Dental insurance: what it covers, how much it costs and how to use it according to Profeco

Protecting dental health through insurance not only allows you to keep your teeth in perfect condition, but also to have healthy personal finances. Here are the recommendations of the Profeco.

Having dental insurance can protect you against a wide variety of conditions ranging from tooth decay to oral cancer. The Federal Consumer Attorney’s Office (Profeco) issued a series of recommendations to choose the best option for this financial service.

What treatments does dental insurance cover?

Dental insurance is useful to prevent and restore the most common ailments such as: endodontics, caries treatment, tooth extraction, resins and crowns. But, depending on the coverage of each insurance, they may include more specialized treatments.

According to Profeco, the most elementary insurances must cover, in general, the following services:

• Diagnosis: consultation with a dentist to determine the dental status of the insured.
• Prevention: Procedures necessary to prevent dental diseases.
• Basic restorative services: Amalgam and resin treatments as a result of carious lesions.
• Minor surgical procedures.
• endodontic services
• Periodontics: Care for the treatment of diseases of the gums and bone structures.

What treatments are not covered by dental insurance?

• Treatments for congenital bone malformations
• Treatments to replace loss of tooth structure due to wear, abrasion or erosion
• Treatments, surgical interventions or materials performed primarily for aesthetic reasons
• Preventive control programs for dental-bacterial plaque
• Implants and related services (materials implanted in and on bone or soft tissue)
• Orthodontic services (treatments to correct malpositioned teeth or jaws)

How much does dental insurance cost?

According to the January Consumer Magazine, published by Profeco, there are family and individual plans.

But, in any case, the important thing is to know the annual premium of a basic dental insurance. To exemplify, Profeco obtained the prices of an individual policy for a person over 18 years of age.

Recommendations for contracting dental insurance, according to Profeco

• Before hiring, get very good advice about the plans and features
• Read the general conditions, mainly those related to exclusions and coinsurance
• Do not forget the dates of payment of the premiums, since the lack of punctual payment can cause the cancellation of the insurance and the protection it offers
• Determine your income and how much you could allocate for its payment
• Verify that all the information that appears in the contract is correct: name, age, coverage and amount of the premium
• For more information go to an insurance agent or contact the company

Learn more about dental insurance

Dental insurance protects you from unexpected dental expenses and makes routine checkups, cleanings and other treatments needed to maintain your oral health more affordable.

Main differences between other competitive dental insurance plans:

• Coverage level
• Percentage of the cost of treatment that must be pay by an insured.
• Payment of the premium to be paid by the insured during the term of the policy.
• The insurance premium will be higher depending on the procedures that are covered and the lower the amount to be paid by the insured, specified in the copays.
• The insured can access a wide and qualified network of dentists, regardless of the dental plan they have contracted.

Preventive care can reduce costs

Regular preventative care, early diagnosis, and treatment are helpful in avoiding dental infections that can cost you big.

More complex procedures, such as root canals, crowns, bridges or periodontal treatments can establish that the patient covers up to 50% copay. The costs of these treatments may be higher compare to other basic services; many times they cost more than $2,000 pesos. No matter what type of dental plan you have, you can avoid the costs and hassles of more complex dental procedures and advanced dental disease by getting regular checkups and incorporating good oral hygiene habits into your daily life.

.