{"id":102,"date":"2024-10-04T19:45:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-04T19:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/?p=102"},"modified":"2025-11-04T22:41:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T22:41:37","slug":"financial-chess-maximizing-child-dental-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gepediatricdentistry.com\/blog\/financial-chess-maximizing-child-dental-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Chess: How to Maximize Your Child\u2019s Dental Insurance Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s nice to have dental insurance<\/a> for your child. That said, maybe reading through the details of their plan has you feeling like you\u2019re playing a game of chess where your hard-earned dollars are the pieces! Never fear, your pediatric dental team will be willing to help you understand your child\u2019s insurance benefits. In the meantime, read through this guide so you\u2019ll have a winning strategy for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Keep The Deductible and Yearly Max in Mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your child\u2019s deductible<\/strong> will be the amount of out-of-pocket cash you\u2019ll have to spend on their dental care before the insurance coverage will kick in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their yearly maximum<\/strong> is the most money the insurance company is willing to pay out in a given year. Basically, if you go over it, you\u2019ll have to rely on your own funds for any leftover expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all dental insurance policies have a deductible and yearly maximum, though the amount of these two concepts varies from plan to plan. Keep this in mind as you prepare to make your next financial move!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Squeeze In Care Before January<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because of the way dental insurance deductibles and yearly maximums work, it\u2019s usually a good idea to squeeze in as much dental care as possible and necessary before January 1st<\/sup>. This is because your child\u2019s benefits won\u2019t \u201croll over\u201d into the new year.  If there\u2019s any money left on the chess board after December, the insurance company will pocket it, and your child\u2019s progress towards their deductible and yearly max will reset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Advantage of Preventative Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the best advantage that dental insurance gives your child is 90% – 100% coverage for preventative care<\/a> \u2013 many plans will even apply this coverage regardless of whether the deductible has been met. Typically, this means your child could get two checkup and cleaning appointments completely (or mostly) for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These visits are shown to significantly reduce the need for more costly treatments down the road, so if nothing else, make sure you arrange two appointments every year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outlining Your Insurance Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s condense all this information down into a short and sweet playbook that\u2019s a bit easier to look at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n