Now Is the Perfect Time to Maximize Your Dental Insurance

It’s been more than six months since your last dental appointment. You meant to schedule one after your last cleaning, but you just haven’t gotten around to it. Did you know that by avoiding the dentist, you might actually be losing money? That’s right, keeping your biannual appointments can mean more money in your pocket. Let’s talk about why this time of year is perfect for visiting your dentist in South Jersey and maximizing your dental insurance benefits.

Why Should You Use Insurance Before the End of the Year?

You wouldn’t pay for something and then just decide not to use it, right? Believe it or not, that’s exactly what you’re doing when you pay your dental insurance premiums and decide not to attend your appointments. Since your benefits won’t roll over when the year changes, now is the perfect time to utilize them.

Even if you don’t think you have anything wrong with your teeth, it never hurts to make a preventive visit. That way your dentist can diagnose problems early on before they become much harder to deal with. For example, let’s say you have a small cavity that you yourself can’t even notice, but your dentist catches. He or she can then treat it with a simple filling, which is often covered at little or no cost to you. However, if you wait until that cavity has gotten painful to get it treated, it might need a procedure that is more expensive and time-consuming, like a root canal. That’s why preventive care is massively important, which is mainly what your insurance covers.

What Services Are Covered Under Your Insurance?

Dental insurance is more about prevention of larger issues than anything else. That’s why they typically cover the cost of your twice-a-year checkups and cleanings, so you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket. Besides just cleaning your teeth and checking for cavities, your dentist also checks for warning signs of other problems, like gum disease or oral cancer. Both of those problems can be very serious, or even fatal, in the case of oral cancer. That’s why your insurance typically covers the entire cost of these visits.

For some restorative procedures, like fillings or root canals, your insurance will only cover the partial cost. This is because these issues could have been prevented. However, when it comes to elective cosmetic procedures, like porcelain veneers or teeth whitening, your insurance will likely not cover the cost, because they are not seen as medically necessary.

Since you’re already paying your premiums, why not visit your dentist in South Jersey? You’re already paying for it, so you might as well get the most bang for your buck.

About the Author

Dr. David Crescenzo completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1990 at Georgetown Dental School. Currently, he practices at the Center for Advanced Cosmetic Dentistry in Hammonton, NJ. He thoroughly enjoys getting to see patients enjoy their new and improved smiles for the first time, smiles that he helped make possible. To book your appointment before the end of the year, click here or call (609) 561-0058.