Get Ahead of Dental Costs

We know the drill. Your semi-annual trip to the dentist reveals some tough news: you need a filling, that cavity now requires a root canal, you would benefit from a night guard. You need something expensive and, let’s say, you’ve used your insurance benefit for the year or, even worse, you don’t have dental coverage. If you’re like most Americans, you may consider deferring the treatment. That’s understandable, many people simply don’t have the funds for incidental costs. We’d like to encourage you to do otherwise in the interest of the long-term health of your teeth.

We’re big fans of cafeteria or flexible-spending plans that allow you to withhold a portion of your earnings for medical purposes. They’re typically pretty simple plans: You designate a percentage of your wages to be withheld, not unlike a 401K. (This lowers your taxable income so your cash-flow isn’t affected as much as you might think.) Then, you’ve got this money sitting there for medical expenses when they come up. Many people have regular costs that aren’t covered by insurance and use this program for those. Others will keep a little bit of a balance so that they won’t be blind-sided if they need a filling or need to visit urgent care outside of their network.

Many people appreciate the ease with which they’re able to actually set money aside with these programs. Let’s face it: as a culture we’re not terribly disciplined when it comes to saving money. It’s comforting to have this backup plan in case you need a special prescription or dental procedure. Here’s one way to think about it: it’s easier to make the decision to get the right dental work done if the money has already be designated for your teeth.

How much should you set aside? Well, of course, as much as you need. One of the ways you can determine that amount is found at the Dental Optimizer. Their featured Cost Calculator will give you estimates of just about any dental procedure you can imagine. Even better, this Cost Calculator uses information from insurance companies to give you estimates based on your location. Maybe you want to have $300 available for a filing or a new pair of glasses. Then you could save $25 per month and have the funds ready. Families, of course, might want to save more. Each person will have different needs. We suggest talking to your Human Resources department and figuring out the right plan that will allow you to get the dental care that you need!