Use Your Dental Benefits Before The Year Ends

It’s only November, but many of you are already immersed in open enrollment for your health and dental benefits for 2020. Open enrollment is the time of year where you have to choose your health benefit options for the upcoming year. Most people will have until Dec 15^th to pick their benefit plans.

What does this mean to you? Your existing dental plan will most likely change in the New Year…so if you currently have dental insurance available to you, don’t let the year end with you leaving money on the table. Unfortunately, many people still don’t take advantage of their dental benefits.

Did you know that about 25% of people with dental insurance don’t fully use their dental insurance? They will forgo their routine dental cleanings and check ups. And only 2.8% of people with a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) dental plan actually reach or exceed their plan maximum. If you’ve been paying insurance premiums every month this year, or you still have remaining funds left in a Flexible Savings Account (FSA), you have until  Dec 31^st to take full advantage of your dental benefits before you lose them in the New Year.

Haven’t used up all of your dental benefits yet? You have less than 60 days to schedule a routine teeth cleaning or dental exam, or potentially cover other dental work you may need.

4 Reasons to Take Advantage of You Benefits This Year

1. Your Dental Plan Max Hasn’t Been Met – Your dental benefits provider offers a maximum dollar amount that you can spend towards yearly dental care. If you haven’t met this maximum yet, and you know that you need some additional dental work done soon, use some of your remaining benefits to cover a portion of the work this year…and then apply next year’s  maximum to the remaining work you need.  Your plan’s max amount  will reset at the end of the year, but if you have any unused benefits, these will not rollover into the New Year.
2. Your Insurance Could Change Next Year –  Every year there are changes in health care plans. Your existing dental coverage could change next year because you or your employer may change to a different dental insurance plan. And this plan may not provide as good a coverage as your existing dental plan. (We currently are preferred providers for Washington Dental Service, Delta Dental, Regence & United Health Care. And also accept Met Life, Premera Blue Cross, Aetna, United Concordia & many others. Please call us to confirm!)
3. Don’t Prolong Dental Problems – It Could Cost You More  – Dental exams and teeth cleanings, which are generally included as part of your dental insurance, provide are vital to reduce your risk for cavities and gum disease. This preventative dental care will also help your dental notice any signs of trouble, as well as help them develop an on-going dental health plan to keep your teeth healthy, and reduce the need for requiring more costly dental procedures.
4. Put Remaining FSA Contributions to Work– An FSA or Health Savings Account (HSA) is an account that allows you put some of your pre-tax dollars put into it so that you can then use this account to pay for your  dental care. If you have an FSA or HSA, contact your account’s representative to determine whether you still have any funds you can apply to dental work this year. Be sure to verify what types of dental services are included for reimbursement. Besides teeth cleanings and exams, this may include fillings, dental crowns, sealants, bonding and other dental treatments.

Putting your dental benefits to use every year will not only give you a healthy smile, but it will also help you stay more healthy throughout the year. If you’re not sure whether you still have any unused dental benefits, give us a call at (206) 242-0066 or contact us online. If you have a FSA account, or a Health Savings Account, contact your account’s representative to determine whether you still have funds available that you can apply towards your dental needs this year. Healthy smile, healthy life.