Maximizing your insurance benefits before year end

As the end of the year approaches, the schedule at Monument Smiles‘ dental office can fill up quickly. If you wait too long, and are not able to get your unfinished treatment scheduled, you could run the risk of wasting your unused dental benefits. Most likely, your dental insurance premiums have been paid for by deductions from your paycheck. Rather than let those coverage dollars slip away, consider these tips for maximizing your hard-earned benefits:

  1. Use It or Lose It– Most dental insurance plans include an annual benefit cap.  Essentially, your insurance plan will allow a certain number of dollars to be applied towards your dental care each year. Should the year come to an end before you use all of your annual benefits, the dollars cannot be applied to the upcoming year. Instead, they are forfeited or wasted.
  2. Understand Your Dental Insurance Plan– Simply by knowing which procedures are covered by your plan, you can avoid billing surprises as you budget for every dollar of your annual benefits.

Most insurance plans group dental procedures into certain categories and cover a percentage of each service.  Here’s an example of the average breakdown of coverage:

  • 80-100% coverage for cleanings, exams, and x-rays
  • 50-80% coverage for fillings and periodontal treatment
  • 50-70% coverage for most crowns and root canals
  • Coverage for dental Implants, teeth whitening and other elective procedures will vary

Schedule your routine cleaning ASAP

Scheduling your checkup now will still leave you time to schedule any restorative treatment that has been recommended by your dentist before the year ends. If you choose to wait until December to book your cleaning, you may not be able to schedule your restorative appointment until after your benefit year ends. Also important to note: Your routine cleanings are usually a benefit that most plans cover at 100%.

As your trusted Scottsbluff NE dentist, we look forward to seeing you, whether it’s December or January. Still, we know that finances play an important role in your ability to receive the care that you need and the benefits that are outlined by your insurance plan can help to offset the costs. Call our office today and maximize your insurance benefits before time runs out.