What is a secondary dental plan?

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A secondary plan is a payer that contributes after the primary plan has paid its portion. The reason this fits is that when you have two dental plans, benefits are coordinated so the total payments don’t exceed what’s allowed. The secondary plan will consider what the primary has already paid and may reduce its own payment accordingly. This ensures you don’t receive more than the service is worth under both plans.

For example, if a procedure costs 100 and the primary plan covers 60, you’re left with 40. The secondary plan may pay part of that remaining amount, but its payment is often limited by what the primary has already contributed and by its own benefit rules. It isn’t guaranteed to pay the full amount, and it isn’t restricted to implants or any single type of service.

So the defining idea is that the secondary plan pays after the primary and may reduce its benefit in light of the primary’s coverage.