Maximizing Your Dental Insurance Benefits: 3 Useful Tips

The National Association of Dental Plans has found that only 2.8% of people with PPO dental plans meet their annual maximums every year. In other words, the vast majority of individuals with dental insurance are not taking full advantage of their benefits, meaning they are missing out on important opportunities to save money on oral health care. Want to maximize your dental insurance benefits? Your dentist has 3 tips that can help.

1. Make Sure That You Understand Your Plan

It’s hard to get the most out of your dental benefits when you aren’t entirely sure what they are. As such, you should take the time to review the details of your own plan. What services are included? What percentage is your insurance company willing to pay for a given treatment? These are just a few of the things you will want to clarify when looking at your benefits. Remember that you can always talk to your dental team if you need help understanding your dental insurance policy.

2. Schedule Two Dental Checkups and Cleanings Every Year

One very easy way to use your dental insurance benefits is to simply pay your dentist a visit for a checkup and cleaning once every six months. Many dental plans offer 100% coverage for preventive services. This is because taking steps to stop oral health issues from happening in the first place can lower your risk of needing more complex treatments in the future; as such, preventive care could ultimately end up saving you (and your insurance company) money.

3. Don’t Put Off Necessary Dental Work

You need to pay a specified amount of money known as a deductible before your coverage kicks in. Once your plan resets, you will have to meet your deductible again in order to take advantage of your new benefits. As such, if you have already taken care of this year’s deductible, you should have any necessary dental treatments performed as soon as possible; if you wait until your plan resets, you could end up paying more out of your own pocket.

Another reason not to delay dental work too long is that many oral health issues tend to grow worse the longer they go untreated. This is significant because many dental insurance plans will pay around 80% for basic restorative care but only 50% for major procedures. The longer you wait to have a problem in your mouth dealt with, the more likely you are to need a major form of treatment; it’s better to act quickly while more basic restorative options are still viable.

Dental insurance can be a valuable tool for saving money on your dental care, but only if you use it properly. Keep the above tips in mind and start making a plan to get the most out of the dental insurance benefits that you have left.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey R. DeMartino went to the Fairleigh S. Dickinson School of Dental Medicine for his dental education. He has been recognized as one of the “Top Dentists in America” by the Consumer’s Research Council of America. His Phillipsburg practice, DeMartino Dental Group, aims to help make dental care more affordable for patients by accepting a wide variety of dental insurance plans. To schedule a consultation with Dr. DeMartino, visit his website or call (908) 859-5260.