Dental Insurance

Dental insurance should not be forgotten for expats here especially as you get older.

I believe 'planners' medical insurance plans include dental insurance cover so do check that out (and maybe the same dental grouping I mention below too).

The general consensus is that DR provides a good standard of detal treatment cover at significantly less cost than North America. My experiences are positive with a few dental practices here including fillings, root canal work and a crown.

When you are older the likeyhood for crowns and implants increases and they don't come that cheap  unless you have decent insurance.

Last Saturday, I was crunching on some assorted nuts in the evening and felt a sensation. I thought a filling had fallen out in part. A check at my local dentist revealed through a scan that the affected molar was shearing in section. I have recently changed my medical insurance from Cigna Global at ever increasing premium where most things weren't covered and excesses and coshare of costs applied, to a Prestige local plan with my wife and a relative at lower plan to qualify due to my age. It includes dental cover and other extras but my dentist was not on their list of providers. I thought little of the dental cover when I took out the plan.

So we looked up the available dentists in the grouping Salud Bucal which are included in the ARS Palic Prestige plan and found that there is a clinic with a dozen dentists in Bella Vista Mall which is nearby and booked an appointment and the need for a crown (corona) was confirmed after XRay (insurance cost for consultation and XRay RD100). My treatment starts tomorrow and the cost  of the process which includes root canal with insurance to me is going to be in the $150 range. Considering my last molar crown cost $700 here, and I had been quoted higher, the dental insurance cover provided appears well worth it. With Salud Bucal you only pay the difference between the full cost less the insurance cover to them with no need to reclaim. The Salud Bucal Plan I am covered by is their Premium Plan https://www.saludbucal.com.do/

Now for the treament........the root canal work is a long appointment and tiring on the jaws but my last experience was without any other discomfort.