Dental Insurance INformation
The truth about dental insurance
Do you have dental insurance but aren’t sure how to get started on using it in the best way possible? We are here to help! As an insurance-friendly practice, we are happy to accept payment from major brands like Metlife, United Concordia, Cigna, Guardian, Principal, United Healthcare, and Delta Dental PPO. If you have a PPO insurance plan, you are more than welcome to use it in our practice. If you have questions about whether we work with your specific policy, call us.
We Can Help You Better Understand Your Benefits
As healthcare benefits continue to rise here in the United States, employers have reacted by shopping around carefully for the plans they provide to their employees. The results are clear – solid benefits have been reduced while exclusions and restrictions continue to increase. At Purple Plum Dentistry, we understand that this can be frustrating for patients. Adding to this frustration is the misconception that dental insurance benefits are considered on par with other types of insurance. This just isn’t true.The concept of “insurance” itself is defined as protection against catastrophic, unpredictable loss. However, dental insurance plans are simply not built on this principle – in fact, they specifically exclude extensive needs in most cases. Instead, the covered services are the simple and predictable ones, such as regular X-rays, examinations, hygiene, and more. Additionally, if benefits for restorative services are available, such as periodontal therapy and dental crowns, they will typically only cover a small percentage of the actual cost of the procedure, with yearly maximums to boot.
Your dental insurance plan is an excellent tool for good preventive maintenance that will help patients protect the investment they’ve made in their smile over the years. Our team is very happy to accommodate that assistance! However, it’s important to understand that these plans have never been designed to cover all of the services that a patient could possibly need – far from it. This line of thinking can be a real danger to someone’s health by implying that if a service doesn’t receive any monetary benefit, patients don’t actually need it. Simply put, dental insurance companies are trying to make money. This isn’t a big, awful secret, and it isn’t wrong either. They have a responsibility to their shareholders that they will provide valuable benefits to customers while also turning a profit. As a result, patients cannot let their benefits plan determine what they need in terms of ongoing care – that’s your responsibility and yours alone. Likewise, it’s Dr. Kiani’s responsibility to advise you regarding your smile’s health and wellbeing.
All of us make investments in what we value over time, whether it’s education for our families, well-deserved vacations, or homes. While our team won’t presume to understand where dental health fits in on that list for you, we do want to let patients know that we believe their smiles are worth a significant investment. We will be happy to work with you regarding your specific insurance benefits and help you maximize what you are owed through your plan. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions here in Falls Church!
