The Basics On How To Insure Your Teeth

The large majority of US adults have multiple cavities, suffer from some form/level of periodontal disease, or have another major dental needs. And yet, most people fail to protect themselves with dental insurance before they get hit with hundreds or thousands of dollars in dental bills.

​But it's not as simple as you might think to "insure your teeth". There are many different types of dental plans and several different approaches to handling dental expenses.

Health Plans Can Include Dental Coverage
First of all, it is true that some health insurance plans will include full dental coverage. If have such a plan, great. If you are in the market for one, talk to an experienced insurance agent today to locate your best offer!

But the reality is that most health insurance plans exclude dental care since it is normally covered by a separate policy. It's not uncommon for children's dental needs to be covered by your health insurance and for life-threatening or post-accident reconstructive dental surgeries to be covered.

But otherwise, most adults don't have health plans that will cover their dental needs - and such a plan might be out of reach financially for many.

Your Employer May Offer Dental Insurance
The second option to explore is whether your employer offers free or highly discounted dental plans as an employee benefit. This is a common offering and one you should not pass up if you have the chance.

The plan may not cover everyone in your whole family, however, even if it's available. Or, you may have to pay extra to add family members to your employer-provided dental insurance policy. You will have to weight the details to discover if it is feasible to take care of the whole family's dental needs via this option.

High VS Low Dental Insurance Plans
While details and networks and cost sharing methods vary greatly among different dental insurance options, the industry is typically divided into two general categories: "high" and "low".

High plans have higher premiums but lower cost sharing, while low plans cost very little but cover less of the dental bill as well. It's a trade off, and you have to calculate your likely annual dental needs to know which route is best for you.

Deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, out of pocket maximum, exclusions, premiums, and "wait" periods must all be taken into account. This is a job for a professional insurance agent! Why not let an expert crunch the numbers and feed you the answers on a scenario by scenario basis to make finding the perfect plan faster and less stressful?

Why Have Dental Insurance?
Dental insurance is one of the most sensible types of health insurance out there - almost everyone should have it. By paying for regular checkups and oral cleanings, your dental insurance reduces the risk of major dental problems down the road.

And normally, you get consultations 100% free. That's huge. Consider you could be paying $100 just to talk to a dentist about a problem (to say nothing of higher treatments costs) if you have not applicable insurance.

Since dental problems aren't covered by most regular health insurance for adults, and since almost everyone needs significant dental care throughout their life - this is the most sensible type of "secondary" health insurance to buy separately.

To further explore your options for "insuring your teeth," contact Summerlin Benefits Consulting today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced insurance broker!