Does Insurance Cover Veneers? Everything You Need to Know About Dental Veneer Coverage

Does Insurance Cover Veneers? Looks are not everything but they are something. They help to form initial impressions, essential for a flourishing professional career and vibrant social life. While we should keep appearance in proper perspective, we should never neglect it. Those who seek the benefits of cosmetic dentistry understand this fact of life. As long as teeth are subject to damage, decay or overall aging, there will be people seeking veneers. These thin layers not only cover the imperfections; they also protect teeth from further deterioration. Are they medically necessary? That is a question many insurance companies ask. Veneers are expensive and people depend on insurance to cover such outlays.

What Are Dental Veneers?

Dental veneers are very slim layers of material — either porcelain or a composite of resin-based substances — that cover the visible part of the tooth. Shaped by the dentist to fit the exact tooth to which it is applied, a veneer is one of a number of cosmetic dental procedures. Like others, it aims to improve appearance that might suffer from:

• teeth that are cracked or chipped
• teeth that have unsightly spaces between them
• teeth that are stained by coffee, wine etc.
• teeth that look too small
• teeth with abnormal shapes

Sure, physical health is in little danger from these embarrassing traits. Still, a winning smile is beneficial to self-confidence, mental health and personal relationships. Nevertheless, these procedures are pricey.

See also: Porcelain Veneers in Los Angeles

Cost of Dental Veneers

How much money veneers demand depends on a number of factors: how many are required; their size and shape; the materials with which they are made; and any oral conditions present in the mouth. This helps to understand the cost of veneers. Yet even the simplest application demands a sizable investment, depending on personal wealth, of course. For most people, the cost of dental veneers calls for a major financial commitment. You can find a veneer cost estimator online. Authoritative estimates often place veneers within a range of $900 to $2,500 per layer. It is little surprise, then, that patients will ask about dental insurance for veneers.

So! Does Insurance Cover Veneers?

The question of veneer insurance coverage is a tricky one. After all, patients and insurance providers are at cross-purposes: the patient wants the money for a claim while the insurer wants to make as few pay-outs as possible. So, the providers will impose a number of tests on the claim.

See also: Why Veneers are so Expensive

Medically Necessary or Not?

As noted before, the impact a procedure will have on health and wellness takes priority over aesthetics, i.e. looking good, as far as health insurance for veneers is concerned. After all, a veneer for better photographs is not equivalent to a stent for a patient with a heart condition. On the face of it, that makes the decision: no dental benefits for veneers. It scan be more complicated than that, though. Sometimes veneers serve to protect teeth from additional deterioration and are applicable when essential medications result in a change in the hue of teeth. So, by this standard, veneer cost and insurance are not mutually exclusive.

The When and the Why?

Since insurance providers are all about minimizing risk, they want to know if a particular condition began on their watch. This is where the whole matter of pre-existing conditions comes into play. Traditionally, insurers did not like to pay for treatments for infirmities that began prior to coverage. This allowance, they argued, made the system vulnerable to abuse and strained financial resources to the limit. The Affordable Care Act, however, restricts providers’ ability to refuse pre-existing conditions outright. Dental coverage for veneers in some cases hinge on a health issue that predates the start of coverage.

The Devil Is in the Details

Whatever a provider’s general policy, it remains a good idea to read the policy in full to confirm or deny allowances of insurance for cosmetic dentistry or for medically necessary veneers. A patient, having paid a large sum for veneers, can be disappointed to find out that there will be no insurance reimbursement for veneers.

Are Their Other Options?

When evaluating claims for payment, dental insurers may ask whether the same — or similar — results are achieved my other procedures. Can discolored teeth be treated through bleaching, for example? Would a provider refuse you porcelain veneers insurance yet pick up the composite veneers cost? If less expensive means are found that bring about the desired outcome, an insurance company will lean in that direction.

Once and for All

Veneers and dental plans are an uneasy partnership but, as suggested, not unheard of. In any event, one company might never pay claims and another might be willing if the circumstances warrant. It is a good idea, nevertheless, to recognize that a willing provider may not be so willing next time. Frequency of treatment is also a variable that insurers pay close attention to.

How to get veneers covered by insurance? Understanding dental veneers insurance is not difficult. A good rule of thumb is for those interested in veneers to make a request for payment without expecting anything. There might be a pleasant surprise, but never a disappointment. If dental insurance and veneers do not work out, are there still ways to make the treatment affordable?

Ways to Make Dental Veneers Affordable

Absent dental insurance payment for veneers, what financing options for veneers are out there? Are there ways to avoid paying thousands of dollars all at once? The good news is that there are several paths a patient can go down to find a satisfactory answer. One avenue to take begins with your own dentist. Like the practitioners at Southland Dental Care in southern California, many dentists are willing to spread payments over a period of months so their patients can cover the cost of veneers without breaking the household bank. As with Southland, your dentist might require no money down and no monthly service fees.

