Dental Insurance After Retirement?
For many years my elderly father had avoided the dentist. He claimed that since his retirement, he no longer qualified for dental insurance. This was despite being in the electrical union for most of his life. I figured, he should know, and let him make that decision. Since my wedding in 1993 my father has been without one of his middle top incisors. It was well documented in our wedding photos. Again, it stayed that way because he always believed that he “wasn’t covered for a dental repair of this magnitude”. It always bothered mom that he looked like a retired hockey player. She didn’t like that he was slow at getting important things done for himself. She since has passed away, but there were many arguments about that missing tooth. I always wished my father would have done something about it.
My father is now in his late 70’s and has had his share of health issues including a staff infection after knee surgery. Since then I have always worried about him getting an infection of any kind that could have potential of growing into something worse. For this reason, I dragged him to the dentist this week after he complained of a tooth ache. The dentist did a cleaning, a thorough checkup and repaired a single cavity that was the cause of the discomfort. “He got off easy” I thought to myself.
The Moral of The Story
But here is the main point of this story. I went to pay for the dental work and was shocked to find out that my fathers’ insurance on file at the dental office was still valid. No charge! Not only that but the receptionist had scheduled another appointment for my father to get the missing front tooth replaced with a dental implant. “All covered by his insurance” she said. I don’t remember ever being more frustrated with my father. He went decades with a missing tooth that bugged my mother and made him whistle when he spoke. He is a good example why it’s important to review your dental insurance coverage. I would like to thank the dental receptionist who was on the ball with my dad’s insurance coverage, even though we were not.
Erbsville Dental has appointment specialists (receptionists) that are experienced with insurance coverage. They make your visit less stressful and help you understand what you are covered for and what you are not. Don’t have a similar experience, talk to your dentist and get needed dental work done, not just for yourself, but for those who care about you. My father will be going back every 6 months now that I know.
