Dental Insurance

Get Preventive Care with Dental Insurance

When most people think about health insurance, they think first about covering costs of treatment for serious medical conditions or accidents. That’s a natural thing to do. But there’s another type of insurance that’s equally important to your well being: Dental Insurance. Because dental disease is so common, being protected by Dental Insurance and using it wisely are essential safeguards for you and your family.

What Dental Insurance Is Not

Unlike medical insurance, most dental coverage is designed to ensure that the patient receives regular preventive care. High quality dental care rarely requires the complex, multiple resources often required by medical care. A thorough examination by the dentist and a set of x-rays are all it usually takes to diagnose a problem. By and large, dental care is provided by a general practitioner, although some cases may require the services of a dental specialist. Because most dental disease is preventable, dental benefits plans are structured to encourage patients to get the regular, routine care so vital to preventing and diagnosing the onset of serious disease.

Who Needs Dental Insurance?

Unlike medical emergencies, the costs of a dental “emergency” are unlikely to run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is important to realize, however, that most recommended dental care is preventative in nature, and that dental disease can and does affect the rest of your body. In other words, dental insurance, since it can reduce the cost of routine care and help prevent expensive, chronic disease—not to mention improving your quality of life—is a great long-term investment for anyone.

Things To Think About

Does the plan give you the freedom to choose your own dentist or are you restricted to a panel of dentists selected by the insurance company? Who controls treatment decisions—you and your dentist or the dental plan? Does the plan cover diagnostic, preventive and emergency services? If so, to what extent? What routine corrective treatment is covered by the dental plan? What share of the costs will be yours? What major dental care is covered by the plan? What percentage of these costs will you be required to pay? Will the insurance plan allow referrals to specialists? Will my dentist and I be able to choose the specialist? Can you see the dentist when you need to, and schedule appointment times convenient for you? Will the dental insurance plan provide benefits to patients who may also be covered by another dental plan?