For most Americans, getting insurance is a no-brainer. It seems like it’s the most obvious thing to do. An average American will spend about $360 a year on dental insurance. That’s somewhere between $15 and $50 a month. You can, however, find deals as low as $8 per month and if you scour the net, you may find the ones most suited to your needs.
Wondering if Dental Insurance is Worth It?
Most dental insurance plans come with a coverage limit. The limit could be anywhere between $1000 to $2000. However, only about 2% to 4% of Americans exhaust their annual limit. So, most likely, you wouldn’t exceed your limit unless there was an exceptional dental issue.
Should I Buy Dental Insurance?
The key difference between health insurance and best dental insurance is that health insurance covers costs once you reach the amount of your deductible, while dental insurance cuts off coverage once you reach your annual limit. Once the limit is reached, you will have to pay additional costs out of your pocket.
What Dental Insurance Actually Covers?
Dental Insurance usually covers the basics such as fillings, cleanings, and X-rays. But in case you knock out a tooth and go for an implant, you only get paid half the costs up to your maximum. After that, you would need to pay from your own pocket.
As per John Barnes, a CFP and insurance agent, “Dental insurance usually covers preventative care at 100%, basic care, which includes fillings and simple extractions, at 80%, and major services like root canals at 50%”.
You might also have to wait for a period for major dental procedures like tooth fillings. So if, say, you need to have a cavity filled before the waiting period, you’re probably out of luck and will need to cover the whole cost on your own. If you show regular dental insurance coverage, your waiting period might get waived off, in case you’re lucky.
Usually, dental plans cover 100% of preventive care procedures such as X-rays, cleanings, and annual check-ups. If you have healthy teeth and gums, this might seem optional but if you’re regular with taking care of your teeth, you will surely end up saving money in the long run.
How to Decide If You Should Get Dental Insurance?
This may be tricky. If you need to get major dental procedures done, then your insurance company will probably not cover very much. On the other hand, if you don’t need much work at all, you might spend more on insurance than you could use.
The best way is to get dental coverage through your employer. Also, definitely consider going for it if you have elderly people to take care of, or if you have children. These age groups require most dental care.
If you’re regular with your dental check-ups and have kept your teeth and gums in fine shape, you may skip it altogether as the chances of anything major happening is quite low. In case you can afford the high expenditure of a high-cost dental procedure, that’s a good enough reason to skip dental insurance costs too.
Michael Lovell is a Medical insurance agent who has made the decision-making fairly simple. He asks us to consider the following to figure out if we want to go for dental insurance or not:
- Do you go to the dentist for cleanings twice per year?
· Is your dentist in the network?
· Is your annual premium equal to or less than the cost of two cleanings, two exams, and one set of x-rays?
As you may have figured out by now, your dental health and the plan you choose for dental insurance will determine if it’s a good choice for your specific needs. The best it can offer is a safety net in case you do end up spending a lot on extensive dental procedures.
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