All About Colorado Dental Insurance  

Colorado Dental Referrals
Oftentimes, Erickson Financial Services is asked to provide dental referrals to our clients.  Finding a reputable dentist can sometimes be very difficult, so Erickson Financial Services is always on the lookout for good referrals from our clients.  If you have a Colorado Dental Referral, please let us know, so we can add your favorite dentist to our list.  See below for referrals that we have received from some of our clients:

• Disclaimer:  The following dental referrals include information about participating networks, however, participating networks are subject to change, so please double check that these providers still accept the listed dental plans before signing up for one of them, as this information is NOT updated daily.  Erickson Financial Services makes no guarantees with regards to the services provided by these dentists.
• Colleen Jenson, DDS
  Jade Dental Associates - 703 N. Tejon St., #A Colorado Springs, CO, 80903
  719-633-0770. 
  Julia Arnold, DDS
  Interquest Dental Group, Inc. - 1310 United Heights Dr. #220 Colorado Springs, CO, 80921
  719-266-5150.
  • Jade Dental and Interquest Dental accept most of the insurance and discount plans referred to on this website, including Delta Dental Patient Direct, Delta Dental PPO and Careington Dental.  
• Branon Johnson, DDS
  665 Southpointe Ct., Suite 150, Colorado Springs, CO, 80906
  719-527-9098.  Branon Johnson offers high-end dental services, using the latest technology.  One of the highlights of his service includes Waterlase Dentistry, a patented and unique combination of laser energy and water which gently and precisely removes dental decay with no shot, no drill, and no pain in most cases!  Branon Johnson participates with the Delta Dental Premier (NOT Delta Dental PPO) network of Dentists.  Important Notice: The Delta Dental of Colorado personal dental plan, PPO Plus Direct, pays a percentage of the "PPO" negotiated rates for "Premier" dentist's services, and "Premier" dentists can and will balance bill for any difference between the PPO and Premier rates.  Unless you have an employer sponsored dental plan, you will probably pay more for Dr. Johnson's services, but it is worth every penny!
• Colorado Dental Association
  Vist the Colorado Dental Association for more dental referrals.  Their mission is to provide member services that promote the highest standards of care for the public and inspire members in the pursuit of professional excellence and personal fulfillment through education, leadership and communication.

• Plans that will pay up to the allowed amount for a networked PPO dentist.
  • The non-networked dentist will likely balance bill you for any "excess charges".
  • The Delta Dental PPO Plus Direct Plan is an example of this type of plan.
• Plans that pay based on a Percentile of Usual and Customary (UCR). 
  • For example, the Ameritas Progressive Indemnity Plan pays any dentist at 90% of UCR, which means that the plan pays at or better than the amount charged by 90% of the dentists in your geographic area.

Dental Insurance will typically provide coverage for basic (ie. fillings) and major (ie. crowns) services after a specific waiting period has expired.  This waiting period is almost always waived for preventive services, but it can come in to play for urgent care needs such as fillings and crowns.  The purpose of the waiting period is to prevent people from purchasing the insurance only at the time it is needed, a phenomenon known as "adverse selection".  In order for the concept of dental insurance to work properly for everyone, a person must purchase dental insurance before the need for major services arises.   Some dental plans will waive the waiting period for services such as fillings and crowns, if the applicant has maintained continuous coverage.  For example, if you have lost coverage due to a loss of employment, Delta Dental will waive your waiting period when you provide proof of your prior coverage.   Delta Dental offers two plans in which the waiting period is waived for fillings:

• Delta Dental PPO Direct Plan, and
• Delta Dental PPO Plus Plan. 

If you are currently in need of major or emergency dental services, or if you are looking for affordable braces and you do not have any dental insurance coverage, you might want to consider a Dental Discount Plan.   Discount dental plans, such as the Delta Dental Patient Direct Plan, typically do not have waiting periods, and they can provide significant discounts for services such as fillings, crowns, root canals, and even orthodontia. 

The advantages of dental insurance as opposed to discount dental include:

• Larger networks of providers
• 100% coverage for preventive care
• Financial protection against large expenses associated with major dental services such as crowns and root canals

The disadvantages associated with dental insurance as opposed to discount dental include:

• Higher premiums
• Waiting periods

Child Dental Insurance for Low-Income Families
If you cannot afford dental insurance or dental care for your child, you may qualify for coverage through CHP Plus, Colorado's State Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) for children.  visit www.cchp.org for more information.  Here is the CHP Plus Fact Sheet, which describes eligibility and enrollment information.

Another organization that provides dental care for children in Colorado is KIND (Kids in Need of Dentistry) .  This organization serves children in need in Denver and Colorado Springs and through the use of a mobile unit known as "Miles for Smiles" in rural and underserved urban communities throughout Colorado.

How to Get a Tax Deduction on your Dental Expenses
If you have an HSA compatible, high deductible health plan (HDHP), you can use the money that you save in your health savings account (HSA) to pay for your out of pocket dental expenses on a tax-deductible basis.  Although you cannot use HSA dollars to pay for dental insurance premiums, you CAN use HSA dollars to pay for any out of pocket costs not covered by your dental insurance, and you can also use HSA dollars to pay for the cost of a discount dental plan.  If you do not have a dental plan, you can use your HSA dollars to pay for any dental expenses.   For more information about what an HSA is and how to get one, visit our Health Savings Account webpage.  Click here for free, instant, quotes on Colorado HSA compatible health plans.

Colorado Group Dental Insurance
Group dental insurance in Colorado can be offered to your employees on a voluntary or non-voluntary basis.  "Voluntary" means that the employee will pay the full premium for his/her dental plan for hisself/herself and eligible dependents.  Since group dental insurance tends to be less expensive and more comprehensive than personal dental insurance, the advantage of offering a  voluntary plan to your employees is that you can offer a benefit that would likely cost less and provide better coverage than what your employees might be able to obtain on their own in the personal dental insurance marketplace.  Additionally, you can offer these benefits to your employees under a pre-tax payroll deduction, so the savings are even greater.  For groups of 10 or more enrolled members, we can offer dental plans that include orthodontia coverage.  (Orthodontia coverage is typically not available to groups of less than 10 enrolled members). 

"Non-Voluntary" means that the employer will pay all or a portion of the premium.  There are a wide variety of various different group dental plans to choose from, and the quantity of participating employees will dictate what kinds of plans will be available to your group. 

Erickson Financial Services offers dental plans to groups with as little as 2 enrolled members.  For more information about group dental insurance coverage, and to receive a free quotation, please contact our office.  Due to the complexity of group benefit plans, we will require, prior to preparing quotes, that you commit to a meeting either by phone or in person with Scott Erickson, our group benefits specialist.

The group dental carriers that we do business with include Metlife, Delta Dental, Companion Dental, Principal, Humana, United Healthcare and others.

Laser Dentistry
A new and emerging form of dentistry is Laser Dentistry.  The Water Laser is a new technology that allows many dental procedures to be performed with little or no pain or need for anesthesia.  Many adults and children fear going to the dentist due to the fear of pain.  From personal experience, we can assure you that you or your children will no longer fear the pain of a filling with the Water Laser.  Find a Waterlase Dentist in your area!