Dental Insurance

Why Dental Insurance Is Not Insurance.

Dental Insurance is Different
To better understand the options available to employers in providing a dental benefit plan to their employees, it is important to understand the differences between dental and medical care. These differences drive the design of dental benefit plans, and create a distinction between approaches to dental and medical benefit coverage.

Unlike general medical disease, dental disease is not an insurable risk.

  • There is near-universal incidence of dental disease – everyone has it, and hence, everyone needs and will utilize dental care. Therefore, an insurance company would be bankrupt of it covered the majority of costs associated with dental treatment.
  • Because insurance companies do not indemnify your from the risks of dental disease, it is not a true insurance. What is offered is termed a dental benefit plan which helps mitigate some of the costs of keeping your teeth.
  • Apart from trauma and pain, the patient has complete control over when, or even if, treatment will be given. The nature and amount of that treatment has considerable effect on the outcome of treatment.
  • Although the need for dental care varies between individuals, the dental needs of an employee group are highly predictable. Hence, a dental plan can often be self-funded and self-administered.
  • Unlike general medical disease, dental disease is generally not acute or life-threatening; hence, the financial implications of dental treatment are not catastrophic.

Unlike many diseases, dental disease does not heal without therapeutic intervention; it is chronic, progressive, and destructive, becoming more severe over time. Much of dental disease is preventable, at a minimum of cost and effort. Hence, dental coverage should always have a preventive orientation.

Dental disease generally progresses slowly. Hence dental treatment can be postponed and accumulated without symptoms for a considerable length of time.

The onset of dental disease occurs early in childhood. Hence, dental treatment for children is important in terms of a lifetime of satisfactory oral health.

1. Adopted from the CDA Dental Benefit Coverage October 2008.

The dental profession is organized differently than medicine:

  • 80% of dentists are general practitioners and primary dental care providers
  • The greatest percentage of dental care is rendered by one practitioner at a single site.
  • Almost all dental care is done on an out-patient basis.
  • There is a relatively small number of categories of dental auxiliary personnel and probably a relatively small number of auxiliaries per dentist.
  • There is no central facility, like a hospital, where dentists interact on a daily basis
  • Dentists own, equip and operate their own “hospital,” i.e., their dental office, without public subsidy

Dental Care With or Without Dental Insurance!

Crossings Dental fully understands that the cost of dental care is what forces many people to put off treatment until the pain becomes overwhelming. What you should know is that there are plenty of options to get treatment with or without dental insurance.

First, it’s important to know that we give you a complete evaluation and a treatment plan which will include estimates of all potential costs, with and without insurance. You are under absolutely no obligation to take on the recommended treatment, but at least you have a plan and an idea of what it may cost.

If you have dental insurance:

We will take your treatment plan and run it against your dental benefits plan to come up with an accurate estimate of your total out of pocket cost. The remaining amount that you must cover can also be paid in installments using Care Credit or Citihealth.

If you do not have dental insurance.

Don’t despair and don’t be embarrassed. We know that the majority of our customers have either no insurance or a weak insurance plan that covers very little. This is exactly why we offer a free visual review consultation and plan. Our quick evaluation process will plan out exactly what needs to be done, in what order and with a price estimate before you commit to any treatment. We take the mystery out of getting dental treatment by providing you information and pricing up front without any obligation.

Don’t let dental insurance stand in the way of a great smile!

Dentist Mr. Michael MuraskoDr. Murasko helps all patients with or without dental insurance
Call today for an appointment tomorrow: 1-760-598-8881 or send in the form below and we’ll call you with the first available appointment time.

Our North County Dental Office is easy to get to and has plenty of parking. Come by for a lunch time visit.

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