Dental insurance covers preventative care, such as tooth cleaning, X-rays, and routine dental exams. Your plan may require a copay for these services, but many don’t. In general, preventative services are covered by dental insurance plans. A lot of dental insurance plans also cover basic and major dental services like extractions, fillings, crowns, and root canals.

Preventative services have no waiting period once you’re covered, so you can get them as soon as you’ve bought dental insurance. Some plans have waiting periods of four months to a year for basic and major services.

In-network and out-of-network care cost different amounts. An in-network dentist will accept a reduced negotiated rate for services, so you pay a lower amount before your insurance provider is involved. Non-network dentists can charge you any remaining amount up to the billed price. When you’re in-network, you also will not have to submit claims yourself in most cases. Instead, your dental office will do the paperwork.

Make sure to check how many dentists in your area are in-network before you choose a dental plan to buy. You may want to check that your current dentist is in-network too. With an in-network provider, you’ll save yourself money.