Assessing Dental Insurance Plans in the New Year
A new year means it’s a good time to check your dental benefit plan to determine if you and your family have appropriate coverage.
Most dental insurance plans renew in January, but not all. It’s important to check the benefit period of your dental plan and make any need adjustments based on anticipated needs for the upcoming year.
What Does Dental Insurance Cover?
Dental insurance can provide a high level of value. Most forms of insurance are designed to protect against unforeseen events that present high-risk, or what are sometimes called “catastrophic,” events that can result in very high healthcare costs.
While dental insurance is certainly designed to protect against catastrophic claims, it also provides immediate tangible benefits that makes having dental insurance worth the cost.
For example, many dental plans cover 100% of costs toward preventative care, which include exams, cleanings, X-rays, and services like fluoride treatments. Such care goes a long way toward preventing more expensive care that is typically not covered at 100%. This can include treatments for cavities, gum disease, root canals and other oral surgeries.
For many individuals and families, the savings that result from having dental insurance make it a vital service not only for their own health care, but for their budget.
Maintaining good dental health is imperative to maintaining one’s overall health. Not only does good oral health enable you to eat and speak properly, it impacts the whole body. Poor dental health can adversely impact one’s heart health, those with diabetes, pregnancies, and chronic inflammation such as arthritis.
Some dental plans may limit benefits by the number of procedures or dollar amount in a given year. In many cases, even with these limitations there is adequate coverage for needed procedures, particularly if regular preventive care is being accessed.
That’s why it is important to understand your dental benefit plan and the type of coverage it provides.
Discuss Dental Insurance Coverage with Your Dentist
With any changes in dental coverage entering the new year, it is important to let your dental office know before any appointment so they can make sure you have coverage. Additionally, it’s important to let them know if any supplemental, or additional, dental insurance has been added for the new year.
Supplemental dental insurance is a separate plan that enhances an existing dental benefit plan. Specifically, these plans provide coverage for procedures that are not covered by the primary benefit plan, which can help manage costs. You can also have double the coverage for services to help bring down your out of pocket cost.
For example, if a procedure such as a root canal or some type of oral surgery is needed, the cost of those procedures is generally not fully covered by a primary dental benefit plan. A supplemental plan can help cover all or most of the gap in coverage.
As we begin a new year, take time to check your dental benefit plan and make sure there is appropriate coverage for you and any family members. Make 2022 a year of good dental health that you can smile about.
Associated Dentists is Here to Help
If you need any assistance understanding your dental insurance benefits or would like to inform us of any changes to your coverage, reach out to our in-house insurance department at our Madison and Verona locations.
