The holiday season is just around the corner, and chances are that your wallet is already feeling the pinch. With get-togethers, gifts, celebrations, and charitable donations ahead of you and your family, every dollar counts from now until the end of the year. Well, if you haven’t visited the dentist and used your dental insurance benefits in a while, you could lose money both now and in the future. Before 2019 ends, make sure that you take advantage of your dental insurance benefits. Why? Read on to find out!
You’ve already paid for your benefits.
Every month, you pay your dental insurance premiums. In exchange, you have access to certain insurance benefits, particularly when it comes to preventive services. If you don’t attend regular dental visits, it’s as if you’ve thrown away a load of groceries right after paying for them. Although each insurance plan can have different benefits from the next, many plans cover dental checkups and cleanings at very little or even no additional cost to you. That means that you can get two “free” dental visits per year.
Your benefits will expire.
With the new calendar year comes the renewal of your dental insurance benefits. What does that mean? Basically, your benefits will reset or start over. Unlike your vacation days at work, if you don’t use your dental insurance benefits, they do not carry over into the following year. So regardless of whether you saw the dentist this year, you will still have the same benefits when 2020 rolls around. If you don’t use the benefits that you have now, you’ll lose them along with the money you spent for your insurance coverage.
Waiting for treatment is never a good idea.
If you have an oral problem like a severe toothache, you may think that you can save money by avoiding a visit to the dentist, but that is far from the truth. In reality, the longer you put off treatment, the worse and the more expensive the problem will become. Although most insurances cover routine checkups and cleanings, restorative care to resolve problems is only 50 to 80 percent covered, which means that you’ll pay more out of pocket. Addressing an oral issue as soon as possible allows you to have the most conservative (and therefore cost effective) treatment.
Prevention saves you money.
So how can you maximize your dental insurance coverage to save the most money? You can take a more preventive approach to your dental care. Essentially, you need to maintain healthy oral habits by making sure that you see your dentist at least twice every year and brushing and flossing every day. When you take advantage of your dental insurance the way it was intended (i.e., to stop problems from happening in the first place), you can avoid having to spend money out of pocket on problems down the road.
The last thing you want to worry about this holiday season and in the upcoming year is repairing your smile. Take the necessary steps now to be current with your dental visits. That way, you use the services you’ve already paid for, and you steer clear of problems in the future. Contact your dentist and schedule your appointment before the end of the year!
About the Practice
For decades, Indianapolis Family Dentistry has been serving local patients and helping them save on their dental care. In fact, Dr. Mark Farthing and Dr. Armin Tepner are proud to accept many dental insurance plans. They even have an in-house savings plan for those who don’t have dental insurance. If you have a question about dental insurance or the savings plan, you can contact Indianapolis Family Dentistry by calling (317) 898-3384 or clicking here.