Dental Insurance Pasadena, Texas:
Healthy Teeth are a Choice
For most people, their teeth are often neglected when deciding what they wish to spend their money on. Most people choose to spend their money on the latest smart phones, monthly data plans, cable television, big screen flat screen TVs, with surround sound, nice cars, tattoos, jewelry, cigarettes or computers.
Did you know that in the USA 1/3 of adult Americans over 65 have chosen to have NO teeth, and 2/3 have chosen to have 10 teeth or less? With shocking statistics like that in the wealthiest nation on earth, why do you think this is the case? A lot of people are ignoring their oral health. Is a lack of dental insurance the problem? Dr. Nugent hears this all the time. “But I can’t afford that, I don’t have dental insurance.” There is no insurance to purchase big screen TV’s, stereo systems, smart phones, or computers. However people find the money to buy these things anyway. When you take into consideration that a routine dental check up exam costs about the same as what the average female spends on getting her hair done (even without “hair insurance”), this “I DON’T HAVE DENTAL INSURANCE” argument loses even more steam. Or what about your monthly smart phone, internet and cable bill? It is unfortunate that some people value other things more than their dental health?
The solution is NOT dental insurance. Depending on the plan anywhere from ten to sixty cents on the dollar goes to administer the dental plan. Also, the maximum annual benefit allowed by most insurance plans has not changed significantly since dental insurance first began in the early 70’s. Thus, the percentages that they pay are becoming almost irrelevant. A one thousand dollar annual maximum benefit doesn’t buy much these days. Insurance companies are not here to help patients. I repeat: insurance companies are not here to help patients. The insurance company’s primary goal is to provide a return on investment to their shareholders. Unless someone else (usually your employer) is paying the premiums, dental insurance is stupid. You will never get more back in benefits than is paid in for the premiums. The cost alone already makes it a sucker bet. A higher premium would make it even worse. Today, as an individual, a traditional dental plan will cost you approximately 50 dollars per month or 600 hundred dollars a year. All that to just get a 1000 dollar benefit. The insurance companies have teams of layers writing the rule books in order to deny coverages and to provide the cheapest alternative care possible. The insurance companies know that even if Shell purchases a great dental insurance plan for their plant workers, a larger percentage of the workers will not even go to the dentist. Thus, the insurance pays out no benefits and it is pure profit.
Since about 90% of all dental disease is preventable, the real problems are:
- An insufficient amount of value placed on dental health versus other things
- Inadequate home care
- Skipping brushing and flossing
- Poor diet choices (too many sweet &/or acidic foods, beverages, and snacks,
- Infrequent check-ups/preventative care
- Delayed dental treatment (little problems grow into larger more expensive problems)
Raise the value you place on your and your families dental health by brushing AND flossing daily, minimize the intake of sodas, energy drinks, & sugary snacks, and most of all, visit Dr. Nugent regularly for proper preventative care. Prevention is not expensive, but neglect is!
