Seeing your dentist regularly will help you improve and maintain your oral health to reduce your chance of more expensive treatment in the future. In addition to a variety of dental services and treatments, your dentist can help identify high-risk behaviors and provide valuable guidance and strategies for managing them. They can also play a vital role in the early detection and management of many serious health conditions including chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The bottom line is that your oral health does not just affect your mouth. Oral health is connected to your whole health and well-being.
Having dental insurance, like Blue DentalSM, plays a large role in encouraging you to see a dentist regularly. Dental coverage helps address the number one reason people do not go – cost. According to the National Institutes of Health's recent report on oral health, half of US adults with dental insurance have gone to the dentist at least once in the past 12 months. That percentage drops to 16% for those without dental coverage.1
Dental plans provide access to a network of dentists that may reduce their charges. When you visit an in-network dentist, it may reduce your cost significantly. In fact, if you need more expensive dental work, the savings can more than offset the cost of your annual dental coverage premium.
It is important for you to understand the difference between your medical and dental plans and coverage.
Medical plans help make health care more affordable. Emergency care, surgery, medications, hospital stays, and major long-term conditions can range from thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. With a medical plan, those costs can be minimized.
Dental plans are designed differently since the cost of dental treatment is not as high compared to medical and prescription expenses. Also, dental disease is often preventable with regular dental visits, thus reducing costly dental procedures.
Dental plans can cover the cost of preventive services such as routine exams and cleanings, as well as fluoride treatments and sealants for children. This emphasis on preventive dental coverage helps remove financial barriers to encourage regular preventive care.
When dental problems arise, plans can cover a substantial portion of the cost of treating basic dental services such as fillings. For more costly dental treatments such as crowns, dentures, and bridges, coverage may require members to assume a greater portion of the cost.
Dental insurance encourages you to take responsibility for your oral health by seeing your dentist regularly. This approach also encourages healthier individuals to continue to participate in dental coverage programs, which helps keep premiums lower for everyone over time.
1 National Institutes of Health: Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges: Executive Summary, December 2021, pg. 12.
Last updated: 12/9/2022
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