Medical insurance and dental insurance are both important tools to use to keep your body healthy. However, it can be confusing when trying to utilize your dental benefits because it works quite a bit differently from the medical plans that you are used to. Continue reading to learn more about these two different types of insurance and the reasons why providers separate the two.
How Do Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance Differ?
The biggest difference between medical insurance and dental insurance is their focus. When you think about medical insurance you are likely to concentrate on how much it can save you from the burden of large medical expenses. Without medical insurance, healthcare would be a challenge for many people to afford due to the high cost. Your medical insurance plan seems to have a larger focus on unexpected care, like injury or illness that occurs with little to no warning. You could end up requiring immediate medical treatment to get back to your normal routine.
Dental insurance is usually geared toward preventive services. There is always the probability that an emergency could pop up, but most of the time, visiting the dentist is just for a cleaning, checkup, or minor restorative procedure to prevent issues from occurring in the future. With easy access to preventive care, you will be able to avoid a dental emergency more easily.
What Are Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance Separate?
One would think that medical insurance would cover their entire body. Here are a few reasons why insurances are split into different categories:
- Separation of Fields: Dental and medical care have been separated for a long time now. This is mostly because dentists and medical doctors require education from separate schools and are involved in different fields. The medical field never accepted dentistry as part of their practice. Dentists were their own way, so this eventually translated to insurance plans as well.
- Dental Carriers: Carriers are specific to dental practices. To create cost-effective insurance policies, specialization is needed. Your medical carrier is familiar with forming relationships with hospitals and doctors’ offices to help you get the best possible coverage for your money. Dental carriers will do the same thing except with a network of dentists. Dental carriers are better able to bargain with dentists for better discounts.
- Insurance Companies See Them Differently: When it comes to medical insurance, health can be unpredictable. A single patient could cost the company greatly. This isn’t generally the case with dental health because preventive care is the main focus.
Dental insurance isn’t always easy to navigate, but your dental team can help! By reviewing your plan and working with your friendly dental team, you can work towards maximizing your benefits.
About the Practice
At Lake Nona Dental Group, we have a team of six skilled dentists serving patients in Orlando. With their combined experience and expertise, patients can get pretty much anything they need at one of our two convenient locations. To learn more about dental insurance, don’t hesitate to contact our team. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit our website or call (407) 277-1779.
