Dental benefits necessary...

[Tikitoi]

So here is the dilemma, I am trying to decide for my benefits at work (yes glad I have a job) what I should choose for me and DD14. Up until just recently, DD was covered under my plan and her dad's plan. This was great because we had no "out of pocket" for any of her visits and or prescriptions. And with her having 2, yes 2 major illnesses to deal with this was great.

Well, now things have changed and since her dad lost his job, she has no coverage under his plan. So I definitely need to step it up and raise my medical plan for better coverage. So I am thinking about going without dental benefits for us. We have been lucky to just need our just cleanings every year. It will cost almost an extra $50 per pay period if I do the higher medical and dental, but if I do the higher medical only it will be about half of that.

So I guess it's just WWYD.

TIA

 

[Disney-Chick]

I have both Medical & Dental and we have used dental more for my DD14. In order to put braces on her she has some other appliances that would have cost a bit. As well with me, I had a bridge in the front of my mouth. Then one day by accident my daughter kneed me in the mouth....long story short I later found out that she cracked one of my teeth under my gums that was attached to the bridge. My dental coverage is covering all the cost to replace all 3 teeth with implants total cost they say will be close to $15,000 after all surgeries/implants etc. I am so happy to kjnow that my dental will take care of this. So I guess I would take dental. You just never know what can or will happen and you don't want to be in a situation without coverage. Good luck with your choice.

 

[indimom]

So here is the dilemma, I am trying to decide for my benefits at work (yes glad I have a job) what I should choose for me and DD14. Up until just recently, DD was covered under my plan and her dad's plan. This was great because we had no "out of pocket" for any of her visits and or prescriptions. And with her having 2, yes 2 major illnesses to deal with this was great.

Well, now things have changed and since her dad lost his job, she has no coverage under his plan. So I definitely need to step it up and raise my medical plan for better coverage. So I am thinking about going without dental benefits for us. We have been lucky to just need our just cleanings every year. It will cost almost an extra $50 per pay period if I do the higher medical and dental, but if I do the higher medical only it will be about half of that.

So I guess it's just WWYD.

TIA

You probably don't want to hear this, but my advice is upgrade both. Sorry. I'm biased. The first year we dropped our insurance to Tier Two we ended up with major bills. I won't do it again.
Look at it this way, $25 for the dental portion X 12 months is $300. Just annual cleanings/flouride would cost a minimum of $150, probably more in your area. And any issues that may come up during the year are going to be a lot, lot more.

 

[Pigeon]

I'd probably upgrade both, but make sure you know what the dental does and doesn't cover.

For example, my coverage for ortho is two and a half times per year what my husband's is for lifetime ortho. Both are with the same carrier but are different plans.

 

[puffkin]

That sounds like a lot of money for dental if you get paid bi-weekly ($1300 a year). Have you looked into possibly buying your own dental plan? It may have slightly higher deductibles if there were a big issue, but you may be able to save money overall and still have the peace of mind of knowing on the off chance there is a big expense you still only have to pay up to the deductible.

 

[thomas998]

No one can give you good advice on the dental question without having more info from you.

Not all dental plans are equal. Some cover a good deal of things and others don't.

First figure out how much it is going to cost you for just the dental, figure out what it will be for the whole year. Now think about how much you actually use the dental insurance. If you really only do a one a year or every 6 month cleaning... and cavities aren't ever a problem... then figure the cost of cleanings with nothing else... compare it and you have your answer.

If you want plug in a couple of hundred for a cavity you don't expect, and see if that is still less than your going to pay for the year.

With my kids I know they will have enough problems to justify the cost... when they are teenagers that might not be the case... also realize that some dental plans are almost worthless... where I work our dental plan covers the cleanings after a $25 co-pay... they cover 80% of things like cavities, but also have a LIFETIME maximum payout of $1,500 per person... So clearly if you ever have a couple of crowns there will really be no reason to keep buying the insurance.... you have to look at the number though, otherwise your asking the blind to lead you and that isn't likely to give you a good answer.

 

[clh2]

I would not do without dental insurance either. Your DD is 14...pretty soon - her dentist is going to be commenting on wisdom teeth.

And...if that isn't bad enough - as an adult...all you need is one really hard piece of candy...and one of your teeth may crack. I've had more dental work done as an adult than I ever did as a kid.

 

[indimom]

You probably don't want to hear this, but my advice is upgrade both. Sorry. I'm biased. The first year we dropped our insurance to Tier Two we ended up with major bills. I won't do it again.
Look at it this way, $25 for the dental portion X 12 months is $300. Just annual cleanings/flouride would cost a minimum of $150, probably more in your area. And any issues that may come up during the year are going to be a lot, lot more.

ETA: Oops, I missed that this was per pay period. I still think I'd look for other areas in my budget to cut before I cut dental.

 

[burnurcomputer]

Medical benefits sell fear and the "what ifs". In the caseof dental work, however, you are purchasing a plan to cover 2 cleaning a year and s set amount of money for treatments a year.

Dental insurence is a must for my family of 6.

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

Medical benefits sell fear and the "what ifs". In the caseof dental work, however, you are purchasing a plan to cover 2 cleaning a year and s set amount of money for treatments a year.

Dental insurence is a must for my family of 6.

Having been diagnosed with cancer at 23 I'll buy into the fear and whatifs of medical insurance. We'd be bankrupt without it.

