With open enrollment for insurance quickly approaching, you might be thinking about the coverage you will need in 2025. Of course, it is wise to have a medical policy to support your head-to-toe health. But do you also need dental insurance? What exactly is the difference between medical and dental insurance, and how can they work together to protect your overall wellness? This blog post explains.
What Do They Cover?
Medical insurance is meant to protect your overall and systemic health. Therefore, it often covers routine medical exams, vaccines, and treatments for various illnesses and injuries. It does not cover basic dental services, such as cleanings, oral exams, fillings, and other treatments that directly benefit the health of the teeth and gums. Dental insurance has a strong focus on prevention and does usually cover such important services.
Therefore, if you want your mouth to be protected as well as the rest of your body, it is important to maintain both a medical policy and a dental plan.
Why Are They Separate?
It is widely accepted in the scientific community that oral health is profoundly important for overall health. It is natural to wonder, then, why medical and dental insurance are separate. The answer is simply that, in the past, medical doctors never really accepted dentistry as part of their practice. Thus, a division grew between these two aspects of healthcare that has remained down to modern times.
Is There Any Crossover?
Although medical and dental insurance have different areas of focus, there is occasional crossover between them. They can also work together to optimize your health.
For example, if you suffer a serious injury to your mouth, your medical insurance might pay for initial care at a hospital emergency room. Later, your dental insurance may cover follow-up care with your dentist.
Additionally, it is worth noting that both types of insurance might cover certain types of oral surgery, such as dental implant placement. If that is true of your benefits, your dental implant care team can help you figure out how to use your policies in a way that keeps your out-of-pocket costs to a bare minimum.
Medical and dental insurance are both important! Learn about the details of your specific policies so you can use them to your greatest advantage.
Meet the Practice
At Meriden Dental Group, we understand that many patients have concerns about the cost of care. That is why we are happy to accept more than 200 different dental plans. We are even in-network with many popular providers, including Aetna, Delta Dental, and more. If you are interested in learning how we can help you get the most value out of your benefits, contact our team at 203-404-6800.