Dental crowns: costs and coverage

A dental crown is a cap or covering placed on top of a damaged tooth. Some of the materials used to make crowns are:

• Porcelain
• Resin
• Metal
• Ceramic
• Stainless steel
• Silver or gold
• Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM)

If you are getting a root canal or dental implant, a crown will be used to cap the artificial tooth. Crowns are typically custom made to fit the shape and size of the tooth, and then cemented to remain in place.

In most cases, dental crowns may only be covered by insurance plans that offer major restorative dental care.

Many dental plans limit coverage to preventive care and basic procedures, such as dental fillings and tooth extractions.

Coverage for major dental procedures, like dental crowns, will likely be a maximum of 50% of the total cost.² To understand the cost of your crown installation, speak with your insurance carrier to understand plan options.

Dental plans can be divided into 3 broad categories:

• Preferred provider organization (PPO): A PPO dental plan comes with a list of in-network dentists that accept the plan, and if you choose a dentist that is not in the network, you have to pay more out of pocket.
• Dental health maintenance organization (DHMO): A DHMO plan also offers a network of dentists that will usually cover a percentage of the cost of restorative care like crowns, but you may have to be referred by your primary care dentist.
• Discount or referral dental plan: While a dental discount plan itself will not pay for the costs of a crown, the group of dentists that accept this plan may give you a discount on the services.

The cost of installing a single tooth crown (not considering insurance coverage) will vary based on the material of the crown.

The prices will vary between dental clinics and will be determined by the extent of work required to install the crown.

The process of getting a dental crown often involves 2 visits to the dentist’s office, although some dentists can provide same-day crown installations.

First, the tooth will undergo inspection and X-rays , and a mold of the tooth may also be taken. Then the dentist will file down the tooth and remove some of the outer layer, depending on how severe the damage is. Next, an impression is made of your tooth and the neighboring teeth. Then a temporary crown will be placed over the tooth until the actual crown is made.

You will need to return to the dentist to have the crown cemented to your tooth.

If the dentist has the technology for same-day procedures, it might take only a few hours for the crown to be in place. A same-day crown uses digital pictures and scans of the mouth to build the crown in the office as the patient waits. Although more convenient, this procedure is not offered everywhere and may also be more expensive than traditional crowns.

Everyone wants to save money on dental care, and Humana is here to help. Our range of dental plans not only have different levels of coverage but also affordable monthly premiums.

To learn more about some of the plans that cover caps and crowns, head over to our dental insurance page .