The end of another year is upon us. But before you prepare to ring in the new year, glance over your dental insurance plan. For many patients, prepaid dental benefits often go unused.
Don’t let your precious dollars go to waste. Ask us at Locust Family Dentistry how to maximize your dental benefits before they expire!
Dental Insurance Benefits
Dental insurance plans run for a year, usually from January 1st to December 31st. When the year ends, the benefits do too. Although your plan may renew on January 1st, your unused benefits do not roll over. Instead, they expire and may be needlessly wasted.
What Is Dental Insurance?
A dental insurance plan works similar to a health plan. It is designed to help cover the costs of a patient’s oral health care. It may be purchased by an employer as part of a benefits package or individually through the healthcare marketplace.
How Does Dental Insurance Work?
When someone, an employer or an individual, purchases a dental insurance plan, they pay an annual or monthly premium. This portion is paid to ensure you have dental benefits at all.
You may need to meet a waiting period or deductible before the insurance company begins to pay for services. In most cases, preventative care is fully covered from the start and is not included as part of the deductible.
That’s why it is so important to make use of general oral care from the start. It’s already paid for and covered!
How to Maximize Your Dental Insurance Benefits This Year
If you still have unused benefits at the end of the year, don’t let them go to waste. Consider the following ideas to maximize your coverage now and in the coming year.
Routine Dental Exams and Cleanings
Preventative dental care is often fully covered by insurance plans. Preventative treatments, such as exams and cleanings, protect your oral health and protect you against tooth decay and gum disease. Visiting the dentist regularly for routine care helps prevent dental issues in the long run.
Don’t skimp on your routine care. Your insurance company has already agreed to cover the services, so maximize your care with regular exams. Avoiding the appointments can be detrimental to your dental health and your wallet.
Restorative Procedures
The amount of coverage you receive for restorative dental treatments depends on your plan. For example, some plans cover a higher percentage of the cost of a filling over a dental crown. However, they may only cover a certain number of restorative treatments per year.
Don’t put off your restorative care. An untreated cavity can worsen quickly. What may need a small filling now could develop into a root canal and crown treatment later. The latter treatment is more expensive and often comes with less insurance coverage meaning even more out of your pocket later.
Planning for Next Year
Moving forward, look over your dental benefits to make the best use of the plan for next year. Schedule your dental appointments every six months. If you need restorative care and your plan only covers those services every few months, we will work with you to schedule or space out your appointments accordingly. Dental care should be affordable.
Additionally, if you do not have an insurance plan, we offer dental savings plans to suit your budget and needs.
Don’t Let Your Dental Benefits Expire! Make an Appointment with Locust Family Dentistry Today!
At Locust Family Dentistry, we offer comprehensive dental services in Locust, NC. We work with most major dental insurance plans to offer our patients affordable care. Your oral health is our priority!
Schedule an appointment today to use your dental benefits before they expire at the end of the year.
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