Medical coverage in Spain is today more necessary than ever, especially in the case of dentistry. There is currently no comprehensive dental coverage plan in the country. The only tool available to those looking to take care of their family’s oral health and hygiene is dental insurance. Despite this, many people still feel overwhelmed when it comes to choosing coverage. Also, they do not always know how to choose the right type of policy; A common question is whether these insurances cover dental implants. According to the specialized page Dentaly.org, basic plans, and Social Security do not usually offer such coverage. Generally, this must be contracted independently.
coverage options
Treatments involving prosthetics and implants are especially expensive, so they are not usually part of the standard coverage. Consequently, comprehensive dental insurance may be the only way to pay for these treatments (it can cover up to sixty percent of an implant). Social Security, for its part, has very poor coverage. In general terms, it covers emergencies such as infections and inflammations —caused by wisdom teeth or other causes—, as well as care and prevention material and treatment for trauma, wounds or injuries, and pharmaceutical follow-up.
The most important, however, is also the least covered; Preventive dentistry, endodontic services, general repairs, prostheses, and implants are outside the standard coverage.
There is a very varied offer, despite this, of coverage and insurance policies dedicated to it. The benefits vary according to the conditions of the contracted plan and work in a similar way to health insurance. They have a portfolio of basic and additional services from which the interested party can choose the one that suits him best.
Some insurers offer a much broader portfolio of benefits than others and, in many cases, it is a combination of paid and free services. These include periodontics, implantology, conservative dentistry —care and maintenance of previous repairs and implants—, aesthetic treatments, prosthetics, and surgical interventions. They generally have no age restrictions and it is common for children to be guaranteed full coverage.
How to choose the appropriate insurance?
Adequate dental insurance for family needs ends up being beneficial not only from a financial point of view but also provides a series of amenities that make the usual control much more bearable — immediate medical attention, financing possibilities, updated clinical history —. Some providers have basic assistance plans from five euros per month (ten for a typical family). This type of coverage comes with a series of basic guaranteed benefits: preventive dentistry —in the order of consultations, check-ups, and cleaning—; diagnoses and budgets; x-rays; 24-hour dental emergencies and low-complexity surgeries —such as extractions—.
There are several factors to take into account when hiring dental insurance. In principle, the duration of the contract. In general, the policies contemplate a one-year contract, with the option of renewal at the end of this period. Renewals have some benefits such as discounts or access to treatments not previously covered. Another factor to consider is reimbursement. In general, this option contemplates only a part of the money spent on major interventions and some treatments. The same occurs with the conditions and exceptions of the contract.—the fine print—: it is essential to read the benefits well so as not to encounter any surprises and to know if it is a modality with or without a copay; this means knowing the premium price of the plan that we want to contract since the co-payment option implies that the monthly amount of our coverage will be lower but that we will have to pay an additional amount for certain services. Finally, a very important consideration to take into account is the period of lack of insurance.—a common condition in policies that tends to lead to confusion—. This is a period that the subscriber must wait before being able to access certain features. These periods can be between one and ten months, so special attention should be paid when choosing the policy.
You don’t have to be an expert to make an informed decision on this topic. The best thing is always to have an updated portfolio of options and services, one that takes into account the particular needs of the interested party. Many companies provide online consultation services and whose platforms have a series of search engines and comparators so that the user can choose the coverage that best suits their needs among providers. According to the specialized page Dental, it is relatively easy to access affordable and quality coverage.
