It is said that dental health is key to your overall health. A dental exam can often detect undetected illnesses such as diabetes or osteoporosis. And that’s not all – poor dental care can have the potential to cause heart troubles.
So taking care of your teeth can result in taking care of your overall health.
It is recommended to visit your dentist regularly to have your teeth examined and cleaned.
Unless you have coverage through your employer, the cost of these services may deter you from going to the dentist.
The average cost for a dental cleaning is about $127.00. For a family of four, that has their teeth cleaned the recommended two times a year, there would be an out-of-pocket expense of just over $1,000 a year.
That is where proper dental insurance can help make sure you are taking care of your health.
Dental insurance can actually be relatively inexpensive with some plans offering coverage for as little as $12.00 a month for an individual or $45.00 a month for a family.
So as you can see, dental insurance isn’t that costly when you compare it to the cost of services.
Dental insurance coverage often includes:
- Preventive care, such as annual cleanings, exams, and x-rays.
- Basic procedures, such as fillings, root canals, and extractions.
- Major procedures, such as dentures, crowns, bridges, and implants.
Most plans have what is described as 100-80-50 coverage. This means that the coverage will pay 100% of the cost of routine preventative and diagnostic care such as check-ups and cleanings. It will cover 80% for fillings, root canals and other basic procedures and it will cover 50% for crowns, bridges and other major procedures.
You can get have full coverage or tailor the coverage for only what you think you may need. Through different co-pays and use of in-network providers, you can design your coverage to be within your budget.
With most plans, if you sign-up by the middle of the month, benefits will begin the first day of the following month.
So don’t wait – take care of your teeth.
Keep smiling!
