We can help maximize your dental insurance plan

As we get into the beautiful winter months, our patients are now planning their dental treatment with their remaining dental insurance benefits for 2015.

Whether your dental insurance is with United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, Delta Dental, or one of the many other PPO plans we accept, you will want to make sure you get into to see us before the end of the year to maximize your potential benefits. Your dental insurance plan may have a maximum benefit of $1000, $1500 or even more. But for the calendar year plans, you will lose that benefit amount entirely if you don’t use it before the end of the year. All dental insurance plans, including those provided through United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental, can be a little different, so if you are unsure of any of your dental insurance plan information, please give us a call and if we don’t already have the details, we can certainly try to find them out for you.

Some of our patients have already used some of their benefits, and some patients haven’t been in at all. But if you have dental concerns or questions, or just need to have your teeth cleaned, now is the time to contact us to arrange your dental appointment! As fall arrives more and more patients are scheduling, so appointment times become more limited.

We have found that certain dental insurance plans provided by United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental may only pay on the completion date of certain services. For instance, if you begin a crown in 2015, you must have that crown seated, or cemented in 2015 as well, or the benefits will be paid from the 2016 plan, provided your company still has coverage with that plan.

Some dental insurance plans, such as United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental even have roll over benefits to use if you earn them, so you could have even more than your set maximum. Unfortunately, sometimes waiting to treat all your dental needs until the beginning of each year so your dental insurance company can help cover the costs can result in needing additional treatment. For example, the small filling that you were waiting to do can increase in size and become an onlay or crown, which in turn can increase discomfort, and the cost can increase as well.

There are so many dental insurance plans out there, including United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental, that can be available to you through your employer or as an individual dental insurance plan. The full coverage dental insurance plans have declined in recent years, but a lot of times your copayment amounts can be less than you think. Please let us help you find out what your coverage includes and we always try to let you know what your copayments are in advance so that planning your dental treatment is as smooth as possible.  

Now that the cool air is coming, it is also time to think about your dental needs for 2016. Many employers have enrollments now for next year so that you can decide what benefits you may need and want to take advantage of for you and your family. If you have a lot of dental work to be done, now could be the time to elect to change your dental benefits with United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental and Delta Dental , or if you do not have dental insurance, you may be able to enroll for the first time with your company. Many times, a small increase in your monthly premiums to your employer can give you a lot more dental benefits with United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental to use, or increase your coverage for certain services to fit your needs.

This is also the time to sign up for your flexible spending account or health savings account, or even increase your total if possible. Dental insurance companies, such as United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental, will even coordinate with those plans. We have found that cosmetic dentistry, including, but not limited to Invisalign (invisible braces) and porcelain veneers or crowns, is also covered many times by your health savings or flexible spending account. If this is something you have thought about in the past and would like more information, we would be glad to answer any questions we can.

If you have remaining money in your flexible spending account, you will need to use those remaining funds within the current year. This means that the treatment has to be performed in 2015, not just paid for in the same year.

Our office has worked with United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental for many years and we have coordinated their benefits with our patient’s needs. We have different payment options that are available to you, including a 12 month interest free plan if you are interested.

Please let us know if we can help you achieve your dental needs for the remainder of 2015 and into 2016. If your only concern is having your teeth cleaned and you have not been in twice this year, we would certainly want to get an appointment scheduled as well. Most of the major dental plans, including United Healthcare Dental, Blue Cross Blue Shield Dental, and Delta Dental, pay either twice a year or once every six months, so please call to schedule an appointment time that works well for you.

Once again, if you are unsure about any of your dental insurance benefits, please allow us to help any way we can. Dental insurance plans are continuously changing, and we want to see all our patients get the most out of their plans!

At Thomas L. Anderson and Associates, we would love to meet you and have the opportunity to work with you and your family to provide the top notch dentistry and help you understand you understand the world of dental insurance in order to maximize your dental insurance plan. Call one of our three conveniently located offices today to schedule an appointment!