Dental Vision

Oftentimes, a benefits package will offer you dentist insurance and a dental vision program, which is combining dental and vision benefits. Sometimes, employers will offer a benefits package to their employees, but they’ll leave out the dental vision. In those cases, the employees either have to find their own insurance providers for their dental vision or they have to go without, which is never a wise decision. What services each dental vision plan covers and how much they’ll pay for each service varies depending on the package. For example, preventative services like exams, X-rays, fillings, and intermediate basic services like fillings, periodontal sealings, tooth extraction, and sometimes even root canal are paid for 100%, depending on what plan you invest in. Major services like getting crowns, dentures, bridge pontics, inlays, and orthodontic procedures might only be 50%-60% covered also depending upon your dental vision plan.

Of course vision benefits come along with a dental vision plan. For instance, such vision care benefits as for eye examinations, eye dilation, frames and lenses, or contact lenses may be included. Sometimes, eye examinations will go up to a maximum benefit of $30, eye dilation up to $8, and a combination of ophthalmic lenses, frames, or contact lenses can go up to $100. Also, if you lose or break your glasses, you usually have to pay for a new pair from out of your own pocket.

Along with a dental vision package, whether these benefits are provided by the group insurance plan provided by your employer or are part of the individual insurance plan you purchased for yourself, there are normally discounts given for some of the costs. Again, this varies from dental vision plan to dental vision plan.

Occasionally, a dental vision plan will be a Dental Vision Plus Plan or A Dental Plus Plan and include other such benefits such as prescription drugs and chiropractic treatment. Dental vision, chiropractic treatment, and prescription drugs all fall under the heading of supplemental benefits, or benefits that are not always included in a benefits package offered by an employer.

Once more, what dental vision plans will cover with prescription drugs and chiropractic treatment vary if the dental vision plan covers them at all. Keep in mind that with prescription drugs some discounts are only available at participating pharmacies. And you may not receive a saving on certain high-volume or maintenance-type drugs since these medications may already have been reduced at the pharmacy level. However, some prescription drugs are available via a mail order program. Many major national chain pharmacies like CVS, Wal-Mart, Target, and Walgreens will participate in most supplemental dental vision plans that include prescription drugs.

Examples of what may be covered to an extent out of the available chiropractic services include: diagnostic services, x-rays, and treatments. What will be covered and to what extent, as always, depends on the dental vision plan.

If your benefits package from your job does not include dental vision or you are just shopping for a supplemental benefits package, be careful and take your time going through the insurance market. You want to make sure you get what you need and that you get what your money’s worth.