Does Insurance Cover Teeth Whitening?

Does Insurance Cover Teeth Whitening?

It’s a common question, asking whether or not insurance covers teeth whitening. It’s a fairly routine dental procedure, but people often mistake it as covered by insurance when you try to submit a claim for it.

For the most part, insurance only covers medically necessary procedures and nothing cosmetic. Have you ever heard of an insurance company covering breast augmentation, Botox, or hair transplants? It’s hard enough to get insurance companies to approve actual, medically necessary procedures and teeth whitening is far from it.

The following article will cover a few different items that you should know before getting your teeth whitened.

What to Know About Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is becoming a more common procedure these days, especially as the technology improves, social media continues to have influence, and the procedure becomes more easily available. After all, who doesn’t want whiter teeth?

You have two options to whiten your teeth. You may have seen kits or even toothpaste available at the grocery store that allow you to whiten your teeth. The other option is that a dentist or dental hygienist can complete the procedure in a dentists office. Let’s talk about both.

Teeth Whitening at Dentist Office

Having a dentist whiten your teeth is the safest and most effective way to have the procedure completed. Just to be clear, whitening your teeth is not dangerous. The procedure is non-invasive and actually fairly simple.

The dentist paints a whitening solution on top of your teeth to have them come out a shade or two brighter.

A dentist doing the procedure is “safer” is because the teeth whitening solution can cause sensitivity. Your dentist can gauge your sensitivity and provide the best recommendation of how much brighter you should go. Sometimes a dentist might not recommend any whitening procedure until they can reduce your sensitivity.

If you decide to use an at-home kit, you wouldn’t know about the issue of sensitivity and could actually end up causing more issues that are painful and long-term damage to the enamel.

We always recommend going with a professional’s recommendation. While anyone can follow the instructions on the back of a box, there is a lot of other information that you might not know.

Teeth Whitening at Home

At-home kits for teeth whitening have become more and more popular over the years. As the procedure is fairly simple and doesn’t involve expensive tools, some companies have discovered that they can create kits for anyone to do it at home. This process, while functionally effective, is done without the oversight of a professional.

While our first recommendation is to go with an actual dentist, if you’ve already had the procedure done multiple times and had no issues, then it may make sense for you to complete the procedure at home instead.

Most teeth whitening kits come with a special paste and a tray for your teeth. The process is fairly simple of placing the teeth whitening paste in the tray and then holding that onto your teeth for a specified amount of time. The amount of time varies by each kit, but generally you will keep it there for an hour or two. If you develop sensitivity, you might go for less time or break up the full time segment into 2 shorter segments.

Every kit is different, so be sure to follow the instructions provided in the kit that you purchased. There are a number of factors that can effect the outcome, such as your preferred brightness, sensitivity, the kit you purchased, and more. As a result, it is best to follow the instructions for your specific kit.

Is Teeth Whitening a Cosmetic Procedure?

Generally, cosmetic procedures are not covered by insurance, however you should check with your specific dental insurance plan. Every plan is different and no one can tell you what your plan covers without seeing it first.

The reason teeth whitening is not medically necessary is because it’s purely for looks. Teeth whitening does not improve physical health, which is a requirement for most procedures covered by insurance. You might think it can help your mental health, but unfortunately most insurance companies don’t consider that the case.

Compare teeth whitening to something like a filling or root canal that is medically necessary to reduce physical pain. That is the difference between a medically necessary procedure and a cosmetic procedure, like teeth whitening.

Does Teeth Whitening Hurt?

Teeth whitening works by bleaching the stains away on your teeth. Without getting too much into the chemical process, most teeth whitening works by breaking down the molecules that cause stains and shading on your teeth. Removing those stains causes the teeth to appear more white.

However, too much bleaching can cause issues and strip away the enamel. As a result, it’s best to slowly go through more intense shades of whitening to avoid any long-term issues.

Conclusion

Does insurance cover teeth whitening? This was the original question that brought you here and we hope it has been answered. Teeth whitening is a popular procedure these days, but generally not covered by dental insurance. You don’t want to be surprised with 100% of a dental bill if you weren’t expecting it.

Other things to know about teeth whitening are knowing where to get it done, why it’s considered a cosmetic procedure, and how it works. All of these should be factors in your decision to get your teeth whitened. And we hope this article provided you the answers to all the questions you had and the ones you know you didn’t.