With many families’ budgets tighter than ever, it may be tempting to cut costs on extras to save a little cash. But one expense you should never eliminate is your dental insurance. While it may seem like a better deal to cancel your coverage and your upcoming appointments, doing so can cost you a lot more than you save. Here’s why.
The Importance of Regular Checkups & Cleanings
One of the best perks of having dental insurance is that with even the most basic plans, your regular checkups and cleanings are usually covered at 100 percent. This means you can get a clean bill of health (and a sparkly white smile) for no additional cost. Plus, if you have any undiagnosed dental damage, your dentist can find it and treat it before it gets a chance to get worse and costs even more money to treat. Furthermore, when you consider that you’re already paying for this benefit as part of your monthly premium, you’re literally losing money by not taking advantage of it!
Treating Teeth: The Math Ain’t Math-ing
Unlike your bones or other parts of your body, your teeth cannot self-heal. Worse still, infections like gum disease won’t go away on their own, either. Thus, it is important to visit your dentist every six months to spot and treat any dental problems that could end up causing more problems later.
It is important to remember that with oral health treatments, the longer they go untreated, the more difficult and expensive they will likely be to correct. Thus, by waiting to fill a cavity or treat a periodontal problem, you’re actually on track to lose money, not save it!
How to Save Money on Your Oral Health
The good news is that protecting you and your family’s smiles is easier and more affordable than you might realize. In fact, by simply brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting your dentist every six months for regular checkups and cleanings, you can lower your risk of painful and costly problems like cavities, gum disease, and tooth infections. Should you develop dental damage or decay, be sure to treat those as soon as possible, too, as this will help reduce your risk that what could have been fixed with a regular filling doesn’t require a crown, or what may have been corrected with a root canal won’t require an extraction and tooth replacement procedure! In fact, studies have shown that certain oral health conditions can contribute to or even worsen many total body illnesses like diabetes, so maintaining your mouth can also help keep you looking and feeling better from head to toe!
If you don’t have dental insurance, don’t despair. Your dentist offers a money-saving in-house dental plan that works in lieu of traditional private coverage and can help save your hard-earned cash on a variety of preventive and restorative treatments, too!
Remember, during tough economic times, there are many ways you can cut costs and save money for your family, but eliminating important oral health care should never be one of them. So, this open enrollment season, don’t eliminate your oral health coverage, and don’t forget to use your benefits to protect your smile in 2027 to keep your mouth and body looking and feeling their best!
About Dr. Laska
Dr. Justyna Laska has never been one to do things halfway. In fact, she earned her dental degree from an accelerated program at the University of Detroit Mercy which allowed her to earn her bachelor’s and dental degree at just 24 years old! Thankfully, all that hard work paid off, and today, she’s been voted “Best Dentist in Fort Worth” by Fort Worth Magazine numerous times and nominated as a “Top Dentist in Fort Worth” for 16 years in a row! To protect your smile (and save money while you’re doing it) schedule an appointment with Dr. Laska and the team by visiting our website or calling 817-737-9555.