Use or Lose it: Take Advantage of Dental Insurance

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: if you have dental insurance, the best way to save yourself a lot of money is to remember the “use it or lose it” principle. Every year, we run a campaign encouraging our patients to schedule their cleanings, fillings, and other dental services before the end of the year, since dental insurance doesn’t rollover. If patients don’t use the amount allocated by their insurance by the end of the year, they lose that money.

August probably seems a little early to begin thinking about the end of the year but schedules fill up quickly. Back-to-school is just around the corner and before you know it, the holidays will be here. Evade the unnecessary anxiety by scheduling early and using your dental insurance before it’s too late.

Why Doesn’t Dental Insurance Rollover?

Dental insurance is an overly complicated web of unnecessary rules, insane numbers, and fine print. Very few of our patients truly understand how it works since the insurance companies do their best to keep anyone and everyone in the dark. They want their policyholders “out of the know” because that often means making more money. If you don’t know how something works, you won’t notice when the system cheats you.

In dental insurance, that cheat is losing the services you already paid for at the end of each calendar year. In a typical dental insurance plan, you probably get the following:

• Two cleanings,
• One set of x-rays
• A sum of money that you can use on other necessary dental services.

If you only get one cleaning in May and don’t go in for another one six months later, you lose the money you paid to the insurance company. The insurance company is happy because you paid them for a cleaning that they never had to cover. If you try to go in for a cleaning in January to use one of your two cleanings from the previous year, you’ll just end up using money from your current annual plan instead.

What Will My Insurance Cover?

It is never a good idea to sit on needed dental work. Many serious operations, from knee replacement to open-heart surgery, require dental clearance so it’s best to stay abreast of any dental concerns. Of course, that isn’t always easy and we understand that. A lot of people push dentist visits to the back burner because of financial concerns. If you need a lot of treatment, it can get expensive.

The thing is, a lot of our patients come into the office for the first time not knowing that their insurance will cover the majority of their treatment. They assume that insurance won’t cover things like fillings, crowns, or oral cancer screenings when in reality, they will. If you haven’t already gone past your limit for the year, many dental insurance companies will cover a variety of services.

The best way to know what your dental insurance covers is to come into the office and meet with our insurance experts. They’ll give you a complimentary insurance check to see what insurance will and won’t cover.

Want to learn more about dental insurance?

• Dental Insurance Benefits, Costs and Alternatives
• Should You Purchase Dental Insurance?
• Think Twice Before Buying Private Dental Insurance

Don’t Waste Your Money

If you have a dental insurance plan, you’ve already paid for regular visits to the dentist. You’ve already paid for the occasional filling or crown. Isn’t it better to schedule those appointments and effectively use that money instead of allowing the dental insurance companies to scam you out of hundreds of dollars?

If you’re ready to schedule your appointment at the Cary, NC Stanley Dentistry office, click here or call us at (919) 371-4454 today!