Dental Coverage for Veneers

Some people may have teeth that look “discolored,” “worn down,” “chipped,” “broken,” “misaligned, uneven, or irregularly shaped,” etc. (“Dental Health and Veneers” 2017, 1). To address these issues, people can get dental veneers, which “are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front surface of teeth to improve your [people’s] appearance. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth changing their color, shape, size, or length” (“Dental Health and Veneers” 2017, 1). These veneers could remain on their teeth for “over twenty years,” but patients may have “to replace them within ten” years (Nowak 2019). However, patients have to pay high prices depending on “the type of veneers,” “the location of the practice, the reputation of the dentist, and the level of competition in the market” (Nowak 2019). For instance, people may have to pay between “$250-1,500 per tooth” for composite veneers and between “$500-2,500 per tooth” for porcelain veneers (Nowak 2019). They also have to pay for any replacements, whose prices are “usually the same as the original procedure” (Nowak 2019). Despite the cosmetic appeal of veneers, dental insurance may cover them.
Dental insurance may not cover veneers obtained for cosmetic reasons. While dental insurance policies would include “[m]edically necessary” restorative procedures, they usually do not include cosmetic treatments, such as applying veneers to someone’s teeth (Lewis 2018). However, some treatments can be both medically necessary and cosmetic (Lewis 2018). Based on the procedure’s medical necessity for the patient, dental insurance may provide some benefits (Lewis 2018). Though, insurance companies may not even include veneers in their policies (Nowak 2019).
Nevertheless, dental insurance may cover veneers for other situations. Sometimes, the dental insurance policy from an employer includes “optional benefits,” such as “cosmetic, whitening, and/or orthodontic services…” (Lewis 2018). Beneficiaries themselves could also opt “to pay a higher premium” in order to receive “full coverage for veneers” (Cockerham 2018). Additionally, veneers could help better patients’ oral health, and dentists should help patients establish the veneers’ medical necessity (Staff Dentist 2019). For instance, dentists could help patients receive dental coverage for veneers “to restore diseased, injured, broken, or missing teeth” (Lewis 2018). Additionally, patients are “more likely” to receive dental coverage for replacing their veneers than receiving veneers “that aren’t medically necessary” for the first time (Cockerham 2018). These replacements could be medically necessary, if “the seal of a previously placed laminate has deteriorated to the point where plaque can now accumulate underneath it, thus placing your [patient’s] tooth at risk for decay” (Staff Dentist 2019). Consequently, patients could receive coverage for these replacements (Staff Dentist 2019). Patients could also receive coverage to repair their veneers (“What Insurance Will Cover for Cosmetic Dentistry” 2016). Children between the ages of 8 and 19 could get coverage for veneers if they “have severe tooth staining caused by tetracycline or fluoride” (Staff Dentist 2019).
While veneers make teeth look better, they can help improve the patient’s oral health. Accordingly, these veneers may be eligible for coverage.
 
Works Cited

Cockerham, Ryan. “How to Get an Insurance Company to Cover Dental Veneers.” PocketSense.
Last modified December 27, 2018. https://pocketsense.com/how-to-get-an-insurance-company-to-cover-dental-veneers-12123351.html.
“Dental Health and Veneers.” WebMD, January 24, 2017.
Page 1: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers#1.
Page 2: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers#2.
Page 3: https://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers#3.
Lewis, Guy M. “Does Dental Insurance Cover Cosmetic Dentistry.” Texas Center for Cosmetic
Dentistry, May 25, 2018. https://lovethatsmile.com/Dental-Articles/DOES-DENTAL-INSURANCE-COVER-COSMETIC-DENTISTRY.
Nowak, Simon. “How Much Do Teeth Veneers Cost? Porcelain & Lumineers Average Price.”
Authority Dental, April 8, 2019. https://www.authoritydental.org/veneers-cost.
Staff Dentist. “How much do porcelain veneers cost?” Animated-Teeth.com. Last modified
March 5, 2019. https://www.animated-teeth.com/porcelain_veneers/t8_porcelain_veneers_costs.htm.
“What Insurance Will Cover For Cosmetic Dentistry.” Riverside Dental Care, August 31, 2016.
https://www.stgeorgesmiles.com/blog/2016/08/31/%E2%80%8Bwhat-insurance-will-cover-for-cosmetic-dentistry%E2%80%8B/.

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