At the dentist’s office, you are told you have a cavity and need a filling. With the holiday season just around the corner, you entertain the thought of putting off getting the filling until after the new year, but this would be a mistake!
If you’re concerned about saving money or using your dental insurance benefits to your advantage, you should get your filling now. Keep reading to understand more about how insurance works as well as how to maximize your coverage and spend less.
Coverage for Tooth-Colored Fillings
Dental insurance companies don’t pay for all restorative services at the same rate. Minor repairs for small cavities require less invasive work and, therefore, cost less overall than more serious problems. The exact amount may vary, but most dental insurance companies contribute about 70 to 80 percent of the cost of fillings, leaving you responsible for paying about 20 to 30 percent of the total out-of-pocket.
Coverage for Major Restorative Care
For damage necessitating more advanced care, such as dental crowns, root canal therapy, and bridges, insurance companies tend to pay out even less. In fact, major restorative services are usually about 50 percent covered, which means you have to foot the other half of the bill on your own.
As a result, when you crunch the numbers, you stand to save significantly more money by taking care of your dental fillings now than waiting to resolve the problem later on.
Time Is Running Out for Your Yearly Maximum
In addition to spending a lower rate to fix a minor issue with a filling, now may also be the ideal time to get treated to take advantage of your yearly maximum. Every year, dental insurance companies place a limit on the amount they are willing to pay for repairs. If you do not use this amount, commonly called a yearly or annual maximum, it unfortunately does not carry over into the next year. In other words, you lose that amount and start over with a new yearly maximum starting on January 1.
Therefore, if you want to get the most bang for your insurance buck, you should use the funds available to you before they are lost!
In the end, the longer you wait to address the small problem, the more extensive and expensive the treatment will become in order to fix it. You stand to save the most money, undergo the least invasive procedure, and preserve the most of your natural tooth by getting a filling now than by postponing to treat until later. Don’t put off getting your filling—get the treatment you need today!
About the Author
For Dr. William Cappello, learning and improving are continual pursuits. Even with more than 20 years of experience under his belt and his dental degree from Tufts University, he has studied with the Dawson Academy, the Spear Institute, and other prestigious organizations to hone his skills. He is happy to be in-network with many major PPO dental insurance plans. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Cappello, you may contact his practice Cappello Family Dental online or by calling 203-816-5545.