Do you let insurance dictate how many times you go to the gym? It shouldn’t be so with your dentist!

I’m not writing this entry to lecture. But I do want to make a point, a comparison. There is an emphasis these days on the importance of health and taking care of YOU and the health of your families. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day they tell you. And MANY people spend a lot of time (and finances) on fitness – yearly gym membership, gym clothes, energy and protein drinks, yoga wear, yoga mats…as you know - the list continues. The industry survives & health professionals hope, so do you. 

But this emphasis on health issue does NOT seem to be included when it comes to dentistry! There are many people who faithfully come to the dentist – it is part of their routine and a priority in their life. But there are equally as many, for those lucky enough to even HAVE dental insurance, the feeling that “I am going to do what I’m able to do within the guidelines of my insurance policy.”

I was working on a patient the other day and after treatment was complete I told them that their treatment was all done (yay!) AND that we would like to see them every three or four months (ideally three months if they could manage it). There was a blank stare, uncomfortable silence, and then a look at me like I was nuts. Then they asked “does my insurance cover it? Because I think they only cover two a year.” 

This is a response that I have come to expect – almost like a common pleasantry that people exchange. But if your gym told you that they would cover you only a few times per year, would that keep you from going? Perhaps it would deter some, but most would still just go! And if your gym said that you only get two classes each month that they would cover and then the rest must be covered by you would that keep you from going? NO! More likely than not, you’d still pay to go! So WHY NOT this mentality for dentistry? 

Before I was a dentist I worked in a dental office for two years answering phones, setting schedules, presenting treatment, AND reviewing insurance. I KNOW that there are some terrible and restricting insurance policies –with waiting times, calendar years that start in the middle of a weird month half way into the year, and maximums that seem to disappear as soon as you became eligible to use. And I know that dentistry is not inexpensive, and that if severe treatment must be performed then it can cost an arm and a leg, or teeth in this matter. 

But please remember that, we (and of course I am not speaking for all dentists just as I can’t speak for all patients) are trying to help you make dental treatment decisions that are going to be the best for you in the future. Regardless of cost we will tell you the most ideal option that we think is the best for you and your situation and then present you with the next best option and so on. YOU have the power to make your decisions for yourself. Your mouth. Your body. Your health. Your finances. And YOU always have the right to say no and go by insurance. But PLEASE do not let insurance policies dictate what you can and cannot do. We buy insurance policies to help us, and we have them to help us, but they should not be dictating your treatment choices. Only you can do that.

So we don’t have a set price for membership like the gym – say an average of $24.99 per month. But we are a part of your lifetime membership to good health and prevention. Because without teeth, how can we smile, how can we eat, how can we enjoy life, how can we chew? It is a quality of life issue….and we want what is BEST for you. So please try to remember to INCLUDE us in your life's health plan and not just because your insurance policy reminds you we are here!!

image courtesy of: about-face.org.