You don’t fully appreciate dental insurance until you are ever left without it. In 2014, we made the mistake of letting our dental insurance lapse and to this day we are still dealing with the fallout… and the medical bills.
Who would have ever guessed that my daughter would get knocked into a desk face-first, smashing her gums and breaking the two front teeth in the last month of that year? Or that my husband would get his first cavity, ever? Or how about guessing that I would find out that your bite can get misaligned seemingly out of nowhere and that the result is super painful? Never again will I go without, folks.
Fair warning: the image below could bring a grown man or woman to tears. Now imagine seeing your child in this kind of pain with tooth and gum damage and knowing your options are extremely limited because you don’t have insurance.
And, yes, she’s smiling. This is mostly because the dentist offered to turn on the TV for her, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s sitting there with her gums gaping open and her not-loose tooth turned to the side and still smiling. Trust me, I know this could have gone much, much worse if this had been any other child.
Just like you wouldn’t drive without car insurance or have an uninsured house, dental insurance to me is non-negotiable. Dental emergencies aside, going without regular cleanings can allow bacteria to build up in your mouth, which can lead to decay, cavities, and possibly even tooth loss. Regular visits to the dentist are essential to catch any problems early before they cost you your smile. And, even worse, letting your dental care slide can lead to even bigger problems that can cost even more money in the long run.
That’s where Guardian Dental comes in, which offers various individual dental plans that can be purchased individually at any time throughout the year. Pick your dentist and pick your plan to suit you and your family’s needs. You do not need to have a qualifying event to purchase dental insurance, and you have no reason to go without.
Yes, you. I hear you saying that you’ve never had dental problems before and you’re healthy, you don’t need dental insurance. Yep, that was me before 2014. No cavities, no major dental work at all except wisdom teeth removal in high school, and what my dentist called a “textbook perfect” smile. You might want to knock on wood… or better yet, start looking into Guardian Dental instead.
Just like you do well-child visits and annual doctor’s visits, seeing a dentist regularly is an important tool in protecting your overall health and the health of your family. Even a simple trip to the dentist costs money, but if you have a year like ours with more serious issues, the costs can quickly multiply and you can find yourself underwater quickly. Good dental insurance from Guardian Dental can help cover the cost of basic dental services as well as most costly procedures, which can give you peace of mind if the worst does happen.
So, how does that smile look like now? She’s smiling a whole lot bigger these days now that she’s all healed up. She even had one of the teeth grow in that were removed as a result of the desk incident. 
But, just because we’re healing and our balances are now down to a reasonable amount that doesn’t mean I would ever let our insurance lapse again. All the trauma and the dental bills of 2014 may be behind us, but they left us with a very important lesson that I’m now passing on to you: get you and your family covered with dental insurance.
Want to learn more about plans from Guardian Dental? Check out the Guardian Dental site and browse plans, dentists near you, and find the plan that works for you and your family.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.