Every month, you pay a premium to your dental insurance company so that your care will be more affordable. But are you truly making the most of your monthly investment? Since dental insurance can be a bit more confusing than medical insurance, many people don’t quite know how to navigate their plans. Luckily, it’s easy to maximize your dental insurance benefits if you follow these four tips from a dentist in Carrollton.
1. Use Your Preventive Coverage
Have you been seeing your dentist at least twice a year? If not, then you’re definitely not getting the most out of your benefits. Dental insurance prioritizes preventive care, so your plan most likely covers two checkups and cleanings per year at no additional cost to you. During these appointments, your dentist examines your mouth and can detect small oral health problems, such as cavities, that you may not have even noticed yet. You can get these issues treated right away with conservative, affordable methods. If you were to wait until your mouth started hurting to see the dentist, you’d have to deal with not only discomfort, but a more invasive and expensive procedure.
2. Find Out When Your Dental Benefits Expire
Most people’s dental benefits reset at the end of the calendar year. If you haven’t used all of that year’s benefits, they’ll most likely disappear, meaning you didn’t get back the coverage you paid for with your premiums. To avoid wasting money, make sure to schedule any necessary dental treatments before this date. Your dentist’s team can help you learn when your benefits expire and how to use them to the fullest.
3. Check Your Flexible Spending Account
Some workplaces let you set aside a percentage of each paycheck into a flexible spending account (FSA) to cover medical and dental expenses. Like insurance, FSA dollars often need to be used by a certain date. Talk with your HR representative about when your FSA dollars expire, and make sure to use them before then.
4. Visit an In-Network Dentist
If you’re like most people with dental insurance, you have a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan, which gives you the freedom to select which dentist you visit. However, seeing a dentist who is in-network with your plan can significantly reduce the amount of money you’ll have to pay out of pocket. While you can still save money even by seeing an out-of-network dentist, an in-network one can help you get the most bang for your buck.
Dental insurance is an investment, but very few people end up making the most of it. As the year winds down, now is the perfect time to schedule an appointment and learn how you can save!
About the Practice
Our team at Epic Family Dentistry of Carrollton is proud to be an in-network provider for all PPO dental insurance plans. We’ll even file claims on your behalf to make sure you’re getting all of the discounts you qualify for! If you’re looking for a dentist in Carrollton, TX who provides top-quality care at affordable rates, reach out to us by calling 972-820-7294.