Wisdom Teeth
Navigating coverage for wisdom teeth surgery as a grad employee or postdoc can be confusing.
We're here to help you explore your options and navigate insurance.
Coverage for Grad Employees:
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​Our Altus dental plan covers oral surgery at 80%
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If you are ALSO covered by the UMass Student Health Plan (Cigna/Wellfleet), removal of impacted wisdom teeth is also covered at 95%
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If you have impacted wisdom teeth, provide both your Cigna/Wellfleet insurance information AND your Altus dental insurance information to the dental office
Coverage for Postdocs:
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​Our Altus dental plan covers oral surgery at 80%
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If you have other health insurance, reach out to your provider to find out if there is additional or better coverage for your procedure.
Do your research before scheduling your surgery
If you're a grad employee, you have the unusual benefit of having two plans that cover removal of impacted wisdom teeth. Because this is so unique, many dental offices are not willing to send your claim to your student health plan (many offices will have never encountered a health plan which covers this procedure before). Unfortunately, a further complication is that the closest oral surgery office to UMass does not accept any insurance plans and requires payment upfront.
The most important questions to ask when selecting a provider are: 1) are they in-network for Altus, 2) will they also send your claim to your health plan and 3) will they hold your bill until both insurance plans have paid.
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If the dental office isn't willing to bill your student health plan, we can help you submit the claim (or you can yourself, see https://wellfleetstudent.com/contact/)
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If the dental office won't hold your bill until insurance pays, you will need to pay out-of-pocket up front, which can be impossible for some. Please see the section below on the UMassFive Low Interest Wisdom Teeth Loan.
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Schedule a one-on-one help session with us if you need help talking through your options.
Always Ask For A Pre-Treatment Estimate!
It is a good practice to ask for a pre-treatment estimate. Your dentist or specialist will send Ameritas a plan for your care and request an estimate of benefits. The estimate helps you prepare for the cost of dental services. We recommend that you request a pre-treatment estimate for services in excess of $300. You and your dentist will receive a benefit estimate for most procedures while you are still in the office. Actual payments may vary depending upon plan maximums, deductibles, frequency limits and other conditions at time of payment.
Low-Interest Loans from UMassFive
UMassFive has created a short-term loan to help cover the upfront costs associated with wisdom teeth removal while you wait to be reimbursed by insurance. To be eligible for a loan, you must:
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Have a credit score of 620 or above
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Be able to verify your income
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Provide an invoice or estimate from your oral surgeon
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Be or become a member of UMassFive, which will require a $5 deposit into a share savings account. UMassFive staff can help you with this online after completion of your loan application.
Here are the details: