End of the year blues?


It's getting late and we are near the end of the year. If you have dental insurance and haven't made good use of it this year, there is no time to lose. Most dental insurance plans are calendar year plans and start fresh on the first of January. If you are due for a cleaning and a check up it would be best to see your dentist ASAP.  That way there may be still time enough for him or her to perform any needed treatments before the end of the year.

Most plans have a yearly maximum that is covered. Each plan has it's own maximum that tend to pay out between $1000-3000 per calendar year.  To fully utilize most plans for their patients most dentists will try to allot some needed dentistry to the current year and may delay less urgent procedures to a following year. That way our patients can receive maximum help from their insurance.  Of course this isn't always possible because some work can't wait and needs to be done asap, but if procedures can wait and it's close to the end of the year, spreading out planned treatment over two calendar years often works well.

It best to not delay since the end of the year can become hectic because  others with insurance have the same urgency to be seen and most offices are closed for part of the time between Christmas and New Years. Every year we have say no to patients who wait until the last week or two before Christmas. There is just no time to fit them. If you haven't seen your dentist so far  this year or you have work that has been treatment planned, don't wait until the last minute or you may be disappointed!

from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2019/10/end-of-year-blues.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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