IF I’VE HEARD IT ONCE, I’VE HEARD IT A MILLION TIMES!

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times – getting dental work done is expensive. Thankfully there are options to help make it more affordable to keep up on your oral health, even if it’s still not quite as nice as a day on the water.

A very budget-friendly option is to pick up a dental discount plan, where you pay a fee – usually on an annual basis – upfront and then reap the benefits of discounted services for that entire year. There’s no waiting to use it (first-day coverage!) and the benefits will not run out if you spend too much. This is a highly recommended option as it’s so easy to use! Pick a plan, pick a dentist that accepts the plan, and go! Discounts are applied at the time of service. Bonus: many automatically include discounts on services from vision to acupuncture!

Another option is the classic dental insurance plan. You will typically pay a monthly fee for this sort of dental coverage and be required to wait a period, usually 6-12 months, prior to receiving covered comprehensive care such as crowns. Many plans also have an annual maximum, which means if the cost of your care (that the insurance pays) reaches a set amount, it will stop paying for that year. The benefit to this type of plan is that it may be more widely accepted and costs in the form of copays may be more predictable.

A third way to get your dental is through your Medicare Advantage plan, if it is a covered benefit. Some plans offer a limited benefit to allow member to get a cleaning and exam twice a year while others offer more comprehensive coverage. Not sure if your Medicare Advantage plan covers dental? Most insurance companies offer members access to an online portal where you can view all of your benefits in one place!

A very important thing to keep in mind when considering dental is that in most cases it is NOT covered by Original Medicare. Many people are surprised to learn this and are caught like a fish in a net. Don’t let it happen to you!  Questions?  Call, click or come in today.  You’ll be glad you did!