Night guards are designed to protect your teeth against grinding and clenching. They are the number one recommended prevention against these dangerous oral habits that can damage your teeth permanently. Your dentist may suggest you wear one at night, but teeth grinding guards can be expensive if crafted by the dentist. Does dental insurance cover night guards? Let’s find out.
When you visit your dentist, they may give you an examination and begin looking at your teeth, tongue, and gums. If they notice damage to the teeth, like cracks, exposed nerves, chips, or the tops becoming worn down, your dentist will want to find the cause of this damage. One of the most common causes of tooth damage is teeth grinding. To properly protect yourself you’ll need a grinding guard but does dental insurance cover night guards? Here’s what it does cover.
First, it depends on your dental plan. All dental insurance and plans are unique so while the dental office you visit may tell you what is covered and what’s not, you’ll want to confirm for yourself if your dental insurance covers night guards. On occasion, some patients are told that insurance will cover it, just to find out it doesn’t, and end up paying a hefty bill later.
You should be able to call your dental insurance company and speak to a representative to see if your plan will cover the cost of a night guard or there’s always an option to review your plan online. If you’re speaking to customer service on the phone, you should flat out ask them, “Does dental insurance cover night guards?” and they’ll be able to provide you the answer right away.
When you have a night guard crafted by the dentist, you might be required to have x-rays, more oral exams, or corrective surgery to fix damaged teeth before the night guard is made. If you’re speaking to your insurance company, ask them about coverage for all of the above to make sure you don’t receive any unexpected bills.
As mentioned above, all dental insurance plans are unique. Some may cover 50 percent of your dental costs instead of all of them. If you are needing a night guard crafted, make sure you keep that in mind. You may be required to pay half of the cost or a portion of it. A night guard crafted by the dentist can range from $200 to $500 depending on your location and the type of guard. It can be expensive to foot the bill when your dental insurance doesn’t cover the night guard.
If you don’t have dental insurance, or if you’ve called customer service to ask does dental insurance cover night guards and your plan doesn’t, there are other options for you. SportingSmiles has been crafting custom night guards since 2009 and has served over one million people worldwide. You don’t need insurance or any visits to receive a premium night guard from SportingSmiles.
By ordering one of the six custom night guards online from SportingSmiles, you’ll receive the patented impression kit. You’ll take easy at-home impressions and then ship them back with free 3-way shipping to the SportingSmiles lab. There, our expert lab techs will craft a night guard for you designed to protect against the most severe grinding or clenching. This process is done entirely from the comfort and safety of your home and there are no x-rays or insurance required.
Does dental insurance cover night guards? In most cases, insurance will have partial coverage but as stated you’ll want to check with your insurance company by speaking to a customer service representative as each plan is unique. If you don’t want to worry about dental insurance, and you want an affordable but premium night guard for protection, SportingSmiles offers night guards at half the cost of the dentist.
