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Centra Dental
The month is coming to a close, as is the year, and so is a memorable decade. Using your dental insurance now is a bigger deal than ever. It’s time to use your dental benefits while you still can.
Your Insurance Benefits Will Likely Expire on December 31st
Most insurance plans correspond to the calendar year, which means you and your family only have a few more days to take advantage of your dental insurance coverage. Most plans offer majority or complete coverage for dental cleanings, which we recommend you schedule with us twice a year. By offering coverage, your provider encourages you to come to our South Houston dentists so we can examine your mouth. When we closely examine your mouth, we can also spot any developing problems in your teeth, as well as the earliest hints of other health problems, such as diabetes and even different cancers.
Additionally, dental insurance plans also typically offer coverage for any treatments that can prevent your oral health condition from worsening. For example, dentures and partials are essential for our patients who are missing their permanent teeth. They can help improve our patients’ facial structure, help them speak more clearly, and help them eat all the healthy foods they need to. This means that they are crucial to overall health, so it’s likely that your insurance plan will offer some coverage for them. Similarly, dental crowns, bridges, and fillings help protect and preserve teeth that have experienced severe decay. By protecting the damaged tooth or teeth, crowns, bridges, and fillings can help protect the remaining healthy teeth, so there is a good chance your dental insurance plan offers coverage for these procedures as well.
Get Your Money’s Worth in Dental Benefits
Because your benefits expire on the 31st, your remaining benefits will not roll over and be added to next year’s benefits. Most dental insurance plans require a premium and/or a deductible before your benefits kick in, and these out-of-pocket costs will go to waste if you don’t redeem your benefits.
Most of Centra Dental’s Services are Covered by Your Dental Insurance
We want our south Houston patients to use all of their Dental benefits so they can be exceptionally healthy. This is why we are in-network with several insurance plans, such as Aetna, Cigna, Delta, Guardian, Lincoln, United, and much more. If you have any outstanding treatment or dental check-up please book an appointment with us so we can schedule a visit with you before the end of the year.
Centra Dental
Did you know that your dental insurance benefits reset each year? Most dental insurance plans last for the calendar year, meaning you will use all of your unused benefits after December 31, 2019. It’s also important to be aware that what is left of your benefits does not carry into the new year, so you will have to pay your insurance premium once again in order to gain access to new benefits. There is still some time left before your benefits expire, so here are just some of the services you should prioritize before the deadline.
Dental Services to Take Advantage of at Centra Dental in South Houston
Dental Cleanings
Most dental insurance plans offer some or complete coverage for two dental cleanings a year because they are the most important treatment you can get to keep your teeth and gums healthy. If you haven’t received a cleaning in over six months, now is the perfect time. When you come in for your dental cleaning at Centra, we do a deep cleaning while carefully checking your teeth and gums. Many patients are surprised to find out that plenty of illnesses and diseases first show signs in the mouth, so we can catch the earliest symptoms and act accordingly.
Major Dental Treatments
Some treatments, such as dentures, partials, dental crowns, and dental bridges, may take at least two visits to complete. Now is the perfect time to get started on those treatments, especially if you have already met your deductible. A deductible is the amount of money you have to pay in treatments before your dental benefits kick in. Once it’s paid, your coverage will take care of a portion of your treatment costs. This is ideal for these bigger treatments you may have been holding off on.
Centra Dental in South Houston Wants You to Enjoy Your Benefits
Don’t let your insurance premium or deductible go to waste. If you would like to receive any of these treatments before December 31st, please book an appointment with us. We will gladly fit you in so you can have maximize your benefits and have a healthy smile to show for it.
Centra Dental
When working, most people receive dental benefits through their employers but may forget about the premium that both employer and employee must pay in order to keep a dental insurance plan. This premium is paid upfront, so the money is completely wasted if you don’t visit the dentist enough throughout the year. If you don’t go to the dentist before the end of the year, then you will lose the chance to use your benefits.
How Do Your South Houston Dental Benefits Work?
There are different kinds of dental insurance plans, each with different benefits. "Benefits" is the term we use to refer to coverage for different dental treatments, meaning your insurance will pay a portion of your treatments. Which dental insurance plan and benefits you get depends on your employer. However, most plans will offer substantial coverage for your routine dental cleanings, which should take place every 6 months. Other benefits you may have include coverage for root canals, crowns or bridges, dentures, and more, but this will depend on the plan you buy.
Dental Benefits Will Expire by the End of the Year
Insurance providers set a deadline of December 31st of each year. If you do not use your benefits by then, there is no roll-over, so you are unable to save multiple treatments for the next year when your insurance and premium reset. On the other hand, there is still some time to take advantage of your benefits. If you or your family have any of the aforementioned treatments outstanding, now is the perfect time to schedule an appointment with our South Houston dentists to get those treatments completed. We want to make sure you get your money’s worth and can take advantage of all the benefits you have so you can be as healthy as possible.
