Dental insurance helps many people keep routine oral healthcare and unexpected restorative treatments affordable, but many aren’t quite sure how to make the most of their benefits. Luckily, there are a few easy ways to make sure you can maximize the coverage you pay for. Here are a few tips that can help you keep your mouth healthy while reducing your out-of-pocket expenses.
Attend Your Biannual Dental Checkups
Dental insurance plans are typically designed to incentivize policyholders to receive preventive care to reduce the likelihood of dental emergencies and make more expensive restorative treatments unnecessary. This helps keep policyholders healthy and insurance rates low. Accordingly, most plans will completely cover two routine dental checkups and cleanings. These appointments will allow your dentist to monitor your oral health, address issues in their early stages, and advise you as to better oral hygiene.
Consider Receiving Extensive Dental Work Toward the End of the Insurance Year
Many insurance plans involve yearly maximums, meaning they will only pay so much money for covered dental work in a given year. This can be frustrating for patients who need more dental work than their plans cover annually, but it may be possible for your policy to cover more of a treatment by scheduling some of it before the end of an insurance year and the rest after the beginning of the next. This can allow you to max out your policy for the first year before your benefits reset.
Understand Any Waiting Periods Attached to Your Plan
Some dental insurance plans require waiting periods before they take effect, so it’s best to schedule dental appointments after your coverage begins so you can enjoy receiving oral health services at reduced cost. Most plans cover routine checkups and annual x-rays by 100%, and restorative work is typically covered somewhere between 50% and 80%.
Dental insurance can help make proper oral care easy and affordable. During your consultation for any procedure, your dentist’s staff will be happy to help you navigate your policy so you can understand how it works and what it will pay for.
About the Author
Dr. Parthiv Patel earned his dental degree at the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and has received advanced training in clear aligner orthodontics, dental implants, and BOTOX. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association and the Ohio Dental Association. His office in Dayton offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. To schedule your next checkup, contact his office on the web or dial (937) 848-5986.
