{"id":190,"date":"2018-09-30T17:39:17","date_gmt":"2018-09-30T17:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.flennikendental.com\/blog\/?p=190"},"modified":"2018-10-16T17:41:27","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T17:41:27","slug":"dental-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flennikendental.com\/blog\/dental-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 Dental Insurance: Use It Before You Lose It"},"content":{"rendered":"\"dentalAs the end of the year approaches, you might have a lot on your mind, from various celebrations to tax paperwork and more. However, you should also be sure to squeeze a dental appointment onto your year-end to-do list. Having your teeth looked at before 2019 arrives can save you money and help you get the most out of your dental insurance. In fact, if you don\u2019t use your benefits now, you could end up losing a significant amount of money! Let\u2019s talk about how you can take advantage of your coverage in a way that helps out your smile and your wallet.\r\n\r\n\r\n

Benefits Expire at the End of the Year<\/h2>\r\nThe vast majority of dental insurance policies operate on a calendar-year basis; each year, they give you an annual maximum that you\u2019re allowed to use for various types of dental work. Usually, this maximum is somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500. Whatever portion of that money you don\u2019t use by December 31 disappears forever; it won\u2019t roll over into the following year.\r\n\r\nSadly, less than three percent of people<\/a> meet or exceed their annual maximum each year. That means that most families are losing out on hundreds of dollars of dental treatment! For example, if you only visit the dentist once within a 12-month period for a basic checkup, and the appointment costs around $300, you could have $700 of leftover benefits that go to waste!\r\n\r\nOf course, all of this isn\u2019t to say that you should get dental work done just because you have available benefits. Rather, you should attend biannual checkups and be diligent about following through with any other treatments that your dentist recommends.\r\n

Maximizing Your Insurance Coverage<\/h2>\r\nHere are a few tips to help you get the most out of your dental benefits this year:\r\n