Visiting the dentist can cause anxiety in itself, but what about when it comes time to pay? Instead of skipping the dentist for fear of a big bill, use these 3 tips to get the biggest bang for your buck:
Enroll.
If your employer offers a group dental plan, enroll! These plans leverage the size of your company to give you a better deal than if you purchased coverage by yourself. If you’re married, talk to your spouse about his or her employer-sponsored benefits. It may be beneficial to enroll in both plans. And if you aren’t able to enroll in a group dental plan, check out the individual dental plans available from Delta Dental of New Mexico.
Know your coverage.
The easiest way to take advantage of your plan is to understand your coverage. For example, most Delta Dental of New Mexico customers have a Delta Dental PPOSM, Delta Dental Premier® or Delta Dental PPO Point of Service plan. By understanding your current plan and coverage, you’ll know what to expect each time you visit the dentist. You can view your current coverage by logging into the Consumer Toolkit.
Know your network.
Make sure you’re always seeing an in-network dentist. You’ll have the lowest out-of-pocket costs and highest level of benefits when you visit a dentist who participates in your network. You can find the network applicable to your plan at the top of your Summary of Dental Plan Benefits, which group customers can view, download and print online. Individual-plan subscribers can also find plan information online.
Beware the out-of-network dentist—you may be subjected to higher fees and/or have to submit claims yourself.
The bottom line: Once you enroll, know your plan and network to save the most money.