Many dental practitioners in today’s society are facing challenges when it comes to what dental insurance companies deem as “necessary” versus “unnecessary” procedures. With advances in technologies, such as dental implants, many dentists are feeling as though these are a better alternative for longer lasting and successful treatment for their patients as opposed to a fixed bridge or endodontic root canal. A dental implant will usually last a patient’s entire life because the appliance is permanently anchored into their maxilla or mandible. On the other hand, a fixed bridge or root canal treated tooth could fail if recurrent caries occur or if the patient loses one of the bridged teeth serving as an anchor.
Despite dental implants being viewed as a more successful patient treatment, many dental insurance companies will only cover the actual implant but not the crown placed on top of the implant. Insurance companies view the crown as an “aesthetic” procedure and not one that is truly necessary. What these companies fail to realize is that the implant serves no purpose if the patient is unable to apply any force to it upon occlusion.
The other issue dental professionals are facing when it comes to dental insurance companies/policies is the amount they are reimbursed for a particular procedure. Despite insurance companies feeling as though they have “a good estimate” for what a procedure should cost a patient, they fail to consider many factors to this care – the amount the material for the procedure costs, the time involved with the treatment, and the amount of clinical expertise the dentists has with the care. When a clinically skilled and competent dentist wishes to complete a certain procedure, he or she might choose to pursue a less successful alternative because the patient’s insurance policy will not cover the desired treatment.
The previous examples are just two of many that dental professionals are against when it comes to dental treatments in their daily practices. In order for the dental profession to move forward in a positive direction, it is important for dental students and current dentists to become involved with organized dentistry to help shape policies that will improve access to care and enhance insurance policies.
Michael Thomas
ASDA Legislative Liaison Elect
OSU College of Dentistry – Class of 2021