Centra Dental Accepts Many In-Network Insurance Plans
We want our south Houston patients to get the most out of their dental insurance so they can take the best care of their teeth. This is why we make sure we are in-network with several insurance plans, such as Aetna, Cigna, Delta, Guardian, Lincoln, United, and much more. If you have an outstanding treatment or dental check-up please book an appointment with us so we can see you before the end of the year.
Centra Dental
Your dental insurance comes with benefits. These benefits are available in the form of coverage for a variety of dental procedures and treatments. However, it’s important to use your coverage before the end of the year, or else you and your family will lose it.
Dental Insurance Benefits For Your Family
Most insurance plans offer impressive coverage for procedures and treatments that are preventative in order to maintain proper dental health. These procedures typically include your dental cleanings, and your insurance covers two a year for everyone in your family. Your annual x-rays are most likely also covered as preventative care.
Other procedures, such as dental crowns, may also have substantial coverage with your insurance plan because they protect and strengthen a damaged tooth so that it doesn’t need to be extracted. Missing teeth can negatively impact your jaw and even your facial structure if not addressed in a timely manner.
Understand Your Dental Insurance Limitations
Most insurance companies may set a limit on how much they will pay out per year, per person. If you haven’t used their money’s worth of treatments by December 31, there is no rollover.
In addition to knowing your insurance’s limit, it’s also important to understand the deductible. With a deductible, your insurance will not offer coverage until you’ve spent the amount of your deductible. After it’s been paid, your coverage is good for the calendar year. Essentially, you’re paying a premium, so you must use your coverage benefits in order to get the most out of the money you have paid.
Don’t Procrastinate on Treatments
We highly recommend that now that it’s December, you don’t avoid essential dental treatments. In doing so you not only waste money by having to deal with paying an all-new deductible to regain your benefits, but you also lose out on the opportunity to have your treatments at least partially paid for by your insurance. Not using your benefits before the end of the year also puts your overall dental health at risk by avoiding necessary treatments such as dental crowns, bridges, or root canals.
Centra Dental Accepts Different Insurances For Your Family Dental Needs
We want our south Houston patients to get the most out of their insurance so they can take the best care of their teeth. This is why we accept many in-network dental insurance plans, such as Aetna, Cigna, Delta, Guardian, Lincoln, United, and much more. If you and your family have any outstanding dental treatments, then please book an appointment with us so we can schedule a visit with you before the end of the year.
Centra Dental
Both health and dental insurance can be really confusing. Dental insurance is absolutely helpful and essential, but we find that when our south Houston dentist’s patients don’t fully understand all that goes into their insurance plan, or just how helpful it can be, they end up struggling to make full use of their plans and the benefits that come with them.
Your Dental Insurance Comes With Benefits
When it comes to dental insurance, the insurance plan you use offers benefits by providing coverage of most dental procedures. Depending on your plan, your co-pay can be so low that it’s next to nothing.
For example, most dental insurance plans provide coverage for your dental cleaning, which should take place every six months, so you will want to take advantage of the fact that your plan is covering most of the bill. This serves as an incentive to get the preventative care you need to ensure your teeth and gums are healthy. Additionally, our dentists use your dental check-ups to determine if there are any underlying health issues that need to be addressed, as many illnesses show early signs in the mouth.
Your Dental Benefits Don’t Last Forever
Most insurance providers set a deadline for all dental benefits to expire on December 31st of each year. This means that your benefits will not roll over into the new year. Essentially, if you haven’t taken advantage of the benefits during the year, you’ll lose out on the opportunity for them. The good news, though, is that there is still some time to take advantage of your benefits, especially for outstanding treatments you have been procrastinating on.
Centra Dental Accepts Several Insurances For All Your Dental Needs
We want our south Houston patients to get the most out of their insurance so they can take the best care of their teeth. This is why we accept many in network insurance plans, such as Aetna, Cigna, Delta, Guardian, Lincoln, United, and much more. If you have any outstanding treatment or dental check-up, please book an appointment with us so we can schedule a visit with you before the end of the year.
Centra Dental
When Invisalign Clear Aligners first took off in the 2000’s, there was quite a bit of skepticism. How could lightweight plastic ever straighten someone’s teeth? However, it did not take long for Invisalign to pick up and for dentists all over the country to see how well Invisalign Clear Aligners work. Today, they are a viable alternative to metal Houston braces and are sought after by many South Houston teens.
How Does Invisalign Compare to Metal or Ceramic Houston Braces
Metal and Ceramic Braces
Metal braces have been the go-to method for correcting malocclusions for decades upon decades. Ceramic braces, although newer, work much in the same way that metal Houston braces do. When it comes to non-Invisalign braces treatments, metal and ceramic braces work by gluing either metal or ceramic brackets to the patient’s teeth and then running what is called an “archwire” across each of those brackets. This wire is then regularly adjusted with different levels of pressure, which helps gradually move the teeth in order to correct a malocclusion.
Invisalign Clear Aligner Treatment
Invisalign, on the other hand, doesn’t involve wires or brackets. Instead, the patient will have different sets of clear aligners, each with a slightly different shape. They will wear each set for a few weeks at a time as they go through each phase of alignment. It’s important to note that while metal braces work for any and all cases, no matter the complexity, Invisalign works best for milder cases.
