Are Dental Implants Covered By Dental Insurance?

In the past, the answer to the question, "Are dental implants covered by dental insurance?" was a simple one: No. That's beginning to change as insurers recognize the benefits of dental implants over traditional dentures.. Here are some common questions our patients have about paying for their dental implants.

Will My Insurance Cover the Cost of Dental Implants?

Sometimes. It depends on your insurance plan's underwriting. Call NJCOSA and we can verify your coverage for you or provide you with the necessary codes to verify your dental insurance coverage independently.

Dental insurance plans vary in their provision of benefits for surgical placement of implant coverage along with the associated abutment and crown. Some dental insurance carriers have placed additional clauses on policies that reduce payment toward a patient out-of-pocket expenses so be sure to ask if a “missing tooth clause”, a “prior benefit exclusion/limitation” or “alternate benefit” are an active part of your dental insurance’s underwriting. At Costello Oral Surgery Associates, our billing team can provide you with the information your insurance company has offered to assist you in assessing expenses. Often, patients with coverage have their final balance determined after the claim for actual services is adjudicated (processed).

Insurance carriers remain competitive in the marketplace by offering coverage for implant services which have become ubiquitous in our modern era. Although implants are not guaranteed to succeed, they do enjoy an extraordinarily high success rate overall and have been in use for over 50 years. Dental implants reduce complications from tooth loss by stimulating the bone to which they become integrated.. Most medical insurance plans do not cover the titanium posts that are implanted into the jaw (fixtures). When they do, it is usually in association with a medically-necessary reason like head and neck cancer reconstruction.

Getting dental implants requires multiple office visits, one or more surgical procedures, anesthesia, and the fabrication of custom-made crowns, bridges, dentures, or all of the above by a professional dental lab working closely with your dentist and surgeon. Implants are sometimes initially more expensive than dentures and bridges, which require fewer visits and less sophisticated techniques and materials, however, dental implants are designed to last for much longer periods of time with proper care and maintenance. So while you will pay more upfront, in the long-term, you may spend less because, generally, it is expected that your implants will not require repeated replacement after several years, as dentures and bridges do.

All major credit cards are accepted -  Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. We also offer financing for dental implants through CareCredit®. Visit www.carecredit.com for details or call Care Credit to speak with their representatives. Once you've been approved for CareCredit, you can use it at Costello Oral Surgery Associates.

It is natural for bone loss in the jaws to occur over time when teeth are removed. Implants provide vital mechanosensory feedback to the bone cells that deposit bone and, thereby, help to reduce the amount of bone loss over time in most patients who receive implant therapy. The decision to pursue placement and restoration of dental implants is undoubtedly a personal choice that requires professional consultation with an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon like Dr. Michael Costello. Dr. Costello is highly skilled to assess your individual needs and will provide vital information during your consultation that will enable you to make your best decision.

NJCOSA offers implant-supported dentures in which dental implants are placed into the jaw and serve as an anchor for your dentures. Because each tooth isn't being replaced with its own implant, this option is more affordable than those that replace each missing tooth with a single implant as in arch reconstructions that use implant-retained crown and bridge prosthetic designs. Patients with implant-supported dentures generally enjoy enhanced stability and comfort over traditional dentures, and, as an added benefit, the implants stimulate your jaw bone to aid in maintaining its structural integrity much more so than traditional dentures which, in fact, accelerate resorption of bone over time and result in the collapse of facial soft tissue and structures.

If you have questions about dental implants or your insurance coverage, contact us to schedule an appointment in any of our three New Jersey locations in Wayne, Franklin Lakes, and Maywood.