Understanding the importance of medical insurance seems like a no-brainer. They assist in your well-being and try to ensure you don’t run out of finances in the process. It covers you for most of your dental expenses against the regular premiums you pay.
In such scenarios, it remains an open question…are these insurances worth it?
Dental wellness can possibly be compared with leafy vegetables: often ignored but extremely essential for well-maintained health. According to studies, almost 33% of people falling in the age bracket of 18 to 34 years are reluctant to smile due to their not-so-healthy teeth. Following a constant check-up routine for your dental hygiene can help prevent several potential ailments. However, while dealing with major dental problems, planned dental insurance in place can aid in getting proper treatments at a more affordable cost. Adding dental insurance, thus tends to round out your entire wellbeing.
What is Dental Insurance?
In line with medical insurances, dental insurance also aims at helping patients with soaring costs. It proves to be a helping hand in times of medical need. Dental wellness serves to be quite important in everyone’s life, whether you’re a teenager or a 60-year-old grandparent! Your teeth and their strength play a vital role in improving your life and overall health.
Overview of Dental Insurance
To start, here’s a breakdown of how individual dental insurance works. You select an insurance plan based on the suppliers (dentists) that are available to visit and what you can afford out-of-pocket.
- If you already have a dentist and they are in the insurance company’s network, you can pick one of their plans.
- If you don’t have a dentist, you can look over any of the dental specialists who are in the network, then opt for a plan.
- You can still get insurance if your current dentist isn’t in the insurance network, however, the costs can be so high that you may lose the chance of coming out ahead.
The monthly expenses will rely upon the insurance company, your area, and the plan you pick. For some individuals, the month-to-month premiums start around $50/mo. This implies that you’re spending $600 on dental costs every year regardless of whether you get any work done.
Will It Help Me?
Dental insurance can help you a great deal when you visit your dentist for more than just cleanings. For the monthly premium you pay, these insurances tend to cover minor and major expenses. At times when there is a need for extensive dental treatments including root canals, implants, extractions, or cavity fillings, the insurance plans can significantly reduce the overall cost.
What Does the Plan Include?
Most dental insurance plans provide coverage for three different service levels.
- Preventive Care
This takes all those treatments into account which help in the prevention of further serious diseases. It includes regular X-Rays, Teeth cleanings, and dental check-ups. This type of care is mostly covered at 100% by the insurance.
- Basic Minor Procedures
These are the fundamental restorative care treatments like fillings and root canals. The basic procedures are covered 70-80% by the dental plans for their expenditures.
- Major Restoration Care
This care includes complex restoration treatments including dentures, bridges, and crowns. The insurance plans cover almost half of the dental care expenditures in this.
How Do I Choose a Plan?
Always make sure to choose a plan that has high annual benefits, that your plan covers all required services, and keeps track of what percentage of each service type the plan pays for. There can certainly be variations in different dental insurance plans, but it should cover all the essential care treatments.
The plans usually fall into one of these groupings; The Indemnity Plans where you get to pick your own dental provider and the plan pays a part of your provider’s consultation fee, The Preferred Provider Organization plans where you get a preferred dental provider according to the plan, and lastly, The Health Maintenance Organization plans which let you choose your dentist from the insurance network.
Is Dental Insurance Worth It?
Now, you may be thinking that people don’t end up a winner with dental insurance plans, and you may be right but maybe not when considering the low-risk investment. Insurance is intended to secure you financially from worst case health scenarios, and not all insurance plans are the same. All plans come with varying pros and cons but it’s vital to ensure that the carrier you choose has a wide network. This might increase your premium in certain cases, but the services they can offer can make up for it. Getting dental insurance remains a free choice but, considering the value they add to your well-being…sure makes them well worth it!
If you have questions about dental coverage, contact your insurance carrier or your employer’s benefits coordinator.
If you don’t have the time or would prefer some professional help, contact us at Henderson Insurance and we’ll help you navigate the decision process. Call or visit our website for more info: 617-842-3170 | www.hendersoninsuranceus.com