Insurance and network
In-network
In-network describes a dentist who has a contract with a plan and agrees to the plan's fees for covered services.
A network is the group of providers a plan has contracted with. HealthCare.gov defines it as the facilities, providers and suppliers your health insurer or plan has contracted with to provide health care services.
A dentist who joins a network is in-network for that plan. The contract sets fees and billing rules. Patients usually pay less when they use an in-network dentist.
The contract also affects the practice. Fees may be lower than the dentist's usual fee, and the gap becomes a write-off. Compare with out-of-network. See dental PPO.