If you have dental insurance, you work hard to earn your dental benefits and should be using them – even if it’s just for your regular cleanings. Regular visits, to the dentist help prevent and detect early signs of cavities, gum disease, oral cancer or other dental problems.
It’s October, and your end of the plan year is fast approaching. On December 31st at midnight, any of your unused benefits will expire. You can bet your insurance company isn’t going to be encouraging you to use your remaining benefits. “We invite our patients to call our office for a ‘benefits check’ at this time of year,” says Dr. John Evanish, Horizon Dental Care. “We’ll contact their insurer for them, so they can see what benefits they’ve used, and what’s still available for them.”
If you have dental work, you are putting off, now is the time to schedule an appointment. Those benefits you paid for will not carry over to next year. In addition, many insurances provide little to no coverage until you spend a certain amount out of your own pocket – your annual deductible. If you’ve used your insurance at all this year, you may have already met your deductible which unfortunately does not rollover to 2019 either. “Dental problems rarely fix themselves and by delaying treatment, patients risk more extensive and expensive treatment down the road,” according to Dr. Evanish. “What may be a simple cavity now, could turn into a root canal later.”
The bottom line: the benefits you do not use you will lose so call your dentist today!
