{"id":227,"date":"2015-12-15T19:47:16","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T19:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.longfamilydental.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:33:43","slug":"dentist-in-midlothian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.longfamilydental.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/15\/dentist-in-midlothian\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental VS Medical Insurance the Facts from Your Dentist in Midlothian"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Woman<\/a>Many patients in the US report fearing the dentist because of drills or shots or sensitive gag reflexes, but the number one reason people gave for fearing the dentist was financial strain. This may come as a surprise, but a significant portion of people fear they will be unable to finance dental treatment. Rather than visit the dentist, they avoid treatment until their oral health is in an advanced state of decline. However, research shows that patients who maintain dental checkups and teeth cleanings every six months, actually spend significantly less on dental care than those who only visit when oral health concerns arise. Your dental insurance<\/a> company knows this too. That\u2019s why they structure coverage to encourage preventive care over reactive care.
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Cost Saving Medical VS Dental Care<\/h3>\n

Insurance companies for medicine and dentistry rely on different cost saving techniques. In the medical insurance field, plans rely on patients not using benefits to cut costs. Medical coverage is \u201creactive.\u201d A response to a serious health concern, and not something people need to use regularly. For instance, patients who have a cold might wait to seek treatment only if symptoms don\u2019t get better on their own. In many medical cases, this is possible, and the benefit plan holders save money because people are less likely to seek out services frequently.<\/p>\n

In dental care, the opposite is true. Oral health concerns like tooth decay and gum disease are not reversible without treatment, but they are easily prevented with regular at home care and in-office visits. Most dental plans are considered \u201cprepayment\u201d plans not technically \u201cinsurance.\u201d Insurance denotes a plan that is meant to be used infrequently, whereas dental benefit plans are most successful when patients do maintain frequent appointments. Most dental plans cover dental visits every six months at 100%. From there, coverage declines significantly the more serious the oral health concern because fewer and fewer people need these treatments.<\/p>\n

Treatment Considerations<\/h3>\n

While medical and dental insurance plans are set up to encourage patients to seek different types of treatment (reactive vs preventive), they are essentially investments that allow patients to offset the cost of care. Because most dental health concerns are preventable, benefit plans typically cover only a small percentage of advanced dentistry services. Before choosing to forego treatment based on expense, patients should consider the following:<\/p>\n