Excluded Benefits

The AARP^® Dental Insurance Plan administered by Delta Dental Insurance Company covers a wide variety of dental care expenses, but there are some services for which we do not provide benefits. It is important for you to know what these services are before you visit your dentist.

The AARP Dental Insurance Plan does not provide benefits for:

Treatment or materials that are benefits to an Enrollee under Medicare unless this exclusion is prohibited by law.
Treatment or materials to correct congenital or developmental malformations (including treatment of enamel hypoplasia) except for newborn children eligible at birth, children placed for adoption and adopted children so long as such eligible children continue to be enrolled. When services are not excluded under this provision, congenital defects or anomalies specifically include individuals born with cleft lip or cleft palate, and other limitations and exclusions of this section shall specifically apply.
Treatment that increases the vertical dimension of an occlusion, replaces tooth structure lost by attrition or erosion, or otherwise unless it is part of a treatment dentally necessary due to accident or injury.
Treatment or materials primarily for cosmetic purposes including but not limited to treatment of fluorosis (a type of discoloration of the teeth) and porcelain or other veneers not for restorative purposes, except as part of a treatment dentally necessary due to accident or injury. If services are not excluded as to particular teeth under this provision, cosmetic treatment of teeth adjacent or near the affected teeth are excluded.
Treatment or materials for which the Enrollee would have no legal obligation to pay.
Services provided or materials furnished prior to the effective eligibility date of an Enrollee under this plan.
Periodontal splinting, equilibration, gnathological recordings, and associated treatment and extra-oral grafts.
Preventive plaque control programs, including oral hygiene instruction programs.
Myofunctional therapy, unless covered by the exception in Item 2, above.
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction, which is medical in nature, unless covered by the exception in Item 2, above.
Prescription drugs including topically applied medication for treatment of periodontal disease, pre-medication, analgesia, separate charges for local anesthetics, general anesthesia except as a covered benefit in conjunction with a covered Oral Surgery procedure.
Experimental procedures that have not been accepted by the American Dental Association.
Services provided or material furnished after the termination date of coverage for which premium has been paid, as applicable to individual Enrollees, except this shall not apply to services commenced while the plan was in effect or the Enrollee was eligible.
Charges for hospitalization or any other surgical treatment facility, including hospital visits.
Dental practice administrative services including but not limited to preparation of claims, any non-treatment phase of dentistry such as provision of an antiseptic environment, sterilization of equipment or infection control, or any ancillary materials used during the routine course of providing treatment, such as cotton swabs, gauze, bibs, masks or relaxation techniques such as music.
Replacement of existing restorations for any purpose other than restoring active carious lesions or demonstrable breakdown of the restoration.
Materials and procedures for construction of bridges, partial and complete dentures, unless a covered benefit.
Orthodontic services, including tooth guidance appliances.

Limitations

Benefits to Enrollees are limited as follows:

