Professionals say consider cost, sensitivity and stains before whitening treatments

..........................They report that most dental benefit plans do not cover bleaching and may not reimburse enrollees for bleaching costs. This lack of coverage arises from the federal tax code, under which many services considered "cosmetic" cannot be purchased with pre-tax contributions to an employee's income or reimbursed through flexible spending accounts."Bleaching is cosmetic. Just like any other enhancement of body parts that people do, insurance doesn't cover it unless there's a medical reason for it," said Salley, noting that whitening costs vary. "It varies in the geographic area you might live in, which is about anywhere from $600 to $700 to even $2,000 in some places for the same procedure."
He said the best course of action, if a person bleaches their teeth or considers any other procedure, is to continue to maintain a good, healthy relationship with their dentist.
"That relationship's important because small things are easy to fix," he said. "If you wait a long time, you make things really hard to fix. When it's harder to fix, the higher the cost."