The Shortcomings of Dental Insurance

Australians will drive many miles to visit a dentist as long as the price is right. It’s no secret that a visit to the dentist can be very expensive. There are insurance plans available but the premiums are too expensive and constantly rising.

Dental insurance imposes restrictions such as waiting periods, annual limits, pre-existing condition exclusions, and treatment exclusions particularly for cosmetic dentistry. Dental insurance also only covers usually less than half of the expense of dental services – so, effectively you have to pay hefty monthly premiums plus potentially hundreds and even thousands of dollars in dental fees for out-of-pocket expenses for the treatment.

(Note: Treatment such as root canal treatment, wisdom teeth extractions, dental veneers, dental crowns, dental bridges, and dental implants are very costly.)

Unfortunately the net result of this situation is that many people fail to get adequate and regular dental care. This can lead to the need for even more expensive dental services and/or eventual loss of teeth over time. Children who don’t see a dentist regularly can lose their baby teeth due to tooth decay or malformed teeth that must be pulled leading to a whole new set of problems related to the permanent teeth.

An Even Worse Scenario

Even worse than the inadequacies of dental insurance is the expense for those people without dental insurance. For these people dental expenses may be much greater as they will receive no rebate whatsoever.

Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative.

Cost Savings Drive Dental Care

People in Australia are fortunate that there is an alternative to traditional dental insurance. There is a non-insurance dental cover they can join that has a very low membership fee and provides access to exceptional participating dentists who will charge mush less for the same services provided to people without membership. This makes dental care affordable and available to most people.

As a result, many Australians find themselves driving many miles to visit a dentist knowing they will save a lot of money in dental fees. When dental services become affordable, people are more inclined to access them regularly. Following are some of the other reasons people will drive so far to find an affordable dentist.

• Lives in a rural area where there is no local dentist

• Needs family dental services available for parents and children

• Must locate a dentist that offers weekend appointments

• Needs emergency dental service that is not offered locally

• Requires ability to make appointments with short lead times

• Seeks reasonable dental fees to obtain regular dental care

• Seeks reasonable dental fees to afford cosmetic dentistry

• Seeks an exceptional dentist who may also specialise in the type of dental services needed

• Seeks affordable dentist now because there is a waiting period, annual limit, pre-existing condition exclusion, or treatment exclusion on their dental insurance policy

On a dental membership plan, it is possible to literally save thousands of dollars in dental expenses. It only makes sense to drive many miles to the dentist when it’s possible to realise these kinds of savings. This is especially true when the children need essential dental care or someone has an urgent and painful dental problem.