Do You Need Insurance to Get Preventative Dental Care?

You understand the importance of regular dental visits.

Preventative dental care can help reduce your risk of dental diseases, thereby saving you a lot of time, pain, frustration, and money in the long run.

However, you are concerned that you can only receive these treatments if you have dental insurance. Is this really the case?

What is Preventative Dental Care?

Preventative services are those that help to diagnose diseases or prevent them. These include:

• A dental exam: An exam is performed by your Torrance dentist once or twice a year – or whenever you are experiencing pain or have a dental concern. During the exam, your dentist will evaluate your teeth, gums, jaw joint, and other soft tissues. They are looking for any issues/anomalies such as decay, gum disease, TMJ disorder, oral cancer, etc.
• Digital x-rays: As skilled as your dentist is, they still cannot see inside the tooth, between the teeth, or under the gumline. That is what x-rays are for. Digital x-rays (which have 80%-90% less radiation than traditional x-rays) help your dentist evaluate the health of your teeth and surrounding bones.
• A dental cleaning: You can remove plaque on your own. However, once the plaque calcifies into tartar (or calculus), it is impossible to remove. Dental hygienists are trained to remove tartar from the teeth and below the gumline safely, gently, and thoroughly. Doing this at least twice a year can improve your odds of staving off gum disease.
• Sealants: The deep pits and fissures in the biting surfaces of the back teeth are ideal places for plaque to build up. Even if you do your best to brush thoroughly after every meal, it can be difficult for toothbrush bristles to reach the base of the pits and fissures. Sealants slightly fill these areas, helping to prevent plaque build-up and enamel breakdown.
• Fluoride treatments: Fluoride helps prevent mineral loss while also restoring lost minerals in the teeth. It also inhibits the ability of bacteria to release acids. Fluoride treatments are helpful in the fight against dental decay in both children and adults who are at a higher risk of developing cavities.

Do You Need Dental Insurance to Receive Preventative Services?

Dental insurance is typically not a prerequisite for receiving preventative dental care. Many dental practices cater to a variety of patients, including those who:

• Do not have dental insurance
• Pay their bill using a health savings account
• Have dental insurance
• Have dual dental insurance coverage

Many dental teams understand that paying for dental treatment – whether you have insurance or not – is a costly expense. Therefore, they offer payment options, such as:

• Payment plans through the practice
• Outside financing through a third-party lender

How Much Do Preventative Services Cost Without Insurance?

If you do not have dental insurance, you can expect to pay 100% of your dental costs. The exact cost depends on where you are located (practices in the city might charge more than rural practices) or what type of practice they operate (specialists charge more than general practitioners).

How is Preventative Care Encouraged in Dental Plans?

One of the reasons you might want to consider investing in dental insurance coverage is because of the ways these plans encourage policyholders to invest in preventative services.

Many insurance companies pay for:

• Two prophylactic cleanings per year
• One to two dental exams
• Digital x-rays

The amount they pay depends on the plan, but quite a few cover these services at 100%, meaning you do not have to pay a cent.

Why do insurance companies cover preventative dental care this way? Ultimately, preventative care costs dental insurance companies less than paying for fillings, crowns, root canals, and dentures.

If you check out an insurance policy, you will notice that restorative and major services are often covered between 50% and 80%. That is because just one of these procedures can cost more than two cleanings, two exams, and some digital x-rays

By helping you protect your oral health, insurance companies can save money. And so can you!

Does Health Insurance Cover Dental Procedures?

To patients, it would make sense that a medical insurance policy would cover things like dental and basic vision services. Patients understand that the mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. What you put into your mouth and the health of your mouth impacts your entire body, including your:

• Heart
• Brain
• Gut
• Kidneys

In fact, a Toronto endodontist interviewed by NBC News said: “A lot of stuff in the mouth can indicate kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, HPV, cancer, etc. Your dentist can be your first line of defense.”

And yet, preventative dental services are not covered by medical insurance.

That is why investing in dental insurance may be helpful. Like purchasing AAA for your car can help you save money if you have car issues, dental insurance can save you quite a bit of money – particularly when it comes to preventative care fees.

What to Do If You Do Not Have Dental Insurance

If you do not plan on getting dental insurance or simply cannot afford it at this time, you have other options.

• Health Savings Account (HSA): Set aside money for eligible dental care services on a pre-tax basis. Depending on the plan, you can use your HSA to pay for annual deductibles, co-payments, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
• Personal Savings Account: Another savings option is to simply open a savings account that is specifically for dental purposes. Some patients like this idea because they are not limited on what they can spend the money on, as can be the case with some HSAs.
• Outside Financing: Third-party lenders (like CareCredit) give you the option to pay off your dental bills over an extended period. Instead of having to pay 100% of your cleaning and exam bill the day of your appointment, you simply give your dental credit card to your Torrance dentist. They get paid right away, and you get to pay off the total over 6, 8, 12, or 24 months. Talk to your dental team to see if they accept outside financing options.

We Want to Take Some of the Financial Pressure Off You

Our team understands that dental care is an investment of your time and money. Therefore, we will work closely with you to find ways to accommodate your dental needs in a way that is beneficial to you and our practice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team. We know that discussing finances is uncomfortable for some, but we are here to help. We will not judge or lecture you. We are only here to help in any way we can.

Do you have questions about dental costs and insurance benefits? Contact our team for more information.