Dental insurance is a nice benefit. However, when it prevents people from having necessary dental treatment on a timely basis because their “dental insurance doesn’t cover it,” then it’s no longer beneficial, but detrimental.
Primarily meant to help with expenses for basic services, dental insurance is not meant as a guardian of your overall oral health. To delay treatment or forgo it because there is no insurance coverage simply makes no sense. Your teeth do not repair on their own, and putting off treatment typically means greater treatment needs in the future.
A patient recently wanted to wait until her insurance would cover a portion of a much-needed crown. When she bit down on a pecan, the tooth broke below the gum line, meaning the tooth had to be removed. She then had to decide whether to have a dental implant or have two neighboring teeth crowned for a crown-&-bridge. Had she proceeded earlier with the recommended crown, she could have preserved the tooth and avoided the more costly and time-involved process required.
Remember, insurance companies are in business to make money. They are not in business to watch out for your smile’s health and appearance. They don’t care if you wake up in the middle of the night with a toothache or if a tooth breaks while you’re having dinner out. They have set fees for certain procedures during the calendar year – period.
Let your dental insurance help you when it’s practical, but not dictate your decisions when it comes to taking good care of your smile!
