stabili-Teeth™ may have the solution with amazing same-day results at more affordable prices. 

While conventional implants can cost up to $5,000 for one tooth alone, Stabili-Teeth™ comes at an all-inclusive price of $12,500 for one full arch or $21,500 for full-mouth restoration, and it also comes with a 5 year warranty as well as a free clinical exam and cleaning every 3 months for the first year following your procedure. These prices include tooth extraction, bone grafting, and sedation, so there will be no surprise out-of-pocket costs. 
Stabili-Teeth™ uses a unique combination of conventional and narrow diameter implants, making for a less invasive surgery that still gets you the smile of your dreams. With Stabili-Teeth™, you leave the office on your day of surgery with a full set of stabilized, provisional teeth, and then the final prosthesis will be installed once your mouth has finished healing. Even once your final prosthesis has been installed, you still get to keep the provisional set of teeth as a backup option, and this ensures that you will never be left without functional teeth.

If you are ready to get your life back and enjoy the smile you have always dreamed of, you can get started with Stabili-Teeth™ today by filling out our free online form. Missing or damaged teeth can be a hassle, but Stabili-Teeth™ makes it easy to bring joy back into your life.

The Bottom Line

If you are interested in getting dental implants placed, it can be tough to figure out whether or not the procedure will be covered by your dental insurance. Dental insurance typically covers a variety of dental procedures that are deemed medically necessary, like those that are performed to help prevent or treat issues with oral health, but cosmetic dentistry procedures may not always be covered. 

If your dental implants are for the purposes of replacing missing teeth, your insurance may cover this, as missing teeth have been linked to a variety of issues with oral health, including jawbone deterioration.

However, if you are pursuing dental implants in order to solely improve the appearance of your smile, your insurance may not cover this. You should always directly check with your provider when you have uncertainties.

It is important to be mindful of the fact that many dental insurance plans have annual limits, and if your procedure will exceed the annual limit, you should expect to end up paying additional costs out of pocket. 

If conventional dental implants are out of your budget, Stabili-Teeth™ has the solution with amazing same-day results at more affordable rates.

Sources:

What is dental insurance? | healthinsurance.org

Cosmetic Dentistry: Costs for Whitening, Veneers and More | Dentaly

Does Insurance Cover Dental Implants? | AAOMS

What are the consequences of missing teeth? | American Academy of Periodontology

Dental implants cost from $3,500 up to $28,000 | Authority Dental