Do you view your dental insurance as a backup plan that will help you out if you ever face a dental emergency? Or do you see it as a monthly investment that can offer you returns year after year? Really, the latter perspective will help you to get more value from your policy. But just how can you maximize your dental insurance benefits? A dentist in Allen is here to discuss five useful and practical tips.
1. Keep Up with Preventive Care
Most PPO dental insurance policies allow you to attend two preventive appointments each year, usually while paying little to nothing out of pocket. When you visit your family dentist in Allen for your routine checkups and cleanings, you give them an opportunity to diagnose and treat oral health problems before they become serious. If you have not yet had your second checkup of 2020, the prime time to schedule it is now.
2. Don’t Postpone Restorative Treatments
If your dentist diagnoses a minor oral health problem, you should schedule any recommended restorative treatments ASAP. Doing so is in your best financial interests because insurance policies typically cover minor services, such as fillings, at about 80%. If you postpone treatment and allow an issue to worsen to the point where you require extensive treatment, your insurance might cover only half the cost.
3. Remember that Benefits Expire
Most insurance plans work on a calendar-year basis. At the beginning of 2020, you were allotted an annual maximum. The maximum is the highest dollar amount that your insurance company is willing to pay out for approved services during the year. On December 31, any unused portion of that maximum will expire. If you know you need a specific treatment, scheduling an appointment right away can help you to avoid letting your benefits dollars go to waste.
4. Be Strategic with Major Procedures
Many major dental treatments require multiple appointments to complete. If you need a procedure that will exceed your annual maximum, ask your dental team if you can schedule part of it in 2020 and the rest of it next year. You may thus be able to use two annual maximums instead of only one.
5. Know Your Policy
Of course, dental insurance policies vary greatly. It is worth your time to sit down and get to know the details of your coverage. Once you are familiar with the specifics of how it works, you will be in the best position to use it to your greatest advantage.
Are you getting all you can out of your 2020 dental insurance? The above tips can help you to use your policy to the full.
About the Author
Dr. Keyvan Kar is a prosthodontist, general dentist, and cosmetic dentist in Allen. He understands that many patients are concerned about the cost of care, which is why he welcomes payment from most PPO insurance plans. He also offers an in-house savings plan for patients without insurance. To learn more about Dr. Kar and his practice, contact our office at 214-260-9911.