Each year, your insurance company gives you a limited amount of funds to use at your dentist. If you don’t use them every year, you forfeit those funds. Now that the beginning of the year has come, it’s important for you to start using them now.

How Insurance Benefits Work

For most insurance providers, they allot a certain amount of funds every year. When the end of the year comes, the unused funds don’t go into your bank account – they go into the insurance company’s bank account. This is money dedicated to that particular year that could have gone toward any work you need done. This is why, if you’ve already started getting work done, it’s best to complete the entire process before the end of the year.

It’s Your Money

The money that is used for your benefits is money you worked for. You wouldn’t show up to work with the understanding that you’ll be working for free all day, so why would you throw money away by not using your benefits?

Your Benefits

The best way to start is to determine what your benefits do and do not cover. Break out your coverage booklet and go through anything you might need done over the year. Don’t forget about your annual cleaning. Be sure to think about any bridgework, dental surgery, root canals or any other problems you might experience. This is the perfect time to visit your dentist and discuss any oral problems you’ve been having.

If you don’t know how much you have remaining in your coverage, call up your dentist or your insurance provider to find out.

Putting It Off

We all put things off. Some of us have a hard time making appointments with the dentist, but every time you put off your appointments each year, you’re throwing money out the window and, more importantly, risking your oral health.

The benefit of using up those benefits now is that you get the work done when it’s still a smaller job. If you’re waiting, the problem may get worse and it’ll cost more down the road to fix it and cause you more health problems.

So before the clock runs out, make sure you call your dentist and make an appointment for that work you’ve been putting off. You’ll be glad you put your hard earned money to work.