![](https://smb.ibsrv.net/imageresizer/image/article_manager/1200x1200/189948/336259/heroimage0.481209001633618470.jpg)
At the end of every calendar year, patients tell us they have gotten busy with work, school and holiday activities and have simply run out of time. They haven’t scheduled necessary dental treatment for themselves or their family and haven’t used their entire dental insurance benefit. Those benefits will not roll over to the next year and that means you are wasting your insurance payments.
The way your dental insurance benefits work is that you are provided a certain dollar amount of benefits each year. If you do not use those benefits you lose them! Unused benefits do not carry over to the next year. Many people do not realize this and let hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of benefits go back into the insurance company’s bank account. While treatment is never dictated by insurance, if you have any treatment that remains to be completed, or you have any dental concerns at all, it would be very useful for you to come in before the end of the year.
What do you mean, expiring?
Unlike your health insurance which has no limit on yearly coverage, almost all dental insurance policies have a yearly maximum. That means insurance will pay your dental provider up to a certain amount every calendar year, and no more. If the entire amount of coverage isn’t used one year it doesn’t carry over into the next year, it simply expires. What you don’t use, you lose. Usually, that amount is somewhere between $1,000, $2,000 and $2,500.
What if I don’t need any dental work?
Even if you don’t think you need any work, you might want to check to see if you’re eligible for a dental wellness visit, which includes a cleaning and exam. Most insurance policies will completely cover two of these visits every year, though some require you wait six months in between appointments. We’re always happy to check your benefits for you and see how we can help you maximize them.
What insurance policies does your dental office works with?
Here at Gregory Ln Family & Implant practice take all Dental PPO insurances such as Delta, Cigna, Aetna, Metlife, Guardian, and the list goes on.
Contact us to get more details regarding your pending benefits and help you schedule you dental appointment at (925) 680-1020
The clock is ticking to use your dental benefits or flex accounts!!