It might sound counterintuitive, but maximizing your dental insurance by using up your benefits before the end of the year can save you money – as well as save you time and help you to avoid dental care problems
If you have dental insurance, here are 6 reasons to consider making the most of your coverage before the end of the year.
Yearly maximum
You probably know that most dental insurance plans have a limit of how much they will pay in a single benefit year. But did you also know that if you have unused benefits at the end of your benefit year, they will not rollover to the next year? As the old adage goes, use it or lose it.
Planning ahead before your benefit year ends will help you to ensure that you get the maximum value out of your insurance coverage and that you don’t inadvertently lose benefits by not using them.
Deductible
Many insurance companies will require you to pay a deductible out of pocket before they will cover any dental services. When your plan resets at the start of a new benefit year, your deductible will also be reset.
By making use of your maximum dental coverage after you have met your deductible, you can arrange to have more work done within a single benefit year rather than spreading that work out over multiple benefit years. This will help you avoid paying your deductible more frequently than you need to.
Premiums
The amount that you pay each month to your benefits plan to purchase dental coverage is called the premium. If you make monthly premium payments but never seek dental care, this is the same as throwing your hard-earned money away.
We recommend that you see your denturist every year for a denture and oral examination. Regular care will serve to maintain your oral health, prevent future denture problems, and ensure you are getting good value from your monthly premiums.
Annual checkups are provided at no charge by many denturists (so won’t use up your benefits) and are a great way to discuss the current state of your denture and any needed work to increase comfort, improve fit, and keep your denture functioning optimally for as long as possible.
Fee increases
The cost of providing denture services is affected by the cost of materials, equipment, and more. To keep pace with increased production costs, dental associations often increase fees at the beginning of each year.
Choosing to use your dental insurance to help you undergo treatment this year can help you avoid having the same work done next year (after a fee increase has happened) which may make your overall treatment costs more expensive.
Worsening denture problems
A pressure point or sore spot can often be adjusted quickly and at no charge. However, if left untreated, a sore spot can turn into something more problematic.
Many minor issues – loosening fit, a broken tooth, a hairline crack in your denture’s acrylic – can expand into larger and more expensive problems if not dealt with quickly. Using your dental benefits to help you take care of the small matters today will help to prevent having to deal with more extensive and costly treatments in the future.
Heading into the holidays
Whenever possible, we advise planning to schedule denture appointments well in advance of the holiday season. That time of year is often very busy for dental offices, and many dental offices will shut down for a few days or longer around the holidays. This can make it challenging to get appointment dates and times that suit your schedule and needs best.
Holidays for many are about making memories –and capturing those moments in pictures. If you are thinking about any aesthetic updates to your denture, consider starting your treatment in October or November, to allow adequate time to give your smile a boost.