Unspent Dental Insurance - Use It or Lose It By the End of the Year

One of the better kept secrets in the world of dental care relates to your dental insurance. It is possible as the year winds down that you have unused benefits that may cover services so long as you see your dentist before the end of the year. You are paying for dental insurance on an annual basis, so knowing where you stand in regard to this benefit is reasonable and imperative in the fall months. Once the new calendar year begins, you will lose any benefit you previously had, but didn’t use. Thus, the phrase, “Use it, or lose it.”

In order to determine if you have untapped coverage for needed and wanted dental work in any given year, your first call should be to your dental insurance provider. Find out if you still have unused benefits and what your out-of-pocket costs may look like if you seek care for anything from preventative dentistry to cosmetic work. 

Contacting your dentist’s office is also imperative because at this time of year, appointments are harder to obtain, and holidays make for more office vacations and closings. When patients realize they do, in fact, have unused benefits, they want to be seen as soon as possible and before the New Year. Make sure you can obtain an appointment, and be forewarned, there are times that patients wait too long and simply cannot be seen and treated before the New Year. 

We know that patients are not typically in a hurry to see their dentist, and even put off needed dental care throughout the year. Nevertheless, understanding the potential financial upside to receiving care now, while you have benefits that may cover the costs, should motivate you to get that next dental appointment scheduled.