Insurance and billing
Waiting period
Also called wait period
A set time after enrolling before certain dental services are covered.
A waiting period is a stretch of time after a patient joins a plan during which some services are not covered, often major work like crowns, bridges or dentures. Preventive care often has no waiting period. The plan documents state the length and which services it applies to. Verify this with the insurer before scheduling, and tell the patient the date coverage begins, so they can decide whether to wait.
Example at the front desk
Her plan has a twelve-month waiting period for crowns, so I explained the date coverage starts.