Do You Need Dental Insurance?

20

Americans have a tendency to avoid the dentist. More than 40% of Americans said they don’t see a dentist as often as they would like, according to a 2018 survey by the American Dental Association. Their number one reason for skipping visits is cost, even among those with dental insurance. Dental insurance policies can be confusing and difficult to use, making some Americans wonder whether dental insurance is worth investing in at all. Watch the video to find out to learn what it actually costs to go to the dentist, whether dental insurance is worth investing in and what patients and policymakers can do about it.

Chapters
0:00 – Introduction
1:42 – How dental insurance works
4:15 – Dental care costs
6:17 – Is dental insurance worth it?
9:49 – Solutions

Americans have a tendency to avoid the dentist. More than 40% of Americans said they don’t see a dentist as often as they would like, according to a 2018 survey by the American Dental Association.

People have lots of reasons for not going, including fear, inconvenience and trouble finding a dentist who take their insurance.

But the top reason Americans cite for avoiding the dentist is cost, with nearly 60% of Americans saying cost was the main reason they haven’t visited the dentist in the past 12 months. Cost remained the number one reason regardless of age, income level or type of insurance.

Dental insurance can be confusing since it’s considered a separate service from medical insurance, which means it has different policies and procedures that many patients are not familiar with.

From a lack of transparency about benefits to rules like annual maximums — which means plans stop paying for treatment after hitting a certain amount for the year — some patients question whether dental insurance is worth investing in at all.

“There’s this misnomer that you need dental insurance to go to the dentist, you really don’t,” said Dr. Mark Vitale, a general dentist and owner of Edison Dental Arts in Edison, New Jersey. “Dental insurance is not the panacea that most people think it is.”

But the industry landscape is shifting as more traditional health insurance companies are supplementing their medical plans with dental benefits.

“Dental insurance is extremely profitable to the insurance companies, which is why many of the insured many of the major carriers offer dental insurance,” Vitale said.

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Why Dental Care Costs So Much In The U.S.

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20 COMMENTS

  2. I have lost hope in the dental industry, I have tried everything get dental insurance! I am not healthy, and on disability you really dont have much to survive on. After paying rent and other bills including, groceries, and other essentials. You have nothing for savings if am emergency comes up Dental, vision, and hearing should all be included! I desperatly need all 3!

  4. I had a rear back tooth extracted yesterday in Washington, D.C. because the tooth was split in the middle causing me pain when I chew or eat something. I went to see a Periodontics & Implantology to get the tooth extracted and it cost $1,677 dollars. This dentist doesn't accept insurance. You have to pay up front then they will submit your claim to your insurance provider. When I turned 65 in 2021, I lost my dental coverage through my employer and I purchased a dental plan for seniors through Physicians Mutual. I found out yesterday, of the $1, 677 dollars I paid at the dentist yesterday, Physicians Mutual will only reimbursement $211. My regular dentist I've been seeing for almost 30 years doesn't extract teeth. He will refer you to dental specialist. I had one tooth implant and it cost close to $5,000. The dentist that extracted my tooth yesterday at a Periodontics & Implantology told me, the cost of a tooth implant would be $2,700 at her office. Then I would have to go back to my regular dentist for a fitting for a crown which would come to $2,700. We'll talking about a total of $5,400 for a damn tooth implant.😪😡

  9. They crazy thing about assessing cost between dentist is that each one will want to do their own evaluation, which makes sense. But by the time you’ve gone to 3 dentist to compare prices, you’ve spent a good portion of your insurance before whatever procedure is needed.

  10. It is ignorant to define dental treatment by politicians and the US dental health system as a luxury instead of being a necessity and a universal right of humanity for survival, which is where the great corruption in the dental health system comes in. where the system takes advantage by charging too high prices to the majority of citizens in that country, it means that if people lose their teeth and molars for not covering exorbitant expenses, it is a luxury instead of thinking about the humanity of people and changing The false title and saying is a human necessity and obligation that every citizen in the United States should have free access to dental insurance and pass those laws because big pharmaceutical companies and their politicians do not want to regulate the dental system, and health policy of USES. Today I also voice my voice against these transdiverse unhuman laws that say that receiving medical dental treatment is a luxury and not a universal human right for all its inhabitants because of this constitutional right that every person in the world should have, especially in the United States, being a world economic power has these inhumane medieval laws against its citizens and people who live in that country. That it covers the majority of working class inhabitants who do pay taxes from the middle economic class, and the poor economic class of people. On the other hand, a millionaire imagines that politicians and their great friends would not have to go through these inhuman needs, due to their impudence and cynicism of not recognizing and creating a precedent that every citizen in the United States and in the world should have free access to health care. dental health and its treatment in general and pass that law in favor of humanity, going against the big pharmaceutical lobbyists who often buy certain politicians and end up betraying their country and its people. the great corruption of dental care health insurance in the USA, and the FDA.

  19. Your quote for dental is low $20-30. Not sure what kind of plan and state you got these numbers. A lot of dentists these days take premiere and not ppo. This type of plan costs about $60 per month. 💸

  20. Found your post interesting to watch. I can't wait to see your new videos soon. Good Luck with the upcoming update. This YouTube channel is really very informative and effective.

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