Have you ever found yourself dreaming about a more beautiful smile, but dismissed the thought because it sounds too expensive? Well, before you give up, there are some options that might make that bright, white and beautiful smile more affordable than you think.
What Dental Treatments Does OHIP Cover?
Many people think that OHIP covers some dental treatments, but for the most part, OHIP does not provide any dental treatment coverage.
There are some exceptions, such as complex oral surgeries performed at a hospital like fracture repairs, tumor removals, reconstructive surgeries or medically necessary tooth removals, but apart from these types of medically necessary dental treatments, OHIP doesn’t provide any dental coverage.
Dental Treatments Covered by Your Company Health Benefits
Many people get dental coverage by the health benefit packages provided by their employers.
Some of the most popular health benefit providers are Sun Life Financial, Manulife, and Ontario Blue Cross, but there are many others that might provide health benefits to your company.
Dental treatment coverage varies from insurer to insurer, and often even between plans offered by the same insurer. Most insurers offer high levels of customization on their plans, so exact coverage really depends on what the employer negotiates.
Most employee health benefit plans offer a certain amount of dental treatment coverage per year per person, so if you have a spouse and two children then each of you might receive, for example, $350 per year of dental treatment coverage.
In some cases, the health benefits plan might require the employee to pay a certain amount of the total cost as a deductible. For example, if the total cost of your visit to the dentist is $100 and your deductible is 15%, you would be required to pay $15 while the insurer will pay the remaining $85.
Some insurers allow your family dentist to invoice them directly, so you would only pay the deductible amount and your dentist would charge the insurer directly. In other cases, the employee would initially pay the full cost of the dentist visit, but then submit the expense to the insurer, who would issue a reimbursement payment.
Most employee health benefit plans cover the standard regular checkups and cleaning, xrays and cavities. More comprehensive plans might cover some types of cosmetic dentistry treatments, teeth whitening, implants and dentures, and even orthodontics.
While these are some general guidelines for what most employee health benefit plans cover, you would need to contact your company human resources department or your insurer directly to find out what dental treatments your employee health benefits plan covers specifically.
Orion Dental is a full-service dentist with offices conveniently located in Milton and Scarborough. We offer a full range of dental services for the whole family! If you’re looking for a new family dentist, give us a call and book your no-obligation consultation!
