85% of Americans believe oral health is very or extremely important to their overall health, according to a survey from Delta Dental1, and about 78% have dental coverage2. When you consider the overall value of dental benefits, it’s easy to understand why.
While it’s vital that you brush and floss regularly, it’s also necessary to supplement your efforts with regular professional care. Because dental benefits focus on prevention, many services such as preventive check-ups and cleanings are usually covered at 100 percent. Dental benefits also help reduce your out-of-pocket costs for many procedures by sharing the cost with you. Without a dental plan, you would be responsible for the full cost of your treatment.
Delta Dental helps you save even more money because we negotiate lower fees with our in-network dentists. With 3 out of 4 dentists participating nationwide, it’s easy to find a dentist in our network.
In these examples, each person in a family of four makes two preventive visits and has a cavity filled over the course of a year. Compare the costs for a family without benefits to those who have it:
*Dental service fees are for illustrative purposes only. Premium rates are dependent upon your location and your plan type. See you plan for specific information.
** Preventive coverage may vary.
When you schedule regular preventive checkups, your dentist can detect problems early. This can help you avoid more costly and complex procedures, like crowns and root canals, down the road. In fact, for each dollar spent on preventive services, it is estimated that $50 or more is saved on more expensive procedures3.
Families with dental benefits are almost twice as likely to get preventive care as those without it4. And people who develop more complicated oral problems are more likely to skip needed treatments due to cost if they don’t have dental benefits5. Mostly untreated, often preventable, oral diseases result in more than 2.1 million emergency room visits nationwide each year6.
Many dental insurance companies offer time-saving tools to make it easier for you to use your benefits. For instance, Delta Dental provides resources that make it easy to find a local dentist, estimate the cost of a procedure before you see a dentist, and manage your dental benefits plan online or through its mobile app.
Research shows that oral care is not just good for your smile, it also has a positive effect on your overall health. Studies have shown that oral health complications can be associated with an increased risk of heart disease and many other health conditions, and also exacerbate diabetes, according to the National Academy of Medicine.
During an oral exam, your dentist can potentially detect signs in the mouth of more than 120 diseases including heart disease and diabetes. This can lead to earlier, less costly and even life-saving treatment8,9.
Also, when oral diseases go untreated, it can lead to problems with eating, speaking, learning and productivity for children and adults10.
Dental benefits make it much easier to protect your entire family’s oral and overall health by helping you get the care you need and by saving you money. Make sure you get the full value of dental benefits by purchasing a plan and using your preventive care regularly.
Sources:
1. https://www.deltadental.com/us/en/about-us/press-center/2018/americans-still-wish-they-saw-their-dentist-more.html
2. 2018 National Association of Dental Plans Dental Benefits Report
3. The whole tooth of helping low-income patients with ‘Teledentistry’, PBS
4. https://www.deltadental.com/us/en/protect-my-smile/dental-benefits/dental-insurance/the-value-of-dental-insurance.html
5. Cassandra Yarbrough, Kamyar Nasseh, Marko Vujicic, “Why Adults Forgo Dental Care: Evidence From a New National Survey.” Health Policy Institute Research Brief. American Dental Association. 10/2014; Thomas Wall, Kamyar Nasseh, Marko Vujicic, “Most Im¬portant Barriers to Dental Care Are Financial, Not Supply Related.” Health Policy Institute Research Brief. American Dental Association. 10/2014
6. From the Emergency Room to the Dental Chair, ADA
7. Advancing Oral Health in America, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine
8. U.S. Surgeon General Report on Oral Health 2000 – Chapter 3 – Diseases and Disorders
9. Application of the international classification of diseases to dentistry and stomatology : ICD-DA. World Health Organization 1995
10. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services