Avoiding Unexpected Costs – Pretrea
Imagine you’re at the dentist for what you think is just a routine check-up and the dentist tells you that you need major treatment. The first thought in your head is likely to be: how much is this going to cost me?
Your dentist can tell you how much the charge will be for the procedure, but you’ll also want to know
- that the procedure is covered by your dental benefits plan
- how much will be paid by the insurance company
- what your out-of-pocket costs will be
Ask for a pretreatment estimate. Your dentist can do that while you’re still in the office. It’s like submitting a claim, only you do it before the dental treatment has taken place. The process is simple, and it gives you important information about what treatments are covered and what benefits may be payable.
How it works
Ask your dentist to submit a request for a pretreatment estimate. Your dentist will need to go online to www.metdental.com (Please note that this website is specifically for dentists and cannot be accessed by plan participants) and follow the simple prompts for pretreatment estimate submission. Your dentist will receive a copy of the benefit estimate online immediately for most procedures. You can then discuss treatment and payment options, and have the procedure scheduled on the spot.
The advantages of requesting a pretreatment e
It’s fast and immediate; you avoid the longer waiting time of mail delivery. It’s accurate; information is confirmed at the time an estimate request is submitted.
MetLife suggests you get a pretreatment estimate before you have certain complex dental treatments performed, such as crowns, bridges, dentures or periodontal therapy (typically anything that will cost over $300), so you can budget for the treatment or discuss what options may be available.