Pick a Dentist for the Right Reasons, Not Insurance Reasons
Right Reasons, Not Insurance Reasons
It’s that time of the year again, time for your dental insurance to renew. Depending on your place of employment, needed benefits and other personal factors, you may be faced with the choice of a new dental plan. A new dental plan doesn’t necessarily mean that you also have to find a new dentist!
When faced with the decision of choosing a dentist, there are some things that you should take into consideration:
Choose a dentist that makes you feel comfortable
Choose a dentist that you trust
Choose a dentist that has experienced and educated
Choose a dentist with a good reputation
Choose a dentist that cares about you and your health, not just the number of patients coming through in one day.
It’s important to choose a dentist for the right reasons; after all, your oral health is imperative to your overall health. There are various reasons why a dentist may refuse to be in-network with dental insurance carriers, and in some cases, it may even be in your best interest.
For example:
The average calendar year maximum NOW is the same as it was 40 years ago. This puts pressure on dentists to cut costs or increase their number of patients to cover the cost of equipment, instruments and supplies that the calendar maximum does not cover.
Dental insurance may result in you not receiving exactly what you want or the dentist losing money on a procedure. For example, most insurance lowers the benefit for “white” fillings in the back of the mouth, so dentists are more likely to place amalgam “black metal” fillings to get the full benefit.
Dental insurance companies often determine what is and is not necessary for patients. For example, most dental insurances will not pay for porcelain crowns for back teeth even if the patient wants them.
One of our peers recently posted about this topic and I feel it appropriate to quote here:
“If you’re wondering why your dentist is no longer accepting your insurance, I’ll give you a little peak behind the curtain. Today Delta Dental reimbursed me less to do a surgical extraction of an infected tooth, than what most women pay to get their haircut. Let me repeat that, to let it sink in. I got paid less to perform micro surgery to safely remove a broken rotten body part that had potential to kill someone if left untreated, than most women pay to get a cut and blowout. And that is not a knock on hair stylists, that service is extremely valuable. But why would I pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to school for 4 additional years of training, pay $1000’s annually for malpractice insurance and other items that allow me to maintain my dental license so that I alone accept the liability that comes with doing surgery, to be paid an amount that is so far from the fee that it should be based on the training both myself and my assistant went through that allows us to perform the surgery skillfully. So, if/ when you hear that your dentist has dropped your insurance, don’t be quick to bail on them and assume they are out for the money. Please know it is not on us. It is the insurance company that does not value the skill it takes to keep you safe and comfortable while you are in our care.”
While many insurance carriers will tell you that your benefits will be less at a “non-participating dentist,” that is not always the case. The next time you are faced with a plan decision, or a dentist decision, base your decision on the right reasons – not insurance reasons. If you have any questions about your insurance or would like help picking a dental plan, give us a call, and we would be more than happy to help!