What dental benefits do – and don’t do

Dental coverage varies, but overall, dental benefits are meant to help keep you and your smile healthy. Here’s what you can expect from your dental benefits.

What They Do:

Dental benefits make dental care more affordable. Dental coverage is designed to focus on prevention, which is why procedures such as exams and cleanings are usually covered at 100 percent. Services like these help dentists catch problems early. Preventive services can also save money by helping you avoid the need for more costly treatments — such as fillings and root canals. Dental procedures typically cost less than medical procedures. So, the deductible you have to meet before your dental plan pays its share is much lower than a medical deductible you might be used to. If your medical plan and dental plan are bundled together, you may need to meet the higher medical deductible before dental benefits take effect.
Dental benefits make going to the dentist simple. Easy as that!
Dental benefits provide access to dental expertise. Dental benefits carriers employ dentists that make sure claims are handled correctly, and often provide resources and tools dedicated solely to getting the most out of your dental benefits.
Preventive care can help with the early detection of over 120 diseases. While it may be obvious that dentists screen for oral cancer, gum disease and other oral health issues during routine checkups, they can also detect signs and symptoms of non-oral health problems. In fact, dentists have been trained to identify the oral symptoms of systemic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The earlier conditions like these are detected in patients, the better chance they have for treatment and survival.

What they don’t do:

Dental benefits don’t cover the full cost of dental care. They do, however, help pick up the costs. If you require a restorative treatment such as a root canal, copays, coinsurance, annual maximums and deductibles are all ways you share the cost of treatment with your dental carrier instead of footing the entire bill yourself. Dental plans vary in coverage, so be sure to check your policy to see what treatments are covered and which ones may incur additional out-of-pocket costs.

For more information on your dental benefits, visit DeltaDentalMN.org.