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Has your dentist informed you that you need dental crowns in Annapolis or another restorative procedure? You may recognize that following through with the recommended treatment is important for your oral health — but you might also be concerned about cost. If that is true of you, you should not postpone your treatment due to monetary concerns. Acting now to get your crown could actually save you money in the long run! Let’s discuss how that is so.
Insurance Benefits Are About to Reset
Most dental insurance plans are valid for one year at a time. On January 1, you may have been given an annual maximum. (An annual maximum represents the great dollar amount that an insurer is willing to pay out for services within a given year.) On December 31, any unused portion of that maximum may expire. It is rare for insurance policies to have any sort of rollover provision.
Since you do not want your 2020 benefits dollars to go to waste, you can get more value out of your insurance policy if you act now to complete recommended dental treatment. Most PPO insurance plans consider crowns to be a major treatment, which means they cover 40% – 50% of their price.
Also, bear in mind that your dental plan may come with an annual deductible. If you have already paid 2020’s deductible, you could save money by completing treatment now, before your deductible resets in 2021 and you have to pay it all over again.
Prevent More Extensive — and Expensive — Treatments
Aside from maximizing your insurance benefits, you have a second major reason to get your crown sooner rather than later. For most patients, a crown’s primary purpose is to protect a damaged tooth. For example, it might restore a tooth with a large cavity or that has developed a crack. Without a crown to shield it, the tooth is vulnerable to further damage and infection.
Over time, the damage may reach the point where the tooth must be removed. In most cases, an extraction is not a particularly high-cost procedure. However, replacing that tooth later on with a dental implant or bridge may cost much more than the crown that your dentist in Annapolis originally recommended.
Your Dental Team Is Ready to Help
Your dental team wants to help you keep your out of pocket expenses to a minimum. This means they are ready to help you file insurance claims and maximize your benefits. If necessary, they can also assist you in applying for low-interest financing to break up the portion of your treatment’s cost that your insurance does not cover.
If you require a dental crown or other treatment, now is the time to act! Not only will you benefit your oral health, but you could also save money.
Meet the Practice
Dr. Earl L. Chambers III is the leader of the team at Chambers Family Dentistry. Along with Drs. Beverly Jimenez and Mandana Shaya, he provides comprehensive care for Annapolis families. We are proud to be an insurance-friendly practice, and we will do all we can to help you get as much as possible from your benefits. To learn more about how we can serve you, contact us at 410-224-2660.