ave you planned everything for your years of retirement? I mean are you health-wise covered in all fields? I doubt so. When it comes to dental insurance for seniors, most adults haven’t bothered about it. Don’t believe me? Check these stats…
- More than 30% of senior citizens have gum cavities they never get treated.
- Almost 25% of the senior members (between 65 and 74) come with periodontal diseases.
- Almost 30% of the senior men and women have no teeth remaining.
Did you also happen to know?
- It is not necessary that you will lose teeth because you are aging.
- Your mouth will change its shape and size as you grow older.
- Neglect your oral hygiene and you will surely experience life-threatening diseases.
- Your teeth nerves can get smaller. This will make them less sensitive and leave them vulnerable to teeth and oral care.
Having dental health insurance for seniors may not seem like a necessity, however dental care is expensive. Even though losing teeth may not be a natural consequence of old age, people do lose their teeth gradually as they grow old. There are many issues that automatically crop up for senior people regarding their oral health.
Some of them are:
- Losing dental coverage through HMO or PPO post-retirement
- Medicare wont provide all kinds of dental coverage for seniors
- Every state has different dental coverage
- Out-of-pocket dental costs can be unaffordable
- Limited coverage for supplemental dental care
- Living in poorly cared for nursing homes
- All these poor health issues led to serious health issues
All these reasons call for a proper dental health insurance plan for seniors. There are primarily two major types of dental plans applicable to seniors:
Indemnity Plans:
These plans often come with service providers. Senior citizens with dental health insurance have multiple options of dentists they can go to. The only drawback remains in each patients’ need to pay the entire bill upfront. They can always claim their reimbursement later.
Managed-care plan:
These are also called PPOs, where fee negotiation happens with preferred providers. These are in-network providers who request only a certain part of the entire cost. The best part about PPOs is- you may also receive cost coverage at a less rate though.
Senior citizen’s dental insurance is also essential because you can buy a dental plan at really low monthly premiums. Standard policies generally provide these facilities:
Common repairs:
Partial coverage comes on certain restoration processes like crowns, root canals, cleaning tartars, deep cleanings, braces etc. You may have to pay certain amounts in copayments, deductibles or coinsurances, if your plan provides coverage.
Extractions and fillings:
Removing deep caries and filling them with certain covers. Extractions or pulling out a tooth or two will require you to provide coinsurance, copay, and deductibles.
Regular examinations and cleanings:
There are dental insurance plans for seniors that provide free cleanings and examinations twice annually.
X-rays:
Dentists will take regular x-rays of your teeth. Based on your dental plan, your x-ray may be fully covered or come with a copayment. However, your mouth x-ray may ask you to partially contribute through copay, coinsurance, or deductibles.
The most important thing about old age is to remain prepared for all health-related emergencies. As Medicare may not cover all your healthcare concerns, you need to look around a little for the right health insurance coverage that can be available for you. Dental health insurance for seniors is one such facility you need to arrange for yourself. It comes with lots of benefits that you can avail in case of your dental need. It comes with lots of benefits that you can avail in case of your dental need.
