If you maintain a flexible spending account (FSA) for yourself or your family, you may not realize you can use these benefits for dental care. Because FSA benefits do not carry over from year to year, make sure you use them up before you lose them. If you haven’t had enough in copays, deductibles, or prescriptions this year, it’s time to look at your teeth and see what dental care is covered.
Improve Your Smile and Oral Health with FSA Benefits
It is unlikely that you will be able to use your FSA benefits to invest in that porcelain veneers smile makeover you’ve been dreaming of – cosmetic dentistry is rarely included under the benefits umbrella. However, you can spruce up your smile with plenty of other dental care treatments that give you a healthier and more beautiful smile, including general dentistry, restorative dentistry, and preventive care – any procedures that are meant to treat or prevent oral health problems:
- Dental cleanings and exams: Everyone should have their teeth professionally cleaned twice a year, an appointment that includes a dental exam, oral cancer screening, and, if needed, x-rays.
- Gum disease treatment: If your gums are swollen, red, and bleeding or you have loose teeth, there is a good chance you are suffering from periodontal disease. FSA benefits could be used to undergo gum disease therapy to restore good oral health.
- Sealants: Guard your kids teeth against tooth decay with sealants, designed to cover the biting surface of newly erupted permanent teeth.
- Custom nightguard: Custom nightguards can protect your teeth from unconscious grinding and clenching, minimizing damage like gum recession, broken teeth, and jaw pain.
- Tooth-colored fillings: Living with silver fillings? They’re unsightly and dangerous. Get them replaced with safe composite fillings or treat areas of tooth decay or broken teeth with natural-looking fillings.
- Tooth extraction: Your Bloomfield Township dentist will do everything possible to save a tooth before turning to extraction, but if the damage or infection is too great, and you have long been suffering with tooth pain, an extraction may be the best solution.
- Dental implants: If you have a missing tooth – because of an extraction, gum disease, or an accident or sports injury – dental implants take the place of the missing tooth root and tooth to support the jawbone and complete your smile.
- Dental crowns: A broken, misshapen, or disintegrating tooth can be covered with a customized dental crown to make it robust and fully functional. Crowns are often put in place after root canal therapy to treat a deeply infected tooth.
- Dental bridges: A missing tooth can be replaced with a dental bridge, which attaches to neighboring teeth with clasps and is held in place with dental crowns.
Dental Care Covered by Your FSA Benefits
Insurance plans vary in what they will and will not cover. Get in touch with your dental insurance company to find out healthcare savings are available for dental care, or contact New Orchard Dentistry in Bloomfield Township to review your benefits and schedule an appointment. Don’t lose your hard-earned benefits! Fulfill your dental care needs and make the most of your FSA today.