Frequently Asked Questions
Endowed Cornell faculty and staff have 2 dental plan options from which to choose. There is a Dental Standard plan and a Dental Plus plan. Please visit the Plan Benefits page for more details on each plan.
All endowed faculty and staff can enroll or make changes to your dental coverage during the Annual Open Enrollment held in the Fall. Endowed Cornell faculty and staff new hires, or those experiencing a qualifying life event such as marriage, divorce or birth, have 60 days from date of hire or qualifying event to enroll or make changes in coverage. Enrollment changes are made by enrolling through Workday here https://www.myworkday.com/cornell/d/home.htmld.
Each plan has coverage for many dental procedures, including: Exams and cleanings, Fillings, X-rays, Root canals and more.
The annual maximum benefit under the Dental Plus plan is $5,000/per person (or member) while the annual maximum under the Dental Standard plan is $1,250/per person (or member). The Dental Plus plan offers orthodontia care for adults (employee & spouse/domestic partner) and children while the Dental Standard plan only allows for orthodontia care for children. The Orthodontia Lifetime maximum under the Dental Plus plan is $2,000/per person and the Orthodontia Lifetime maximum under the Dental Standard plan is $1,000/per child.
Orthodontia coverage is available for children in both plans through age 18. Since the average orthodontic treatment is 24 months, the child needs to be banded by their 17th birthday to receive the full 8 quarters of benefit. Orthodontia coverage for adults is only available in the Dental Plus plan and only covers you and your spouse/domestic partner.
No. Under your previous plan as well as this MetLife plan, there is a frequency limit on crowns of 1 per tooth every 5 years. If you had the crown procedure within 5 years, services to replace the crown now will not be covered.
After enrolling, you will receive an ID card in the mail. You can also securely register on MyBenefits to view your claims, print ID cards and so much more (metlife.com/mybenefits). Although you do not need to present an ID card to confirm that you are eligible, you should notify your dentist that you are enrolled in a MetLife dental plan featuring the PDP Plus Program. The dentist will need to provide your Cornell Employee ID number to verify coverage.
Your dentist can also verify information about your coverage through an automated Computer Voice Response system by calling 1-877-MET-DDS9.
There are many general dentists and specialists to choose from nationwide. Since January 2020, MetLife was able to increase its network size for the Cornell plans by adding over 3,400 participating dentists. See a list of participating dentists here.
You are always free to select any general dentist or specialist. However, you usually save more when you visit a participating dentist. He/she has agreed to accept negotiated fees as payment in full for covered services. Negotiated fees typically range from 30–45% below the average fees charged in a dentist’s community for similar services.1
Yes. If your current dentist does not participate in the network and you would like to encourage him/her to apply, ask your dentist to visit www.metdental.com, or call 1-866-PDP-NTWK for an application.2 The website and phone number are for use by dental professionals only.
Yes. We recommend you request a pre-treatment estimate for services totaling more than $300. Simply have your dentist submit a request online at metdental.com or call 1-877-MET-DDS9. Actual payments and out-of-pocket costs may vary from the pre-treatment estimate depending upon plan maximums, deductibles, frequency limits and other conditions at time of payment.
Yes, as long as the dental work is completed by an in-network MetLife PDP Plus provider, the fee your provider charges for covered services will be limited to the MetLife PDP Plus Network negotiated fee even if you exceed your annual maximum.
Yes, as long as the dental work is completed by an in-network MetLife PDP Plus provider, the dentist may not charge more than the negotiated fee for the service, even if the service is not a covered service.3
Dentists may submit claims for you, which means you have little or no paperwork. You can track your claims online and even receive email alerts when a claim has been processed. If you need a claim form, click here or call 800-942-0854.
Premiums will be conveniently paid through payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis.
Benefits may not be assigned to dentists outside of the United States. Dentists outside of the U.S. are considered out of network. You will need to pay for the dental services provided up front and then mail the dentist’s statement with a completed claim form to MetLife, in order for reimbursement to be considered.