5 Ways to Lower Your Dental Insurance Cost

In this article I will look at ways of making your dental plan cost less, so that your health insurance bills are overall cheaper. Dental Plans are to many like braces: they are inconvienent, annoying, but neccessary.
So how can you go about lowering your dental plan premiums and making your dental work cheaper? Here are 5 Tips to follow:

5. Take good care of your teeth!

This is probably the most important advice I can give you as a dentist. Brush your teeth at least twice a day (after every meal is best), floss regularly, use mouthwash before going to bed, and make sure brush your teeth well! I won't patronise you by telling you how, but make sure you do it for two minutes everytime! Don't brush too hard however.


How to brush your teeth

Why will this save you money? Simple - the better shape your teeth are in, the less work you will need from a dentist, and the less your insurance will have to pay to keep your teeth in a good condition.


4. Stop smoking! Avoid eating excessive amounts of sweets without brushing etc..

As smoking invariably leads to health complications which may require dental work, it is best to try and give up - you will save money.

3. Increase your deductible

If you are enrolled in a group or individual plan, as a general rule the more you pay out of your own pocket, the less you will have to pay in premiums. Perhaps think of your insurance as a safety net for major, expensive health disasters instead of a payer of all routine medical costs.

Why is it more? Well according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the lower your deductible, the more likely you will be to make a claim with the health insurance company. Health insurance companies therfore compensate for this by increasing their premiums on low-deductible plans disproportionately.

2. Have a high co-insurance ratio

The co-insurance ratio is how much you will pay after you have met your deductible.

Most policies are in the ratio 80/20. This means that after you pay your deductible towards medical expenses, your insurer will pay 80 percent of the rest and you will pay 20 percent. Increasing this ratio so you pay more will mean a lower initial health insurance premium. However, as with raising your deductible, you have to weigh the costs versus risks.

1.Regularly reassess your insurance needs

You may be missing out on savings simply because you havestuck with the same plan and company year after year while your situation has changed.

It is important to periodically re-assess your insurance needs and the state of your teeth.If you are suddenly going to need a lot more or less work, it may be helpful to change your plan. Furthermore, changing company may mean you are given a better deal as a 'welcome gift' to the new company.


I hope this has been helpful,
Dr. Benway