Posted: December 13, 2018
Does your dental insurance expire at the end of the year or in Spring, 2019? If so, now is a great time to call our office and schedule an appointment. Your dental insurance basically provides discounted dental care, so that you can save money while also preventing cavities, gum disease and other oral health problems.
Plans vary widely, but yours may include coverage for:
- Teeth cleaning
- Annual x-rays
- Checkup with the dentist
- Dental fillings and other basic dental work
- Major dental work
Refer to your policy for specifics.
One thing to consider is your yearly maximum. This is the maximum amount that your policy will pay in a fiscal or calendar year. $1,000 is not an uncommon maximum. These maximums do not typically roll over if you renew your policy, so you should exhaust the maximum before your plan ends. Otherwise, there's money on the table for necessary dental care that could go to waste!
The same goes for your Flexible Spending Account, or FSA. If you have an FSA and if your contributions to that account may be used for approved dental work, then you should use that money before it expires. FSAs are use-it-or-lose-it accounts, so the contributions don't roll over.
The Importance of Prevention
If you and your employer each pay for a portion of the dental insurance premium each month, you want to make sure you take advantage of that income deduction. After all, it's money out of your paycheck! Even if you don't need major dental work or even simple dental work like fillings, you can always benefit from routine, preventive care:
- Cleanings, usually covered by insurance once every six months of your policy
- Exams performed by the dentist, also every six months
- Routine x-rays, usually partially or completely paid for once in the lifetime of your policy
Many dental insurance plans cover 100 percent of what they deem routine preventive care, such as cleanings and checkups. That means you can get this important care basically for free, other than paying into your premium.
Taking care of dental problems sooner than later is always a good idea. In fact, it's necessary to save time, money and hassle. A good example is a tooth cavity: In early stages, decay can usually be treated with a filling. If the decay is allowed to progress, then root canal therapy may be necessary in order to treat infection that has spread to the pulp of the root canals. Treatments tend to be less invasive, expensive and time-consuming for early stage issues.
Arrange Your Next Appointment
If you are ready to schedule your next checkup and cleaning, or think you may need some dental work completed, please call our office at 585-227-4390 to schedule the next available opening. If it is too late to take advantage of your current plan, you should still schedule your next appointment! Routine care prevents dental problems, and the sooner you get on track, the better.
