Dental Insurance Without a Waiting Period

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We see it often. Someone contacts us looking for dental insurance that will cover a major service without a waiting period. They might need a root canal, a deep cleaning, a crown, or an implant. I am forced to tell those people that many dental insurance plans will not cover those major services for the first 12 months. That's the waiting period.There are some carriers who offer dental insruance without a waiting period, but those typically have very low coinsurance in the first year. For instance, a dental insurance without a waiting period may only cover 10% for those major services in the first year, rising to 50% after that.

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Benefits for Major Services

The best solution for this is to find a dental insurance that will offer a higher coinsurance immediately. We do have one dental insurance carrier who will insure major services with the max 50% coinsurance, from day 1. But you have to provide proof that you had other dental insurance up until recently, in order to qualify for those benefits. That might not be an option for you.The next best solution is Ameritas. Never heard of Ameritas? They specialize in dental insurance. And they offer 20% coinsurance for major services, from day 1. That's the best option we have yet to come across, except for the situation described in the previous paragraph.

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An Even Better Solution

An even better solution, of course, would be to get dental insurance *before* you need it. If you don't have dental insurance, the smart thing to do would be to be going to your dentist for checkups and cleanings every six months. Make it convenient by having dental insurance then. And, when one day you develop a toothache, your dental insurance will take care of you.