Oral conditions are the fourth most expensive to treat in the world. In the United States alone $110 billion are spent yearly on oral health care, In the European Union, annual spending on oral healthcare was estimated at €79 billion in the years 2008-2012, (FDI 2015 report). And it is surprising to know that only about 20% of this sum is spent on preventive measures with about 15% going to aesthetics. Although we do not have statistics of this in Africa or Nigeria, we could make close to perfect assumptions about what the figures would look like, bearing in mind the state of General health care in Nigeria where preventive medicine practically doesn’t exist and only a privileged few (3-5%) enjoy health insurance cover.
High cost of dental services in most countries is complicated by the fact that dental disease affects approximately 90% of the world’s population (according to the WHO in 2006).
Oral disease affects 3.9 billion people worldwide, with untreated tooth decay (dental caries) impacting almost half of the world’s population (44%), making it the most prevalent of all the 291 conditions included in the Global Burden of Disease Study. This is to say; we are all predisposed to having a dental condition and it’s only wise to plan ahead.
At The smile shop, from the economic Point Of view,we have two categories of patients:
->Self paying patients (those paying out of pocket) and
-> HMO (those with health insurance cover).
In this article we bring to you Dental care budget planning tips from the service providers perspective.
FOR HMO PATIENTS
- A very common and important note is that “you’ve been charged already” so either you make use of the provided services or forfeit it.
- It is regulated, your HMO states your maximum limit, and most times you are only covered for the basic treatment and maintenance services. This is not a disadvantage in any way as your organization expects that if you observe your routine checkup or dental cleaning, you won’t be needing a filling or surgical extraction (which costs more than the cleaning).
The Smile Shop has partnership with all the several Health Maintenance Organizations including AXAMANSARD, AVON, RODING, HYGEIA, HEALTH PARTNERS, LIBERTY BLUE,and several others; so be sure we have got you covered.
FOR SELF PAYING PATIENTS
Out-of-pocket payments are the primary source of healthcare financing in Nigeria, and it is considered ‘catastrophic’ when an individual or family is forced into having to reduce expenditure on basic necessities just to pay for an emergency. That being said, having a budget for the basic maintenance and preventive care could help prevent these unpredictable outrageous expenses.
- Consider a yearly visit to the dentist for your personal (and family) dental check up. Prepare well for this visit (ask all the right questions) so you can make the most of it. check out our article on maximising your dental appointments
- Invest in recommended dental products.
- Start early for your kids, you will be doing a great deal of good for yourself and them inclusive.
- Consider our dental subscription platform MyDentalPal https://www.mydentalpal.com.ng/
-You can plan your yearly dental budget as you convert Naira to SmileCredits, and track your spending.
– all our services are subsidized here and a lot of amazing plans you can choose from.
In conclusion, be intentional about your dental health. You really don’t want to pay the physical (pain) and financial cost of negligence.