Our South Houston Teens Love Invisalign
Many teenagers favor Invisalign because it’s barely noticeable when they smile or talk, which ensures the self-conscious teenager doesn’t draw any unwanted attention. Additionally, our teen-aged patients enjoy more flexibility with Invisalign, as clear aligners can be taken out at mealtimes, but they have to be worn for 22 hours a day. However, if they keep up a good oral hygiene routine, they can afford to skip them for some special occasions, like prom.
Invisalign at Centra Dental in South Houston
Invisalign is a highly favored orthodontic treatment these days. If you think your teen may be a candidate for Invisalign, please schedule a Houston braces consultation. Our skilled dentists will answer all of your questions regarding possible Invisalign treatment.
Centra Dental
If you have a malocclusion, such as overcrowding or an overbite, then Houston braces may be the solution you need in order to have a healthy smile that you are confident with. While metal braces are the most common orthodontic appliance for correcting a bad bite, ceramic braces are a potential alternative for our adult patients.
Why Do Adults Pick Ceramic Braces Instead of Metal Braces?
The main reason why we see some of our patients choose ceramic braces as opposed to metal braces is that they are less noticeable on your teeth than traditional metal. Ceramic braces use tooth-colored or beige brackets for darker teeth, or white brackets for lighter teeth, and in some cases, clear brackets. This way they can easily blend in with the natural teeth. This offers a huge advantage for our adult patients who would rather experience a more subtle treatment.
How Do Ceramic Braces Compare to Metal Braces and Invisalign?
Quite often, if you are seeking a more subtle treatment, your first choice would be Invisalign Clear Aligners, but we typically recommend Invisalign to those who have very mild malocclusions. However, ceramic braces are a viable option for a variety of bad bites and are highly effective for many different cases, mild or not.
Ceramic braces are similar to metal braces in that each individual ceramic bracket is cemented to each tooth, and are all bound together by a wire that runs across your entire dental arch. This wire is the key component that puts pressure on the teeth to move them to the correct position. Nowadays, you can even pick the color of the archwire and decide between silver, white, or frosted, which will blend into the teeth even better. If your particular case requires rubber bands, you can choose to get them in a color that also matches your teeth for a nearly invisible treatment.
We do have to warn you, however, that ceramic braces are durable now, but they aren't quite as durable as traditional metal braces, so if you participate in high-contact sports, then ceramic braces may not be ideal and instead, metal braces will be the better option in order to avoid costly repairs. Additionally, because ceramic braces are not as strong, treatment may take a little bit longer.
Come to Centra Dental For Affordable Adult Houston Braces
With so many options for braces these days, we recommend you book an appointment with us for a braces consultation. At this appointment, we will carefully evaluate your teeth and help you decide if ceramic braces are the right treatment plan for you.
Centra Dental
Houston braces are a good idea if you need to have a malocclusion corrected. A malocclusion is also known as a “bad bite” and the term is used to describe any and all orthodontic problems. While our braces correct crowded teeth and an open bite, they also correct underbites and overbites.
Underbite
An underbite occurs when a patient’s lower teeth protrude outward and are positioned further out than the upper front teeth, similar to a bulldog’s teeth. Because of the abnormal alignment of the teeth, this can cause cosmetic problems as well as oral health problems.
What Problems Can an Underbite Cause?
Some underbites are quite minor, while others can be very severe, which means the severity of the problems associated with an underbite will vary from case to case.
A major challenge that can result from underbites is the difficulty of biting and chewing food because the jaws are not clasping around food like they should. Another problem, which can lead to great insecurity, is that an underbite makes it harder to speak properly. Untreated, there is a risk that a child with an underbite may have a tougher social life than their peers. The worst problem that can arise with an underbite is that the patient can experience pain in the mouth and the face due to their misaligned jaws. Left untreated, the pain can potentially worsen.
Overbite
An overbite, sometimes called buck teeth, is extremely common in our orthodontic cases. This malocclusion occurs when a patient’s upper teeth and jaw protrude further outward than the bottom teeth and jaw. Some overlap is normal and is, in fact, healthy, as it protects your teeth from abnormal wear of the enamel, which protects against tooth decay.
What Problems Can an Overbite Cause?
An overbite can easily cause certain speech impediments, much like other malocclusions. Overbites have also been known to cause chewing difficulties, and many patients with overbites regularly deal with biting their tongues or cheeks a lot by accident. Lastly, an overbite can cause damage to the gums and other teeth because of the improper bite pattern. The severity of these problems depends on how severe the overbite is, but thankfully they are an easy fix with braces.
Affordable Houston Braces at Centra Dental in South Houston
These are both very common reasons for needing orthodontic braces, not only for cosmetic purposes, but also to help our patients achieve their best dental health and a confident smile. If you or your child have an overbite or an underbite, please book an appointment with our South Houston dentist so that we can complete a consultation and help you decide on an affordable treatment plan.