As any medical provider would advise, you should visit your dentist right away if you suspect that there’s something wrong with your teeth. If you haven’t been getting regular dental checkups, your chances of having dental problems will most definitely increase.
You may need to get a couple of your teeth fixed, especially if you have a serious condition. Typically, restorative dental work is needed to replace damaged or missing teeth. While you may think that there is not much difference between the terms ‘minor’ and ‘major’ in your dental care plan, they can actually affect the kind of treatment you will get and the total cost of your dental bills. Read through our article to find out what you should know about major restorative dental care and how it can help you.
What is major restorative dental care?
There are two main types of restorative dental care: basic and major. Basic restorative dental care is what comes right after preventative dental care. It requires more attention than just the standard checkup and cleaning and usually involves getting fillings and similar treatments. On the other hand, major dental treatments usually involve treatment plans that require multiple phases of therapy due to a serious dental problem case or cases that could have been treated early on but have now deteriorated. Major restorative dental care is needed when you have neglected a dental issue long enough that it has already become an inconvenience.
Types of major restorative dental treatments
There are different types of major restorative treatments, such as crowns, inlays and onlays, dental bridges, dental implants, dentures, and other complex dental surgical procedures. Crowns are the tooth-shaped caps that are cemented over the teeth and are used to protect and strengthen their structure. They are usually used when people have broken teeth or cavities. On the other hand, inlays and onlays are used on premolars and molars when they require more work than what a simple filling can support. The teeth are not so damaged that placing a crown is not necessary.
Next, the dental bridges are used to fill in gaps between missing teeth and work just like your natural teeth. The bridges have crowns on each end and the artificial teeth are placed in between. These crowns are held in place on the teeth located on the two sides of the gap, filling up the missing space. Dental bridges are also used to keep your other teeth from moving out of place. As for dental implants, they are used to replace missing teeth and are made up of a metal anchor and a false tooth. It works and feels just like a natural tooth as the metal anchor of the implant is inserted into the jawbone, and the false tooth is put into place. Lastly, dentures, along with other complex oral surgery procedures are also considered major restorative dentistry treatments.
Restorative dental treatment coverage
Since major restorative dental care procedures are more complex than basic restorative and preventative treatments, they are generally more costly. If you have an Indemnity or a PPO insurance policy, you are most likely going to receive 50% coverage for your major restorative dental work after the deductible has been met. On the other hand, if you have an HMO plan, a co-payment is often required. Sometimes your policy may not cover significant dental reconstruction and to find that out after you have already received the treatment can be frustrating, to say the least. To avoid such a scenario, you must find out if it is covered and check your policy’s maximum benefits limitations before undergoing any treatment. The maximum benefits limitations are usually high enough when you just need one or two teeth replaced. Although, you must remember that you can easily exceed the benefit limitation if a major reconstruction is required.
How major restorative dentistry can help you
Aside from being major pain relievers, essential dental treatments, and providing convenience, major restorative dental procedures are important for various reasons. For one, they ensure that your teeth are perfectly aligned by filling up the empty spaces between your teeth. Replacing the missing or damaged teeth makes it also easier to maintain and protect the rest. It will help you carry out good hygienic and dental care habits, which can prevent plaque build-up and the other problems resulting from it. Besides, missing or damaged teeth not only affect your health but also your appearance and self-esteem.
There are typically 3 types of dental care treatments performed: preventative, minor, and major restorative dental treatments. These types or categories signify the complexity of the work that has to be done, as well as the amount of coverage that your policy can provide you. If you are getting regular checkups or dental fillings, you will most likely receive full or partial coverage on the dental services received. However, you may need to review your policy’s limitation of benefits if you need to undergo a major reconstruction procedure.