Our dental insurance sucks. They only cover silver fillings so I've been paying $100 a tooth anyways out of pocket. We pay $40/month or so for me and the two kids (DH's is free though). Still worth it to have in case of emergency though in my opinion.

I'd probably up the medical and drop dental if I had to and couldn't afford to up the medical and keep basic dental.

 

[bettymae1121]

Keep it just to help cover wisdome teeth, likely she'll need those pulled in the next 2-4 years.

 

[minnierocks]

Going without insurance is always a gamble that you won't need it. To me, the reason for having insurance is for when (not if) you will need it. You will need it, at some point...is it worth risking spending big bucks (and causing possible financial hardship) on necessary procedures because you don't have insurance? For me...I wouldn't do it. We rarely have to have anything done, but those regular cleanings (that are covered under insurance) find problems before they become major issues. Braces are about $6000 and pulling wisdom teeth are about $3000. Smaller problems such as fillings will still run you about $300-$400 by the time you are done. The first visit when they find the problem and the second visit to fix the problem (because you will be charged for both visits) will cost you.
We always go with the best medical/dental plan...not because we have lots of money but because although it may save a few bucks in the short term, it only takes one major problem (car accident, illness, emergency room visits etc) to be a major nightmare financially. It's not worth the risk for my family.

 

[thomas998]

Keep it just to help cover wisdome teeth, likely she'll need those pulled in the next 2-4 years.

Might want to consult your dentist on that one... Some people require having them taken out others don't. If it isn't necessary the insurance might not cover what they would consider elective dental work. Also if you wanted the insurance for this reason and it was something 2 years out, I wouldn't have the insurance for this year, as long as you can enroll in it next year you could drop it this year and then re enroll next year. We do this on the vision insurance dropping it one year and then enrolling the next because my eyes have gotten to the point that I know I only really need a change in prescription every few years so no point in paying for insurance in a year that I know I wont need it.

 

[POOHsie]

To me, Dental Insurance is more like a forced dental savings program. If you add up what services would cost out-of-pocket for 2 exams and cleanings per year for your family, and possibly a filling or two, then compare that to the dental insurance cost and deductibles per year, they are usually somewhat similar. That's why I would stay with the insurance. Sometimes dental needs are much more than a typical visit (root canal, crown, bridge, gum disease, damage from an accident), and you would be out-of-luck if you didn't have dental coverage. When I was younger, I had good checkups. In my 30s-40s, I needed many old fillings replaced, I had a few teeth that cracked for various reasons, so I needed root canals and crowns, etc. Dental care is something you need more as you get older, because of wear and tear on your teeth.

 

[peter.scott279]

I'd probably upgrade both, but make sure you know what the dental does and doesn't cover.

For example, my coverage for ortho is two and a half times per year what my husband's is for lifetime ortho. Both are with the same carrier but are different plans.

^^ this. I would also upgrade both. But look at the other alternatives as your own dental plan; or covering her partially under your plan. I am not sure how feasible it is as every state has different rules. Get more information form authorities.

 

[ZehnJahren]

I'm in the camp that you need dental insurance. I know people who have gone without once they lost their jobs, and they live in constant pain and misery because they can't get their teeth fixed due to the expense, but pain meds don't help any more.

Tooth pain is some of the worst pain to have; and there are so many ways to get it. Crack a tooth, get a cavity, need a root canal - all expensive and impossible to guess at.

 

[Gigi22]

OP, not sure how old you and your DH may be, but at a certain point you can expect your fillings to start to fail. They don't last forever.
This is happening to a number of my friends in their early 50s, and to my DSis in her mid-40s. Depending the size of the failed filling, you may require a crown on your tooth to fix it. Crowns aren't cheap.

 

[ceecee]

I would add up 2 cleanings/exam and xrays per yr times two and see what you get. Then fiqure in if you are usually decay free or need fillings. Your DD will probably need 3rd molars extracted but probably not for a few years though and does she need ortho? Also depends on if you have large fillings already existing that could break down.

 

[tayandjensmom]

I made a career change 2 years ago and now work as a Dental Assistant. Please think long and hard before you drop that coverage. You have been fortunate and I hope that continues, so you won't need anything major done. But if you do, its amazing how quickly it all adds up. Have a tooth ache, find its infected, you'll be needing a root canal. They start at 799.00 for a 1 canal tooth. Many have 3 canals! That is normally then followed up with a crown with in the year (cuz the tooth is week) those start at 599.00 depending on what type you need and the tooth.
My husband has 4 baby teeth left, no adult teeth under them. Well 1 became cracked. It needed to be pulled. Then sent to a specialist to have a titanium post put into his jaw bone. Followed by a crown to create a perm. tooth. When all was said and done, it cost us just under 4,000 in those 6 months. He still had 3 other baby teeth. I'm hoping they hold up for years to come! That same year I needed a root canal and a crown. Lets just say there was no extra money for vacation that year! This was done before the "career change" Thankfully now, I have free dental care.
Like many have said, insurance is a gamble. Call me chicken, but we carry the best insurance available through my husbands company. 1 major illness will bankrupt most families. Good luck in the choice you make. Lisa

 

[arminnie]

I've had dental insurance via work (that I did not pay for at all). But it really didn't cover much.

I will not use dental insurance now as all too often you are limited to the dentists you can use. In many instances the dentists are subpar. Not just my opinion. The top oral surgeon in the area often talks about how much of his practice is correcting stuff other dentists have done.

Dental insurance for me now does not even cover the full cost of a cleaning unless I go to some no-name clinic.