At our dental centre, 90% of the patients seeking dental care have some type of Dental Insurance - or dental assistance, as it should be called. This is a wonderful thing to have. Unlike medical insurance, dental insurance is designed to pay only a portion of the cost of dental treatment. Some companies pay fixed allowances for certain procedures, while others pay a percentage of the charge, but no dental insurance attempts to cover all typed of dental care at 100%.

Your employer has made this coverage available to you, and the type of benefit you receive depends upon what type of contract was chosen with the insurance company. A dental plan is nothing more than a contract between the employer and the insurance to partially pay for certain services. There are deductible and some procedures are paid on a percentage basis, while others may not be covered at all. Your employer buys a contract at a specific premium and included as many or as few benefits as the employer is willing to pay for. It is a well-known fact within the industry that a higher premium paid by the employer will get you, the patient, a more comprehensive coverage. We are an uninvolved third party to this contract but we will gladly assist you in filling out and submitting the insurance claims as a courtesy to you.

Some insurance companies do not upgrade fee schedules regularly, even with the cost of living index. It is not uncommon, especially if you are having quality dental treatment with modern bonding materials and restorations, for these procedures not to be covered at all or to be down coded to fees equivalent to older techniques such as silver fillings. Instead of covering these procedures some insurance companies are telling their customers that they "fees are above the usually and customary fees." What they should say in their statements are "Our benefits are low and we will only pay for the lower quality procedures".

Dental insurance is offered to reduce the cost of dental care, not to eliminate it. Your dental team will work with you to maximize your insurance benefits, but dental care should not be dictated by what your dental insurance will or will not cover. With modern material and techniques, the standard of care is changing for the better.

The relationship between you and your dentist is what you will prevail. Your dentist, Dr. Sheldon Little wants what is best for you and will explain to you the difference between one procedure and another. It should be your choice, based on the facts that are presented that lead to your treatment.