2020 Dental Insurance: Use It or Lose It!

Whether you have an individual plan or one through your employer, there is no time like the present to maximize your dental insurance benefits. After all, many reset in January, meaning there are only a few weeks left to prevent your coverage from turning into wasted dollars. If you are unsure where to start, here are three tips to help!

Tip #1: Utilize Your Preventive Care

No oral hygiene regimen is complete without bi-yearly trips to the dentist, which is why most dental plans cover the cost of routine visits in full. After all, they play a crucial role in cleaning the hard-to-reach areas of your mouth, removing stubborn plaque and tartar, and detecting non-dental issues, like oral cancer. However, if you skip one of your preventive care appointments, you don’t get an extra one the following year. So, if you haven’t scheduled your second professional checkup and cleaning, then there is no time like the present to do so!

Tip #2: Check If You’ve Met Your Annual Maximum

Your annual maximum is the highest dollar amount your insurance provider will put toward your treatment within a given year. Since it resets when your plan does, don’t put off scheduling any restorative procedures that your dentist recommends. That way, you can use the residual coverage toward protecting your oral health and your beautiful smile. 

Tip #3: Use Your FSA Dollars for Out-of-Pocket Expenses

A Flexible Spending Account is an employer-sponsored health benefit that allows employees to set aside a portion of their paycheck to cover medical-related expenses that arise throughout the year. Sadly, many patients are unaware of how much is in their FSA or forget about it entirely, leaving it to reset before they have a chance to use it. To prevent this from happening to you, ask your HR department (or whoever handles your benefits) about utilizing your dollars toward out-of-pocket expenses before the new year.

The last thing you want is for the coverage you pay for to go to waste. Fortunately, you can prevent that from happening by utilizing the above tips before the end of the year!

About the Author

Since earning his dental degree at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Luciano Marini has completed countless continuing education hours to bring the highest quality of dental care to patients in his community. Plus, his knowledgeable team can file your health insurance claims on your behalf to maximize your coverage to the fullest! If you would like to utilize your benefits before the new year, visit his website or give him a call at 203-575-9097.