How to get the most out of Dental Insurance Benefits

With only a few weeks to end the year, now is the best time to take a look at your dental insurance plan to check if you have any unused benefits left before the year comes to an end.

If you have dental insurance, your policy allows for a certain dollar amount of coverage to be provided to you each year. If your maximum coverage benefit is not used during the year, you lose those benefits because unused coverage does not carry over to the next year. The good news is you can still take advantage of your dental benefits before they run out.

This short guide is meant to provide answers to some common questions we get about dental insurance. If you have more questions, we’re here to help!

Review Your Account

Depending on the type of plan or company you have, you can check your insurance statements, log into your insurance account online or call your dental insurance provider. We can also often give you an estimate on your out-of-pocket cost and help you find out if you have met your deductible already.

Understand your coverage.

It’s not enough to simply secure dental insurance; you also need to understand what you are able to get. Dig into the details and fully research the limitations, coverage, and exclusions. If you have a dentist you’d like to keep, ask him or her about the plans they participate in and recommend. The typical dentist is interested in keeping customers happy, while also ensuring that they get paid. Most are happy to sit down and talk with you about your insurance needs, especially if it means they get to keep you as a patient.

Preventive and Diagnostic Care: It generally consists of things like cleanings and oral exams two times a year. It also includes x-rays, as well as fluoride treatment. This type of plan covers typically at a hundred percentage via your carrier.

Basic Restorative Care: Usually with this plan, you will need to pay only 20% of the costs. This includes procedures like fillings, extractions, root canals, and emergency palliative care, as well as other basic procedures.

Major Restorative Care: Major restorative care includes crowns, bridges, implants, dentures, and other major procedures. These are more complex treatments and a dental plan will cover 50% of the costs, leaving you to cover the remaining 50 percent.

Orthodontic treatment: Some premium plans will include up to $2,000 one in a lifetime coverage for braces. Make sure to ask about this benefit before enrolling in any plan, if it’s your interest.

Although dental treatment is never dictated by an insurance policy, our experience has shown that careful planning can often help maximize your benefits. Call us today at 305-2502288 to make sure you get an appointment before the end of the year. We look forward to hearing from you.