Use Your Dental Benefits Before They Reset: A Year-End Guide

If you have dental insurance, there’s a good chance the clock is quietly ticking on money you’ve already paid for. Most dental plans run on a calendar year and reset every January 1 — and anything you didn’t use by December 31 is usually gone for good. A little planning now, in the fall, can keep you from leaving real benefits on the table.

What actually resets on January 1

Three things on most plans go back to zero at the start of the new year:

• Your annual maximum — the total the plan will pay toward your care in a year. Whatever you don’t use does not roll over; it simply disappears.
• Your deductible — if you’ve already met it this year, that resets too, so treatment done now may cost you less out of pocket than the very same treatment in January.
• FSA dollars — if you have a Flexible Spending Account through work, many of those funds expire at year-end as well.

In other words, if you’ve already met your deductible and still have room under your annual maximum, the end of the year is often the most cost-effective time to finish any treatment you’ve been putting off.

Why fall is the smart time to act

Waiting until December is a gamble. Schedules fill up fast in the last few weeks of the year as everyone tries to use their benefits at once, and larger treatments — like a crown — sometimes take more than one visit to complete. Starting in the fall gives you room to finish comfortably before the deadline, and to heal before the holidays rather than during them.

It’s also simply good for your health. A small problem caught and treated now is almost always easier, and less involved, than the same problem six months down the road.

A simple year-end checklist

• Book your remaining cleaning and exam — most plans cover two preventive visits a year, and the second one is easy to forget.
• Finish any treatment already recommended — that filling, crown, or extraction you’ve been meaning to schedule.
• Ask about your remaining benefits — we’re glad to check what’s left under your plan for the year.
• Plan larger work around the calendar — sometimes it makes sense to start now and finish in the new year, using two years of benefits.

We’ll help you make the most of your coverage

You don’t need to figure out the fine print alone. At Highmark Dental, we file claims with most major insurers as a courtesy so your benefits get applied, and we’ll tell you before treatment what your plan is likely to cover and what it isn’t. We are not in HMO or managed-care networks, and we’ll always be straight with you about that.

If it’s been a while — or you know you have benefits sitting unused — now is the time to call. We care for families across Jonesboro, Riverdale, Morrow, Forest Park, Stockbridge, Lovejoy, and the surrounding communities, and we’d be glad to get you in before the year runs out. Call us at (770) 478-1001 or book online.