Dental insurance is a great benefit, but you may wonder why your monthly premiums don’t cover conditions as your medical insurance does.
Why Dental Insurance Is Unique
The disconnect between medical and dental insurance has always existed; in 1840, the University of Maryland proposed dentistry as a medical specialty and was rejected. This doesn’t make much sense considering all we know about the relationship between your oral health and your general well-being.
Dental insurance is often compared to AAA coverage because its purpose is to encourage routine “maintenance.” This is a crucial benefit because prevention is still the best way to keep your smile healthy and problem free.
But while preventive services like cleanings and exams are usually covered in full by insurance, if you crack a tooth in an accident, your premium will cover only cover a portion of the restoration. In addition to thin coverage per service, reimbursement for dental treatment is usually capped at about $1,500.
A Glimmer of Hope
There is hope that dental insurance will catch up with medical insurance regarding better coverage. Mounting data suggests that covering dental as part of medical could benefit the healthcare industry.
Patients make approximately 800,000 visits to emergency rooms each year for oral-health-related problems. It stands to reason that many people would get preventive dental care if it were covered by medical insurance, potentially saving money on emergency care.
Please Call Us for More Information
Until that day in the future when dental and medical insurance merge, your Van Nuys dentist will continue to help you understand your benefits to get the most out of them. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to call us. Our Patient Coordinator will be happy to assist you.