Dental Insurance

At Steveston Smiles we encourage and welcome families and children into our practice. We understand that having a family can be an expense in itself, so as a service to our patients we can bill most insurance companies directly. This is also known as assignment dental insurance, where the insurance provider pays the dental office directly for their percentage of the cost. You, the patient, are only responsible for paying any portion your insurance does not cover at the time of service. Some insurance companies will only pay benefits to the patients and in that situation, you will need to pay our office at the time of service, we will submit the paperwork to your plan and then they will pay you the portion that is covered. This amount can sometimes be in your account in a matter of days.

Dental insurance is an agreement between you, your employer and the dental insurance provider. Your insurance company does not notify us of any changes in benefit amounts, frequencies or types of coverage. It is the patient’s responsibility to advise us with the details of the insurance policy and to determine if there has been any changes at any time to the insurance policy so we can help maximize the dental benefits.

Things Every Insured Patient Needs to Know

Vital Information:

  1. Name of insurance carrier and phone number
  2. Name of person in your company who is in charge of employee benefits

Questions patients should ask their employer about their insurance (or their insurance company)

  1. What is the annual maximum allowed per patient?
  2. What is the anniversary date of the policy? Example: January 1st, rolling calendar, from date of initial employment
  3. Is there an annual deductible? If yes, how much is it?
  4. Dental benefits are paid on which year’s BC Dental Association fee schedule?
    • Example 2019, 2020, 2021
  5. How many units of scaling and/or root planning are covered per year?
  6. How many recall appointments are allowed annually?
  7. What percentage of coverage is allowed for the following:
    • Diagnostic Services
    • Preventive Services
    • Restorative Services
    • Endodontic Services
    • Periodontal Services
    • Major Treatment: Example crowns, bridges, dentures
  8. What is the annual maximum for major treatment?
  9. Is endodontic and /or periodontal treatment classified as basic or major treatment?
  10. Does your plan pay for white fillings on molar teeth or do they pay only the silver (amalgam) filling equivalent?

Information patients will be asked to give when calling their insurance

  • Company
  • Name of subscriber
  • Employee’s date of birth
  • Employer
  • Policy number
  • Division number
  • Certificate (ID) number (may be SIN number)