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Dental Insurance can Save Seniors A Lot in Dental Care Costs
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While dental insurance is an extra expense on top of other health insurance, it actually can save you money in the long run. Many dental procedures and treatments can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. With dental insurance, the cost savings on preventative care and necessary treatments can far outweigh the cost of the insurance.
While dental insurance is an extra expense on top of other health insurance, it actually can save you money in the long run. Many dental procedures and treatments can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. With dental insurance, the cost savings on preventative care and necessary treatments can far outweigh the cost of the insurance.
Why Dental Insurance Is Important To Have
Dental issues are among the common health concerns seniors face – and usually cost a lot of money. Most health insurance plans do not cover dental care or only provide minimum coverage. As a result, many seniors avoid dental visits because of the high costs of dental care. This aggravates the problem, because without regular preventative care, small dental problems often turn into serious and thus expensive ones.
Having dental insurance can be cheaper than paying out of pocket for dental care. With dental insurance, seniors have to pay premiums, but they often get their scheduled dental check-ups for free. Similarly, dental insurance often can cover up to half of standard dental care costs and around 20% of restorative care charges.
What Does Dental Insurance Cover?
There are three major types of dental insurance coverage:
1) Preventive Coverage: This includes scheduled check-ups, x-rays and cleaning. Many plans are very liberal with this coverage to encourage you to regularly go to the dentist. Preventive coverage may or may not have a waiting period or deductible. Some plans have a copay.
2) Basic Coverage: Basic coverage is typically for services like simple fillings and simple restorative work. Each company will define this coverage differently. Most of the time there are co-pays, deductibles and maybe a maximum coverage limit.
3) Major Coverage: This may include services like root canals, crowns, dentures, and bridges. This is where the dental plans get conservative. There are usually exceptions, maximum limits and often significant deductibles or co-pays.
The main concern for seniors is getting appropriate and affordable dental insurance. Like health insurance, this can be tricky. Fortunately, dental cover is structured into plans. For example, there is DHMO, which requires a senior to choose one dentist to coordinate all dental services. There is also PPO and Fee-for-Service. This last service offers a network of facilities and dentists where seniors can receive dental care at a discounted rate.
How Much Does Dental Insurance Cost?
The cost of dental insurance varies widely, depending on the type of plan, what kind of coverage you get and even the location where you live.
The average cost for very basic dental insurance for seniors can be as low as $18 per month covering only routine services like cleanings, x-rays, and check-ups. Premiums can go over $100 a month for comprehensive coverage that includes preventive, basic, and major dental work. Your choice of waiting periods, level of coverage (with copays and deductibles or not), and whether you will use the plan’s in-network dentists, will make a difference in the actual premium you pay.
