My Dental Health Companion: Dental News on Health/Coverage/Hygiene

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Dental News
Recently, the Huffington Post ran an article by New York cosmetic dentist Thomas P. Connelly, D.D.S. titled, "The Trouble With Dental Insurance" in which he attempted to explain why so many patients and dentists alike feel that the current dental insurance system is lousy (i.e. too many procedures not covered, co-pays are too high, overly strict limitations, etc.).

In his article, Dr. Connelly believes that there are many reasons why dental insurance in this country sux so much, but basically it comes down to for the fact that dental insurance simply isn't profitable enough for insurance companies. As evidence, Dr. Connelly sites these four factors he feels are responsible for the poor level of dental coverage being offered by insurers these days;

1. The "use factor". In plain terms, dental insurance almost always gets used, oftentimes, right up to the max. This is not so with other types of insurance. In fact, the entire profit model of insurance is based on a certain percentage of people not using it. Contributing to this is the built-in "twice yearly" cleanings and such that are recommended.

2. Pre-existing conditions. Many dental problems are often ignored for years. So the feeling is that many people will "save up" their problems until they get dental insurance. Then voilà; three root canals, two crowns, and a bridge. This happens so often that many dental insurance providers have a waiting period of one year for any major work (and lower caps on maximum coverage). I can tell you from personal experience that I have seen countless patients with a mouthful of problems that really should have been handled earlier, but weren't due to lack of funds.

3. Dental problems are more commonplace than many other health problems. There are very, very few people out there with no need for dental work at all. This relates to my first point -- use. Almost all people with dental insurance will use it to a certain degree every year. Conversely, looking at typical health insurance as a comparison, a great number of healthy people will often go years without seeing a doctor.

4. The total cost of dental work is lower than most medical procedures, making it difficult for an insurance company to charge a high enough rate to offset the "people using it" factor, but also for the rate to be low enough to be "worth it" to the typical consumer. Put another way, you have health insurance not only for routine doctor visits, but for "catastrophic" events. After all, an operation/hospital stay could bankrupt you. Thus, even at high premiums, health insurance is a must have for most people whereas with dental insurance, the most you would probably ever have to spend in a year on necessary work might be $5,000.

So, it seems that we're all sort of stuck with a system that patients, dentists and insurance companies don't like. I wish I could say that the discount dental plans I sell are the ultimate answer to this dilemma, but the truth is they simply provide discounts --not actual insurance coverage-- on all types of dental work, making it extremely difficult for working-class families to afford even the most basic of dental care.