Dental insurance is a supplement for patients who would have trouble paying for their dental care out-of-pocket, and these days, that’s most of us. But as your dentist in Midlothian, we’ve seen some unsettling trends in the dental insurance world lately. It seems like dental insurance plans are reducing the services they cover, and adding more restrictions on the few services they do cover. That means that now, having dental insurance may be more of a hindrance than a help.
This trend seems to be primarily attributed to increasing premiums in the insurance industry… and the goal of the insurance agency to maximize profits wherever they can. Employers who want to provide dental benefits to their employees still have the same (or sometimes less) pool of funds to pay for it. The insurance company, in an effort to cover their premium increase, comes back with less benefit to keep the cost the same for the employer.
So how can you react to a reduction in services covered by your dental insurance? And what to do when the guidelines restrict your coverage like never before? We’ve got one piece of advice: don’t allow your dental insurance’s shrinking coverage to dictate your oral health.
Regular access to preventive dental care is absolutely crucial for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. And when you consider the fact that good tooth and gum health promotes overall well-being, we think your dental care should be a priority of health insurance, too — but that’s a different story. Aside from being the number one cause of tooth loss in adults over the age of 35, gum disease has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Recent research shows that treating gum disease lowers blood glucose levels in diabetes sufferers, and reduces inflammation in the heart for people with cardiovascular disease, too.
When you really need dental treatment, your ability to pay for it all at once shouldn’t be a factor. At Long Family Dental, we want to help make affording your dental care as comfortable as possible. That’s why we offer flexible financing options and are happy to work with CareCredit, the third-party healthcare financier that works like a credit card for medical expenses.
If you’re concerned about what your dental insurance won’t cover, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your dentist in Cleburne to discuss your payment options. But most importantly, don’t ever, ever put off necessary dental care due to insurance restrictions. Your oral and overall health are too important. Contact us to discuss dental insurance today.