Dental Insurance No Waiting Period

Dental Waiting Periods

Waiting periods required by dental insurance plans are usually specific to certain procedures. In other words, you may be able to acquire dental insurance and then turn right around and have a routine dental examination covered by the plan, but you may not be able to have oral surgery quite so quickly and expect the insurer to cover the cost. Waiting periods vary from insurer to insurer, but not every insurer requires a waiting period.

Insurance companies do not want to have applicants purchase a policy with the distinct intention of turning right around and immediately piling up claims. A required waiting period helps avoid this scenario.

Dental Insurance No Waiting Period Through Employer

Dental insurance provided by employers are oftentimes free from waiting periods, but it depends on the insurance company your employer decides to utilize. Check with the Human Resources department at your work to find out the particulars of your coverage.

You want to make sure that your coverage is in effect before scheduling any dental work, especially if you need to have a costly procedure done.

Shop Online

The Internet has a wide variety of insurance companies offering dental insurance no waiting period plans. Here is a brief listing of companies offering quotes online for individual and family coverage without a waiting period:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield offers a dental policy that does not require a waiting period as long as claims come from a dentist within the insurance network.
• Landmark Dental has a waiting period of eighteen months for any major dental work, but no waiting period for routine appointments.
• Spirit Dental has plans designed for individuals, families and groups with no waiting period.

This is a brief listing of insurance companies offering dental plans without any waiting period. Keep in mind that just because an insurer advertises “No Waiting Period” it does not mean that there is not a waiting period for certain procedures. Ask your insurer for clarification if you have any questions.

Alternatives

You may be in a situation where you cannot qualify for immediate coverage, yet you absolutely need to have some dental work done.

Dental Discount Plans

Instead of simply taking on the financial burden all by yourself – or ignoring the problem and allowing it to get worse – you may want to consider looking into purchasing a dental discount plan.

A dental discount plan is not an insurance plan, but instead offers substantial discounts for dental procedures. You might think of this as a perpetual coupon that you use whenever you visit the dentist. Dental discount plans rarely have waiting periods, but you will certainly have some out-of-pocket expense if you need to have a major dental procedure done. This is preferable to paying for the entire procedure yourself, as you would have to if you had coverage that was still within the waiting period.

Cash Payment

If your waiting period prohibits you from using your insurance to pay for certain procedures, but you have no choice but to go ahead with a procedure, consider talking with your dentist about giving you a discount for paying in cash. If you cannot afford to pay for the procedure in full, ask about payment plan options. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your dentist is more than willing to work with your financial situation.

Read the Fine Print

Before purchasing a dental insurance policy, be sure to make sure to know the length of any required waiting period. If the insurer claims to not have a waiting period for a policy, ensure this applies to all dental procedures and not just routine examinations.