Navigating any kind of insurance can be a little bit difficult, and dental insurance even more so. You’ll find that a lot of the rules are different from what you’re used to from your normal health insurance, which may leave you at a little bit of a loss for how to make the best use of your benefits.
Thankfully, keeping just a few tips in mind can do a lot to help you get the most out of your dental insurance. Here are some things worth keeping in mind that could be of use to you.
Dental Benefits Reset at the End of the Year
As with most health insurance, it’s usually necessary to pay a deductible before you can use your benefits. You may also be aware that most dental insurance plans have an annual maximum, which is the total amount of money that your plan is going to be willing to pay out over the course of a year.
Both your deductible and your annual maximum reset at the end of each year. If you’re already paid through the former and have yet to exceed the latter, it may be a good idea to get any necessary dental care now so that you don’t have to pay your deductible next year.
Preventive Care is Typically Low-Cost
While every dental plan is different, many of them make preventive care as cheap as they can. This is because preventing an issue from happening is much less expensive for them than paying out once it’s started—checkups and cleanings are much less expensive than dental crowns.
Many people are offered two checkups each year, often with little-to-no copay. Moreover, patients often don’t even need to pay their deductible in order to access these benefits. If you need a checkup, it may not cost you anything to get one from an in-network provider.
Coverage Does Not Roll Over
In a similar vein, you should be warned that your dental benefits don’t roll over. If you haven’t made use of your preventive appointments this year, you only have until the start of the next to get their benefits. If you don’t want to lose them, you have to use them!
About Our Practice
We know that lots of people aren’t the biggest fan of their dentist, which is why at Elwood Avenue Dental we’re happy to say that our patients actually like coming to our office! Our friendly dental team and comfortable office are inviting to all kinds of patients, and our use of advanced dental technology means that our patients get efficient, incredible dental care no matter what it is that they need from us.
If you have any questions about dental insurance, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (918) 299-2298.