Dental Insurance
Dental insurance is insurance that covers dental care. Dental insurance has long been separate from medical insurance, although employers often offer a benefit package that includes both medical and dental insurance.
The benefits of dental insurance can include:
- Lower out-of-pocket costs for non-preventive dental care. Without dental insurance you end up paying the full cost for dental treatments and procedures. Your insurance company negotiates with the dentists in its network to offer you lower costs. This is how a dental plan helps protect you from the high cost of dental care.
- $0 preventive dental care. Most dental plans cover you 100% for routine, preventive dental care. These plans include a dental exam, cleaning, and some X-rays every six months. For children it may also include fluoride and other pediatric preventive dental care.
- Good dental health impacts other health, too. Good dental health can help you identify health problems before they become major. During your regular oral exam, your dentist not only cleans and polishes your teeth, but they also check your whole mouth, throat, and tongue for cancer and other potentially serious issues. Keeping teeth and gums healthy can also help avoid serious health problems like heart disease. For existing health problems, poor oral health can actually worsen things like diabetes and coronary artery disease