Publisher: Benefits of Keeping Wisdom Teeth. General educational information; this article has not been reviewed by a licensed dental professional.
Having dental insurance does not establish the final amount you will pay for a wisdom-tooth procedure. Two people with the same insurer may have different plan terms. A brand name alone cannot supply a reliable copay.
Four terms that affect an estimate
A deductible is the amount you may need to pay before eligible coverage begins. Coinsurance describes a percentage split of eligible costs. An annual limit restricts what the plan pays during its benefit period. Exclusions identify services the plan does not cover. The rules and exceptions need to be checked in your own plan.
Questions to send to your plan
- Is this treating provider in my particular network?
- Does the proposed service require a referral, authorization or advance estimate?
- Which deductible and benefit limits apply, and what remains available?
- How are imaging, sedation and any separately billing provider handled?
- Could I owe an amount beyond the insurer’s allowed charge?
- What happens if the final procedure differs from the estimate?
Keep the assumptions together
Record the date, the treatment description and the person or department that supplied each estimate. If an answer is unclear, ask for it in writing. An advance estimate should not be described on this website as a guarantee of payment.
Without insurance
Ask the office for its self-pay estimate and payment terms. Compare the services included rather than assuming that a advertised package covers everything. If financing is offered, request the written interest, repayment and late-payment terms before deciding.
Correction to earlier pricing
Unverified national price ranges and insurer-specific coverage percentages have been removed. We have not collected data that could justify publishing those figures as current averages.
Use our written-estimate worksheet to organize the quote and plan information in one place.
Compare your actual quotes
Use our two-quote worksheet to add the charges you have been given and subtract an insurer estimate. It supplies no assumed market prices or coverage percentages.
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