Both medical and dental insurance can be confusing. To make matters more complicated, they don’t necessarily work the same way! Many people find themselves scratching their heads over why they can’t use their dental insurance benefits like they would their medical insurance benefits. If you’re one of them, keep reading. After comparing these two worlds, it will be much easier to understand how to get the most out of your dental insurance premium!
The Key Difference Between Medical and Dental Insurance
The key difference between these two types of insurance has to do with coverage priorities.
Medical insurance plans tend to offer the most amount of coverage for injuries or illnesses that have already occurred. To put it another way, you would typically visit your doctor after breaking a bone, and not a moment before. Then your medical insurance plan would offset your treatment costs as a result.
Since unexpected medical costs like this can be quite pricey, it makes perfect sense for this type of insurance to prioritize coverage for urgent situations.
Dental insurance plans, on the other hand, offer the most amount of coverage for preventive care. Make no mistake, most plans do still provide benefits for emergency dental treatment and other situations, but the breakdown usually looks something like this:
- 100% coverage for two checkup and cleaning appointments per year, plus X-rays
- 80% coverage for “minor” treatments
- 50% coverage for “major” treatments
The idea behind this principle is that since many dental problems are avoidable, free checkups and cleanings help prevent you from needing restorative intervention in the first place. To get the most out of your premium, it’s best to take advantage of preventive dental care appointments!
Should I Get Both Types of Insurance?
It depends on your budget and needs. If you receive your medical insurance through your employer, you may very well already have dental insurance coverage as part of a bundle. If not, it’s worth taking a closer look at your policy to see what’s included.
Dental insurance premiums are generally very affordable. Individual plans hover around $20 per month, while family plans cost just $50 per month on average. You could very well save a lot of money just by using your low-cost coverage to make two checkup and cleaning appointments each year!
About the Practice
Dr. Afshin Azmoodeh (“Dr. A”) and Dr. Kim Cao are your compassionate dentists in Carrollton. To help make quality dentistry more affordable for more families, they gladly accept and are in-network with the vast majority of dental insurance plans. If you’d like to know how much money you could save with a dental insurance policy, contact Dr. A and Dr. Cao’s office at 972-820-7294.