As the year hurries to a close and the holiday season approaches, you’re probably busy shopping for gifts for your little ones and making preparations for family gatherings. Therefore, it’s easier to forget about your child’s oral health. Thankfully, your pediatric dentist in Naperville offers a way to get more from your dental insurance so your child can be as healthy as possible.
Doing the Math on Dental Insurance
The average cost of dental insurance for a family ranges between $168 and $366 a year, and for most insurance companies, the yearly coverage maximum is between $1,000 and $1,500. Statistics show that less than 10% of those insured meet the annual maximum, which means there are money and vital care left on the table.
Generally, dental insurance coverage is divided into three categories: preventive, basic and major. We’ll explore which form of care offers the greatest benefit for your monthly investment into your family’s oral health.
Preventive Care – The Ultimate Cost-Saver
Six-month preventive care visits to your children’s dentist in Naperville allows the professional to examine your child’s mouth, teeth and gums (which may include capturing X-Ray photos). He or she will also perform a cleaning to clear away any plaque and tartar that may have accumulated over time.
Here are some of the benefits of these visits:
- The pediatric dentist is able to identify any budding problems early and address them before they become big issues.
- It’s an educational opportunity to learn better oral hygiene techniques and to ask questions.
- Taking your child to semi-annual appointments is also a great way to encourage positive habit-setting.
Better yet, insurance companies support preventive care visits, which is why they will typically cover up to 100% of the costs.
Basic Care
If some decay is discovered at the preventive care visit, the specialist can restore the tooth with a cavity filling. Generally considered to be basic care, dental insurance companies will typically cover up to 80% of the costs of such a procedure.
Major Care
If an issue is allowed to linger longer, then your child may need more complex forms of care like a root canal to restore a badly decayed tooth. Depending on how severe the damage is, this may be classified as major care, which can leave you responsible for up to 50% of the costs.
The Obvious Solution
It’s obvious that preventive care visits offer the greatest value when it comes to services provided versus the money you’ve invested. Not only will regular visits save you money in the short-term, but they will also prevent long-term suffering for your little one and protect your wallet down-the-road as well.
Still, the realization of these savings and the security of knowing your child is protected is dependent on you being proactive. Typically, coverage will renew at the start of the year, so to maximize this year’s benefits, reach out to your dentist for kids in Naperville to schedule a visit today!
About the Author
Dr. Asim Awan earned his dental degree from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry. He would later complete is specialty training in pediatric dentistry at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Asim helps parents maximize their coverage and protect their children’s oral health at Tic Tac Tooth, and he can be reached for more information through his website.