Working directly with the doctor is one of several alternate veneer payment methods. Yet again, these other means may have their own restrictions relative to what treatments are eligible for coverage. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) are two such examples. The FSA is a benefit employers extend to their workers whereby they set aside a percentage of the paycheck for certain health-related procedures and products that are not paid by the insurance provider, e.g. first-aid supplies, co-payments and deductibles. HSAs do likewise but, in this case, the patient sets this account up with a participating bank. Using HSA for veneers or FSA for dental veneers becomes problematic if the purpose is purely cosmetic. Some link to health should be established before these funds become available.

This all begs the question: how can you pay for veneers?

What To Do If You Cannot Afford Veneers

You have checked with your insurer and explored alternative veneer payment methods but you feel frustrated. Is there any hope of getting pre-authorization for veneers or at least reimbursement from the insurance company? Let’s revisit the issue of dental insurance cosmetic vs. necessary criteria. If the teeth are unsightly there may be an underlying reason related to oral health or even overall health. Moreover, they might be more vulnerable due to damaged enamel or some other condition. Your dentist can explore the possibilities with you. Broken, weak or eroded teeth may indicate that nerves are dangerously exposed. At such times, you can make the case that a crown is the best course of action. Furthermore, the crown provides the improvement to appearance that veneers do. Best of all, the issue of veneers vs. crowns insurance skews heavily in favor of crowns since the latter gives strength and support to the entire tooth structure. Insurance that covers veneers can be hard to find; insurance covering crowns is much more common.

When veneers dental insurance claims go unpaid because the provider determines the purpose as purely cosmetic, you might choose to switch insurers in search of the best insurance for veneers that will shrink your out-of-pocket cost for veneers. When the best dental plan options for veneers involve necessity over aesthetics, many patients turn to veneer financing plans. After all, veneers insurance limitations center on cosmetic vs. restorative dentistry insurance policies: insurance approval for veneers is all but impossible while dental insurance cosmetic exclusion provisions remain in place. Take heart, though, and do not let fruitless insurance negotiation for veneers cause you to give up. Affordable dental veneers are possible and available.

How to Pay for Veneers

Those who fail to find an insurance policy for cosmetic dentistry — and seek veneers for cosmetic reasons — can shift their strategy toward affordability. Houses, cars and college educations are all high=priced necessities which many people are willing to purchase on credit and pay the loans back in installments. For the price of interest (and more than a few fees), banks and finance companies extend monies to borrowers for an agreed-upon term. Individuals, families, businesses and other organization do business on this basis every day. In so doing, they maintain a sustainable cash flow by balancing income with expenditures. While dental insurance for smile makeover is elusive, financial credit is more accessible.

At what cost? Personal loans without collateral can be as cost-prohibitive as veneers and dental coverage plans. Not only are borrowers responsible for the principal amount of the loan, they must also pay interest on that amount and multiple charges to simply apply and have their application evaluated. Failing to find the best dental insurance for veneers, applicants understandably seek financial assistance. They must ask themselves whether the price of the loan is worth the benefit of veneers. Fortunately, they can find credit without burdensome charges and interests.

Banks are in business to lend money. Dentists practice to heal and restore. Their compensation is for those services. Therefore, if they choose to extend credit to those without cosmetic dentistry insurance coverage, their business does not depend on such loans. Whether the payment comes in one lump sum or in monthly payments over time, the dentist receives the appropriate revenue. This is why your dentist is not bound to impose exorbitant financing and interest charges. Southland Dental Care is a practice that empathizes with the financial concerns of its patients. In addition to any number of expensive procedures — implants, bone grafting, gingivectomies and gum bleaching, e.g. — veneers are obtainable through financing with Southland and Dr. Michale Abaian. There is no intimidating down payment to worry about and the practice works with its patients to make monthly payments manageable. Understanding dental veneer insurance as they do, the staff at Southland Dental Care works hard to provide a reasonable option in place of hard-to-get cosmetic dental coverage.

Conclusion for Does Insurance Cover Veneers

What insurance covers veneers? Without evidence of compelling medical need, very little does. That is a hard reality given the high cost of veneers in Los Angeles. Learning how to get dental veneers covered demands persistence and research without any guarantee of success. However, instead of asking, “Will insurance cover my veneers?” patients can ask “How can I afford veneers?” The answer to this better question often lies with the dental practice and its own policies toward financing.

When a dental veneer insurance guide leaves no satisfactory answers, the dental professional can be a resource and an aid. Southland Dental Care and Dr. Michael Abaian serve as models in this regard. With this office, patients know that they will receive excellent and competent care without having to break the bank. With 28 years of experience in veneer placement, Dr. Abaian knows the rewards and the risks of porcelain veneers — optimizing the former and minimizing the latter. This expertise may not always come cheaply but Southland Dental Care can deliver it skillfully and with a feasible price tag.