Limitation on Optional Treatment Plan. In all cases in which there are optional plans of treatment carrying different treatment costs, payment will be made only for the applicable percentage of the least costly course of treatment, so long as such treatment will restore the oral condition in a professionally accepted manner, with the balance of the treatment cost remaining the responsibility of the Enrollee. Such optional treatment includes, but is not limited to, specialized techniques involving gold, precision partial attachments, overlays, bridge attachments, precision dentures, personalization or characterization such as jewels or lettering, shoulders on crowns or other means of unbundling procedures into individual components not customarily performed alone in generally accepted dental practice.
Limitation on Basic Restorative Benefits. If a tooth can be restored with amalgam, synthetic porcelain or plastic, but the Enrollee and the dentist select another type of restoration, the obligation of Delta Dental shall be only to pay the applicable percentage of the fee appropriate to the least costly restorative procedure. The balance of the treatment shall be considered a dental treatment excluded from coverage under this plan. An allowance for comparable amalgam restorations is made when the patient opts for resin restorations on posterior teeth. The patient is responsible for the difference between the dentist's charge for the resin restoration and the amount paid by Delta Dental.
Limitation on Major Restorative Benefits. If a tooth can be restored with amalgam, synthetic porcelain or plastic, but the Enrollee and the dentist select another type of restoration, the obligation of Delta Dental shall be only to pay the applicable percentage of the fee appropriate to the least costly restorative procedure. The balance of the treatment shall be considered a dental treatment excluded from coverage under this plan. Replacement of crowns, jackets, inlays and onlays shall be provided no more often than once in any five-year period and then only in the event that the existing crown, jacket, inlay or onlay is not satisfactory and cannot be made satisfactory. The five-year period shall be measured from the date on which the restoration was last supplied, whether paid for under the provisions of this plan, under any prior dental care contract or by the Enrollee.
Limitation on Diagnostic Aids. Full mouth X-rays (including panoramic X-rays accompanied by supplemental films, which are considered equivalent to a full mouth X-ray) are limited to once in any five-year period. Bitewing X-rays are limited to twice in any calendar year period for Enrollees to age 19, and once in a calendar year for all other Enrollees. Periodic examinations of the full mouth are limited to twice in any calendar year period.
Limitation on Prophylaxes, Periodontal Maintenance Cleanings and Fluoride. Prophylaxes, periodontal maintenance cleanings and fluoride application may be performed either together or separately. You may have any combination of prophylaxes and/or periodontal maintenance cleanings for a total of three in any calendar year. Fluoride applications as a benefit are limited to twice in any calendar year period up to age 19.
Limitation on Sealants. Application of sealants as a benefit is limited to Enrollees up to age 14 through the completion of the procedure or the date eligibility terminates, whichever occurs first. Treatment with sealants as a covered service is limited to applications to eight posterior teeth. Applications to deciduous teeth or teeth with caries are not covered services. Sealants will be replaced only after three years have elapsed following any prior provision of such materials. Single-surface occlusal restorations of a tooth to which a sealant has been applied within 12 months, and two or three surface restorations within six months, which include occlusal surfaces on which sealants have been placed, are not covered services. If a single-surface occlusal restoration is performed on a tooth from 12 to 36 months after a sealant has been applied to that tooth, the obligation of Delta Dental shall be only to pay the fee appropriate to the restoration in excess of the fee paid for the application of the sealant.
Limitation on Prosthodontic Benefits. Replacement of an existing denture and/or implant will be made only if it is unsatisfactory and cannot be made satisfactory. Services, including denture repair and relining, which are necessary to make such appliances fit will be provided as outlined in the section "Covered Benefits." Prosthodontic appliances, implants and/or abutment crowns will be replaced only after five years have elapsed following any prior provision of such appliance, implant and abutment crown under any plan procedure.

Diagnostic and treatment facilitating aids for implants are considered a part of, and included in, the fees for the definitive treatment. Delta Dental's payment for implant removal is limited to one (1) for each implant during the Enrollee's lifetime whether provided under Delta Dental or any other dental care plan.

The initial installation of a prosthodontic appliance and/or implant is not a Benefit unless the prosthodontic appliance and/or implant, bridge or denture is made necessary by natural, permanent teeth extraction during a time you were eligible under a Delta Dental program. Bone grafts provided for implants completed on the same day of service.
Limitation on Periodontal Surgery. Benefits for periodontal surgery in the same quadrant are limited to once in any five-year period. The five-year period shall be measured from the date on which the last periodontal surgery was performed in that quadrant, whether paid for under the provisions of this plan, under any prior dental contract or by the Enrollee.
Limitation on Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ). Benefits for TMJ are limited to services relating to the hinging joints of the jaw including diagnostic tests, splinting and other treatments as have demonstrably satisfactory prognosis. Benefits for TMJ Dysfunction include temporomandibular joint arthrograms (including injection), occlusal guards (by report), occlusal analysis (mounted case) and occlusal adjustments (complete). Other procedures are considered medical in nature, and are excluded benefits.