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The Hidden Truths about Dental Insurance Policies

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Zyra Robinson

Patients are often left in the dark when it comes to dental insurance policies. According to oral care experts from Dentist Beaumont, the lack of knowledge by patients regarding their insurance plans often stem from many misconceptions about the coverage of their dental insurance. “Patients should know and should read the fine print. They have to ask questions from their dentists and their insurance agents about the coverage of their dental plans so that they know what to expect, what’s covered, or how much he or she is insured should a treatment or a major operation be required,” said one of the dentists in Beaumont.

Dental Beaumont oral care specialists said that the amount of coverage is a very tricky one. “All insurance companies sell many different polices each with different benefit levels. What determines the policy benefits is the premium that your employer is willing to pay. The greater the policy premiums the greater its benefits,” said one of the specialists. The benefits that are stated in a dental insurance policy can be broken down into several categories. The annual maximum, which is one category, would never be exceeded. Most polices provide maximum coverage between $1000 and $1500 per policy year, which is usually the calendar year. “It means that if you are not able to utilize the maximum benefit during one calendar year then you cannot have some sort of a carry over of unused benefits from that year for the following year. If you want to maximize the coverage, and then use the benefits to the max for that given year,” said a dentist.

Dentistry Beaumont dentists said that the problem with the maximum benefit is that it never changes. It means that the buying power of that policy that you’ve availed of is eroded every year by inflation. A DDS in Beaumont explained that when the $1,000 per year maximum coverage was established in the late 1960’s it was a reasonable benefit level. But 40 years later, this benefit, if it had been adjusted for inflation, would cost from $8,500 to $12,000.

He said that the policy’s annual maximum should be adjusted for inflation. “Most insurance policies will tell you that your doctor or dentist is overcharging that’s why your benefits are depleted. But the truth is that according to economic surveys, on a relative dollar amount, dentists make less money today than they did 40 or 50 years ago,” he said. The dentist also pointed out that patients must understand how the percentage of the treatment fee that the insurance company claims it will pay works. Dental treatments are usually divided into three broad categories-preventative, which include examinations, radiographs (x-rays) and cleanings; basic, which covers direct restorations (fillings), endodontics (root canals) and periodontics (gum treatment); and major, which involves crowns (caps), bridges and dentures.

Patients should be more informed about your dental insurance so they can decide which dental insurance policy offers the best coverage. The doctor or dentist uses the patient’s best interest as the bases for treatment recommendations while the insurance company uses its bottom line as the bases if its decisions because it is answerable to its shareholders.

Dental insurance is a thorny issue for the dentist, the insurance company, and the patient. The patient must fully understand what his dental policy covers, according to

Dentist Beaumont

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The Hidden Truths about Dental Insurance Policies

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