1. PPO insurance is always best…..but there is a catch.
You may go to any dentist who accepts PPO insurance. However, if
your dentist is not a preferred provider, you will likely have a greater
out of pocket expense. Fortunately, Cowan Family Dentistry is a preferred provider with several dental plans. This allows you to gain the greatest benefit from your insurance. Tammy is always happy to assist you in finding out if we are a participating provider for your plan.
Even if Cowan Family Dentistry is not a preferred provider for your plan, we can still offer great care and service and can help you utilize your benefits to the best of our ability.
2. Dental Insurance is like medical insurance…..kind of
When compared to medical insurance, dental insurance usually has a lower deductible ($50 in most cases). Some medical insurance plans can have a deductible as high as $5000! Score one for dental insurance!
With medical insurance, once you meet your deductible, you canusually count on your insurance to cover a percentage of any other needs until the end of your policy year. Its almost the opposite fordental insurance. Once you meet the relatively small deductible for your plan, your dental insurance will cover a percentage of your needed care up to around $1500 per year. Once you reach yourmaximum, your dental insurance will still offer you reduced prices, yet the percentage that you are now responsible for will be 100%.
3. Great! My insurance covers two free cleanings per year…..or does it?
Every patient who has dental insurance is always excited that they have two ‘free’ cleanings per year. Unfortunately, if you read the fine print, the two cleanings apply when someone does not have periodontal disease. Recent literature has shown that up to 67% of the adult population has bleeding, swollen, gums or heavy plaque buildup. Therefore, those patients who are diagnosed with periodontal disease may not receive the two free cleanings that were initially expected.
When you are diagnosed with periodontal disease, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners holds dentists accountable to first treat the disease appropriately and then place the patient on a periodontal re-care of every 90 days, thus four times per year. Dental insurance will still be of benefit, but the promise of two free cleanings may not applyin the way you think it does.
I hope that this blog has been of some benefit in answering the most common questions about dental insurance. I encourage you to call my insurance expert, Tammy ([phonelink]), if you have any questions about dental insurance. I especially encourage you to call if your work place asks you if you want to make any changes to your current dental plan.
Dr. C
