Dental Insurance Dilemmas

Oral health has a direct impact on the general health, hence, it is important that all Canadians have adequate access to dental care services. Over the years successive Governments have reduced financial support to programs delivering dental care to most vulnerable populations. As a result, many low income families and other vulnerable groups have been unable to access dental care. There is further escalation in the disparities in oral health care among Canadians, as the number of Canadians losing dental care benefits continues to increase. Also, higher oral health care costs can be expected in the near future due to shortage of health care professionals.

The problem in accessing dental care for low-income community is complex and cannot be determined simply. Lack of utilisation is as a result of lack of demands for dental health (Al Agili, Bronstein & Greene-McIntyre 2005). Demand also depends on the economic condition that supports the patients. At the individual level it has been known for years that financial reason is an essential barrier for not able to visit a dentist (Wallet et al. 2014). However, in this case, the Government try to assist low-income people by reducing financial barrier through the benefit offering by CDBS. Even though the scheme has not maximally encouraged those are eligible for the scheme. In addition to the financial barrier, perceived need is one of the reasons

If a medical condition runs in your family, then you need to let your dentist know about this. Having a family history of a certain condition can put you at risk for it. Additionally, if dental problems run in your family, then you are at a greater risk for developing them.

Many low income areas have dental therapists as part of their local dental team. Many people in these areas have never been to a dentist or do not go every six months as recommended this poses many other health problems. There has been case studies and data showing that in these areas dental health

Additionally, the lack of dental education of parents is a deciding factor in the condition of their children’s teeth. The increase

The socioeconomic background of people is a major factor that dictates whether or not they will receive dental care. According to the American Journal of Public Health, “Children from a low socioeconomic status have been shown to have a high risk of dental caries”(Simmer-Beck 1764). Many children today do not receive the dental care they need because of their parents’ income. Going to the dentist is expensive for people without dental insurance so many people tend to blow it off; but what they don’t realize is that the condition of their mouth often dictates the state of the rest of their health. An internet source in correspondence with the American Journal of Public Health stated that, “More than half of low income-children without

The utilization of assigned dental home linkage, which is considered to be a key factor in the attempt to reducing the risk of caries development in children by timely provision of services by health care professionals is extremely low in the DC-Medicaid cohort for Calendar year 2014. Out of 55 individuals who were seen by a physician, only 6 had a follow up visit with a dentist, which is far lower than expected, and we did not do any further analysis of this finding. It represents the need for special measures that need to be taken. A combined effort of spreading awareness among people, physicians and dentist through education, and further research by qualitative analysis to find the reasons for such low referral rate might be

Ashley told me that the cost of the exam would be $48.00. She did not mention if it included rabies and Bordetella vaccines. When I asked Ashley if the hospital offered payments options, she informed me that I could apply for Care Credit before I came in and noted it was like a credit card for your pets. Ashley told me that I could do it online before I even get in here and see if your approved. Furthermore, she told me that if I got approved they would give me an approval number that I could use when I came in. Ashley told me that I could use it more than just for your pets. She stated, "I know some dental insurance places that take it.” She told me that she personally had it and it could be used at Rite Aid and I could buy anything except

Individual states decide whether or not to offer dental insurance for adults under the Medicaid program, explains Medicaid.gov. However, states must provide dental coverage to children covered by Medicaid.

Now that 2016 is more than half over, it is a good idea to review your dental insurance and assure you are taking full advantage of your dental benefits. Medical Lake Dental Clinic in Medical Lake, Washington accepts most dental insurance plans and will file claims, saving you time and hassle.  And before they begin taking care of any dental needs, this affordable dentist will advise patients what is covered by the insurance carrier. They will even offer options for taking care of any remaining balance.

Discount dental plans are becoming increasingly popular. They tend to be more affordable, whether annually or monthly, and provide significant savings with participating dentists. These plans provide pre-negotiated discounts for most dental procedures, cover pre-existing conditions, eliminates the hassle of deductibles, less paperwork and there is no cap on the total savings.

Choosing an affordable Georgia dental insurance plan for your small business can be daunting. There are so many variables, from premiums to providers to coverage area. How do you strike a balance between giving your employees access to the best dentists across Atlanta, Savannah, and Columbus, while finding a group dental insurance plan that's also good for employers?

The cost of dental care and the ability to directly pay for services are key economic barriers to access and use of dental services (Bhatti et al., 2007; Duncan & Bonner, 2014; Vargas & Manski, 1999). Research and studies on economic barriers of dental care have noted that individuals at the lower end of socio-economic scale often tend to have poor oral health status compared to those at the higher end of the scale (Anikeeva, Brennan, & Teusner, 2013; Listl, 2011; Locker et al., 2011). The poor and the working poor (marginally poor), as well as, some middle income Canadian often have to make a budgetary trade-off by compensating other vital good and services such as food, in order to be enable to pay for dental care (Muirhead, Quiñonez, Figueiredo, & Locker, 2009). The findings of this study confirm a relatively low proportion of access and use of dental services among residents with total household earnings of less than $20,000 in all three provinces. Cross-tabulation analysis (table 2) shows that the percentage of residents who have consulted a dentist, actually visited a dentist, and used dental services in less than a year, increases with increasing household income in all three provinces. However, the level of access and use of dental care services among the individuals with lower household income are not the same in the three provinces. The proportions of lower household income residents in Alberta and Manitoba who have consulted a dentist, actually visited a dentist,

Data used for the study was sourced from CCHS, which is a cross-sectional survey. Like all cross-sectional surveys, it is impossible to infer causality in the study. Data from the survey was collected at a single point in time; hence, there is no information on the sequence of events concerning access and use of dental care services in the three provinces of interested – Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland. Thus, associations between the study’s independent variables (province of residence and socio-economic characteristics) and the dependent variables (consultation with a dentist, an actual visit to a dentist and visited a dentist in less than 1 year) cannot be inferred to be causal. For instance, the association between age and income on one hand and consultation with a dentist do not necessarily imply that the age and income are factors that cause an individual to consult a dentist. Furthermore, responses provided by the CCHS respondents can rarely be verified independently, as they are self-reported health care seeking and usage behaviour. The methodological limitations of this study entail the measures used to determine accessibility and utilization of dental care services, and the sampled population. In reference to the former, access and use of dental care are labyrinthine phenomena shaped by intricate social, cultural, economic, political, and institutional factors, not all of which have been captured in this study. In addition, the study does not capture reasons for non-consultation or visitation to a dentist or orthodontist. This limitation is largely because of the lack of follow up questions for respondents who had not consulted a dentist or orthodontist; hence, there is no knowledge or information on why they had not consulted a dentist or

Let us first understand the idea of dental insurance. Dental insurance is a type of insurance in which a person buys a dental insurance plan by paying a monthly or annual premium to a dental insurance company. In turn the dental insurance company provides dental insurance coverage against dental costs. That is if there are any dental costs borne by the insured during the insurance period, the dental insurance company will reimburse the costs incurred by the insured.