by Hope
I bit the bullet this past weekend and purchased dental insurance for Gymnast, Princess, and I. We haven’t had dental insurance in FOREVER. Back in Virginia, we had regular dental care through the dental schools. It was great and cheap and great!
Since the move to Georgia, we had dental coverage for the 9 months, I returned to the corporate world and everyone had their teeth cleaned, cavities filled, etc. But since then, nothing. It’s not that I haven’t thought about it and Princess has regularly reminded me. But taking the time to find a dental school just hasn’t been a priority.
At one point I did call the local dentist we used and their out-of-pocket costs were just way too high to me.
But I finally bit the bullet and purchased a 6 months policy for the littles and me and plan to make appointments as soon as we get back to Georgia. We all need cleaning and I’m praying we don’t have any cavities. But we will deal with those if we do.
And Princess needs a new retainer. She got her braces taken off 6 months after we moved to Georgia. I’m hoping the dentist can help with that; otherwise, I may call her orthodontist in Virginia and see if they cover it at all. We shall see.
Bundled with Health Insurance
I am happy with the cost of this policy. It will be just around $300 for the 6 months for the 3 us and covers preventative care at 100%. I bundled it with our health insurance to save an extra $4 per month I think. That means I’m paying right at $210 for the 3 of us per month. That’s a number I’m comfortable with.
Our policy has a really high deductible ($12,500 I believe) but since we rarely and by that I mean really never go to the doctor, it’s good for emergencies.
I considered adding vision but since Princess got new glasses a year ago and I recently had my eyes checked with no change to my prescription, I decided I could save that add-on for another year.
Losing My Hearing
Another motivation for this insurance purchase is that there is a very good chance, based on the last couple of months that I am losing my hearing. It’s not significant yet, but it’s definitely to the point where I am getting concerned.
This policy, for whatever reason, also provides coverage for hearing tests and discounts on hearing aids. My guess is those are in my immediate future…or my kids are just going to have to speak a lot louder all the time. (They already get onto me for how loud my “normal” voice has become.)
As my parents have always said…”Growing old isn’t for sissies!”
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
While you’ve been saving money on the dentist now and for the past couple of years I think you’ll find it was pennywise and pound foolish. You and your kids will likely pay for the savings 10x over in extra work, not to mention pain and continued maintenance. You can’t get your original teeth back! Not to mention, you instilled in your kids that it just wasn’t important or worth it….
My parents rarely took me to the dentist when I was in my teens. I went off to college and started my first salaried job. All the time without going to the dentist. If my parents hadn’t asked about it or set up appointments it must not be that important right? Fast forward to a few years into my first job and I finally found a dentist and went. Of course, now it wasn’t just preventative, because I now had countless ignored cavities. I needed fillings in multiple quadrants of my mouth and a crown. I think I paid well over $2,000 in one year with many visits to catch up. Most of which, could have been prevented with proper care and attention. Notice that I was the one who had to shoulder the cost of fixing my teeth, not my parents. On top of that, once you get fillings it’s not like your teeth “heal” and nothing ever needs to be done. Its just another weak link in your teeth you have to replace and take care of the rest of your life.
Thankfully, we have always visited the dentist every 6 months so I think the importance of dentist visits is instilled in them.
Consistent care at home, good genes and so on contribute to healthy teeth as well.
I’m sorry you parents did not do that for you.
But when the cash price to visit our local dentist was a minimum of $800…I had to pass. We have had exceptional care through dentistry schools so that would be my first choice. But this will do for now.
You have not “always visited the dentist every 6 months”, you said in your post no one has been since you left the corporate job. I am glad to see you are taking care of it now. Hopefully no one needs extra work.
Yes, sorry, the last year and a half…
You wrote in your post you haven’t gone since you worked a corporate job. And that job ended well over two years ago by my memory. Maybe you intended to say you also went to the dentist when you were on Medicaid after that? But, whatever, we’re only reading and interpreting what you write. You know the real truth.
The corporate job ended a year and a 1/2 ago, we went right when it ended, so it’s been a year and 4 months. Sorry, I realize I need to be more specific.
I just want to comment on your high deductible for your health insurance. I was 48 and went for a routine mammogram and was diagnosed with state 1 breast cancer. No family history, no health problems in 48 years before. I needed two lumpectomys, radiation, and chemo. Don’t be fooled into thinking just because you are healthy now something can’t happen.
This is a good point. I make it a point to always have enough cash on hand to meet the deductible.
My grandma always said “Old age isn’t for sissies” too! And she wasn’t kidding…
Dental health is so important, glad you guys are going to get back in the routine! As for the health insurance, my suggestion is to create a separate EF for health stuff only and work on getting it up to the level of your deductible. You have your 10K main EF, now move all money above that into a medical EF that matches your deductible. $12K can be reached with one ambulance ride, one ER visit for a broken arm, appendicitis, etc.
You always say that your health insurance is included in your work expenses – but you mention a bundle discount? So you are paying each month for insurance, but not showing it in your budget? You’ve always been a bit vague about that. I think it’s important, especially as we get older, to anticipate medical costs in budgets – even with a high deductible (I hate deductibles!!)
Hope,
I am sure that you are aware of this but being diabetic you are at higher risk of potential gum disease and underlying heart issues due to not getting regular dental care in the past 1 months or so. There are studies that show the direct link between poor oral hygiene and lack of dental care and the effects on the heart. Diabeties just increases your risk greatly.
Speaking as someone who has to spend $20,000 on my teeth over 2 years I can tell you that spending $210 over 6 months for cleaning and maintenance is much smarter and less costly over the long run. Dental issues when left to their own devices only cost you more. Get those cleanings.