{"id":1419,"date":"2020-09-15T14:38:36","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T14:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:46:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:46:27","slug":"use-2020-dental-insurance-before-it-expires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/15\/use-2020-dental-insurance-before-it-expires\/","title":{"rendered":"Use Your 2020 Dental Insurance Before It Expires!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/AdobeStock_141641554__1600181217_13974-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Dental receptionist helping patient with dental insurance claim\" class=\"wp-image-1420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/AdobeStock_141641554__1600181217_13974-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/AdobeStock_141641554__1600181217_13974-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/AdobeStock_141641554__1600181217_13974.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no doubt that 2020 has been a crazy year so far. Hopefully,\n2021 will bring happier times. Before you turn our calendars over, however, you\nmay have a list of things you still want to accomplish this year. One of the\nitems on that to-do list should be to visit your local dentist. Not only will\nyour appointment benefit your oral health, but it will also help you maximize\nyour <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/insurance.html\">dental insurance<\/a>\nbenefits. Let\u2019s talk about how that is so and how you can make sure you are\ngetting the most out of your insurance policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dental Insurance Expires on December 31<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most PPO dental insurance policies work on a calendar year\nbasis. At the beginning of the year, you\u2019re given an annual maximum. That\u2019s the\nlimit on the amount of money that your insurance company will pay out for\napproved services throughout the year. Usually, it\u2019s around $1,000. Any unused\nportion of that annual maximum expires on December 31. It does not roll over\ninto the next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people do not even come close to fully utilizing their annual maximum. In fact, according to one estimate from the National Association of Dental Plans, only 2.8 percent of people meet or exceed their annual maximum. That amounts to countless benefit dollars left on the table every year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, you should not request dental treatments that you\ndo not need just for the sake of using your insurance. However, you <em>should <\/em>know\nwhat your insurance covers and be diligent about following through with any\nprocedures that your dentist recommends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using Your Policy to the Full<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few tips to help you get as much as possible out\nof your 2020 dental insurance plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/make-an-appointment.html\">Schedule a\ncheckup<\/a>. <\/strong>Most PPO insurance plans allow patients to attend two\npreventive appointments each year at little to no out of pocket cost. If you have\nnot yet attended your second cleaning and checkup this year, now is the time to\nschedule it.<\/li><li><strong>Start planning for major treatments. <\/strong>If\nyour dentist determines that you need a major procedure that will require\nmultiple appointments, you might be able to schedule part of it before the end\nof 2020 and part of it in 2021. You\u2019ll thus be able to use two annual maximums\nrather than just one.<\/li><li><strong>Ask for help. <\/strong>Dental insurance can be\nconfusing sometimes. If you need help to understand the finer points of your\ninsurance policy, the folks at your dentist\u2019s office will be more than happy to\nassist you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you using your 2020 dental insurance policy to the full?\nScheduling an appointment with your dentist ASAP will benefit both your smile\nand your wallet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Timothy Vacek opened Amberly Dental more than a decade\nago, after which he quickly established a reputation for providing high-quality\ncare in a comfortable environment. He routinely completes more than 100 hours\nof continuing education per year. Dr. Vacek understands that many patients are\nconcerned about the cost of dentistry, which is why our practice is happy to work\nwith many different insurance companies. To learn more about us and how we can\nhelp you maximize your benefits, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/contact.html\">contact our team<\/a> at&nbsp;402-786-2007.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is no doubt that 2020 has been a crazy year so far. Hopefully, 2021 will bring happier times. Before you turn our calendars over, however, you may have a list of things you still want to accomplish this year. One of the items on that to-do list should be to visit your local dentist. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1419"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1627,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1419\/revisions\/1627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amberlydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}