Don't Forget Your Dental Insurance

Health insurance is considered an important necessity by most adult Americans, but dental insurance, on the other hand, is something many of us neglect. However, if a situation arises where you need costly dental care, the expense will definitely make you regret that neglect.

A Surgeon General’s report from 2000 showed that around 2.5 times as many Americans lacked dental insurance (108 million) than those who lacked health insurance (44 million). So clearly, fewer people consider dental insurance important. However, dental coverage is typically inexpensive, and when it comes to preventative health care it’s one of the most cost effective measures around. Good oral health tends to promote general health; if your mouth is in poor shape, on the other hand, you may find eating more difficult and feel tired and unwell due to mouth pain. Lack of sleep and fatigue can easily snowball into poor health overall.

An annual or twice-yearly dental check-up keeps your teeth in excellent shape. But ten or twenty years of neglect can cause serious problems with oral health. Periodontal disease, gingivitis, and other conditions can leave you with bleeding gums, cavities, aching, painful teeth and gums, and eventually will cause you to lose teeth. And those problems are almost always enormously expensive to fix - they could even lead to more serious medical costs in the future.

Insurance Solutions for Your Teeth

So what’s the solution? Obviously, getting dental insurance – but at what price? If your employer doesn’t offer a dental plan, you’ll need to go private and start shopping around for dental plans. If you go this route, remember the golden rule – choose a low co-pay HMO plan if you need frequent visits. You can opt for a higher co-pay plan if you’re only going to need one or two check-ups a year as preventative care.

Alternatives to Private Insurance

And if you can’t get private insurance?

• Check out our special section on Dental insurance, which has links to potential health insurance providers who also offer dental coverage at a discount.
• Depending on your age and lifestyle factors, Medicaid, Medicare, or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program may cover you or certain family members.
• Visit a dental school for treatment. You’ll be treated by a dental student, but costs are greatly reduced and students are supervised by qualified staff.
• Check your state health department web site for information on low-cost dental care. Some federally-funded health centers offer dental care with charges based on your ability to pay.