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Dental Benefits for Employees in Singapore

Employees nowadays look for more than just a good salary. They want inclusive benefits programmes and insurance plans that are built into their remuneration package. Specifically, they are designed to look after their welfare. However, dental insurance among so many forms of benefits is often left out in many employee insurance plans. For example, the regular teeth check-ups and extraction for tooth decay. Moreover, based on Singapore’s dental statistics, about 40 to 50 per cent of the population still have fairly poor oral hygiene. Thus, it’s encouraged for Singaporean companies to provide dental benefits to employees.

 

Advantages of Dental Benefits in Singapore

There are lots of advantages when topping on dental benefits on top of company-funded insurance plans in order to supplement the coverage gaps and ensure that all employee’s healthcare needs are met. The literal scopes of coverage may differ from plan to plan. Most dental benefits cover routine dental treatment services including annual dental cleaning, filling or extraction for tooth decay, treatment of mild gum disease, root canals and emergency treatment for a toothache within regular consultation hours.

On top of that, employees can also always choose to pay additional money to include major dental treatment as well. Major dental treatment benefits cover the costs for gingivitis treatment, root scaling, bridgework, periodontitis treatment, and orthodontic work. However, it depends on the policy. Cosmetic dental treatments such as Invisalign are usually not covered, except when the dentist seems that it is medically necessary.

 

Coverage of Dental Benefits in Singapore

Once the dental plan has been authorised, there are some assignments of benefits which will forward payment for a covered procedure directly to your dentist. First is cost-sharing. When the remedy cost is shared by the plan and the enrollees, the cost will be much less. There are different ways to share costs. These are including deductibles, co-payments, frequency limitations, annual maximums and use of a fee schedule to calculate benefit payments. Next is deductibles. A deductible is the amount of money that you must pay before a dental benefit plan will provide for any service.

For example: If the amount of money is $50, the plan will kick in once you have paid that much in related expenses. Most dental plans are based on months from January through December, which means you need to pay a deductible once each year. Here, you can take more than one service or visit to pay the entire deductible. Co-payment is also another benefit. Co-payment is the permanent dollar amount that employees have to pay when receiving certain healthcare services. The percentage of the cost of treatment is included in many dental plans. Most dental plans regardless of the actual costs, cover between 50% to 80% of the cost of dental care.

 

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, good oral care habits are about more than just your teeth; a healthy mouth means a healthy body. By purchasing the correct dental benefits plans can help prevent and monitor dental health issues that could lead to more serious conditions and require more expensive treatment, such as cavities, tooth removal, root canals and even oral cancer.