Dentist Provider List Grows by 18%

Updated: 2/19/2020

Careington’s provider network experienced significant growth over the month of April. This means that as a Careington dental plan member, you have even more options of where to go to the dentist and what specialists are available to you.

Prior to the increase, the Care 500 Series Dental Plan had about 70,000 dentists and specialists in the network, and the Careington POS Plan had more than 78,000. Now, the Care 500 provider list contains more than 82,000 providers (more than 18% increase), and the Careington POS list grew to more than 91,000 (more than 16% increase). Those numbers include all general dentists who are in the provider network as well as all the dental specialists in the Careington network.

General Dentist

Most dentists fall into this category, because this is typically the dentist you should see first to evaluate your oral health. They are trained to perform all basic dental procedures and many specialized procedures to some extent, including dentures, crowns, root canals and some periodontal work. With a discount dental plan, you will get the best savings with a general dentist. Many general dentists choose only to perform certain procedures out of their office, however, so if the treatment you need falls into that category, or if it requires complicated, advanced treatment, your dentist will refer you to a dental specialist.

Dental Specialist

Specialists receive additional dental training to perform more specialized oral care than what a general dentist is trained to perform. After about 5 additional years of training, they can perform all basic procedures as well as extensive procedures in their specific field of study. There are several different types of specialists.

Periodontist

Periodontists treat gum disease and other illnesses pertaining to the supporting structures in the mouth.

Endodontist

Endodontists perform root canal therapy and treat issues that occur inside of a tooth.

Oral Surgeon

These specialists typically remove teeth by surgical extraction. Oral surgeons also perform various other surgeries within the oral cavity (mouth).

Prosthodontist

Literally meaning “prosthetic dentistry,” prosthodontists create specialized tooth implants, dentures and bridges to artificially recreate a patient’s teeth.

Pediatric Dentist

Pediatric dentists, also called pedodontists, specialize in treating and caring for the teeth of children.

All of these specializations can be found in the Careington provider list, along with an extensive list of general dentists as well. Search for a dentist in your area to learn your options, and find out how much you can save by using a Careington dental plan.