{"id":34,"date":"2021-10-28T02:23:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T02:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/?p=34"},"modified":"2025-10-02T18:04:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T18:04:24","slug":"fillings-dental-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Combat Tooth Decay Using Your Dental Insurance"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stockphoto-confused-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Woman in pink shirt looking concerned\" class=\"wp-image-46\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stockphoto-confused-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stockphoto-confused-2.jpg 612w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Tooth decay has often been viewed as only a childhood issue however, 26% of adults between the ages of 20 to 64 have untreated cavities. Even if you aren\u2019t experiencing any issues, you shouldn\u2019t wait to have those cavities taken care of. We understand there are many reasons why you may be holding off on getting treatment. However, delaying your care could lead to tooth pain, infection and even loss of your tooth. With the holidays right around the corner, Dr. Long recommends getting an appointment scheduled before this year is over. Time is running out to maximize your dental benefits and help lower your out-of-pocket costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Happens If You Leave Cavities Untreated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Teeth are intended to last a lifetime but many factors can shorten the lifespan of a tooth. Among<br>adults from ages 35 to 44, 69% have lost at least one permanent tooth. By age 50, they have<br>lost an average of 8 teeth. Although tooth enamel is the hardest substance in your body, it<br>cannot regenerate once it has been weakened by cavity-causing bacteria, and that bacteria will<br>continue to damage healthy enamel if left untreated. Even if you are not having any pain, it\u2019s<br>always best to take care of cavities as soon they are diagnosed. This prevents decay from<br>reaching the inner layers of your tooth, which can lead to more extensive damage and cause<br>serious infection. If left untreated, a cavity can lead to invasive or costly procedures like root<br>canals and tooth extractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Maximize Your Dental Insurance Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, patients are much more likely to have some type of dental insurance; however, over 25%<br>of Americans do not fully use their benefits every year. Despite having dental coverage, many<br>people believe they don\u2019t have any reason to see a dentist because \u201cnothing is bothering them\u201d.<br>They also worry that they cannot afford to see a dentist, which is one of the biggest reasons why<br>only 2.8% of patients maximize all of their annual benefits. Dental insurance plans help to<br>reduce your out-of-pocket costs on many dental services, such as exams, x-rays, teeth<br>cleanings, fillings and even crowns. Most plans reset every year, so any unused benefits go<br>away when the plan renews and they don\u2019t roll over into the next year. You can invest in your<br>oral health and lower your overall share of cost by using your dental insurance benefits before<br>they expire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Dr. Rebecca Long<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Long earned her dental degree from the University of Illinois and regularly attends continuing<br>education courses to provide state-of-the-art dentistry. She focuses on providing<br>comprehensive dental care to all of her patients while helping them understand the importance<br>of investing in their dental health.<br>If you have delayed scheduling your dental visit with Dr. Long, give us a call today and we will<br>be happy to reserve an appointment for you before the year is over!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tooth decay has often been viewed as only a childhood issue however, 26% of adults between the ages of 20 to 64 have untreated cavities. Even if you aren\u2019t experiencing any issues, you shouldn\u2019t wait to have those cavities taken care of. We understand there are many reasons why you may be holding off on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,4,2],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Get Affordable Fillings Using Your Dental Insurance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you need fillings, don\u2019t wait to save your smile. Benefit form reduced rates using your dental insurance before it expires.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Get Affordable Fillings Using Your Dental Insurance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you need fillings, don\u2019t wait to save your smile. Benefit form reduced rates using your dental insurance before it expires.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Westlake Hills Dental Arts Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-28T02:23:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T18:04:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stockphoto-confused-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"612\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"408\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"westlakehills\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"westlakehills\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/\",\"name\":\"Get Affordable Fillings Using Your Dental Insurance\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/28\/fillings-dental-insurance\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/stockphoto-confused-2-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-28T02:23:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T18:04:24+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/a4f4e07333f0d8550bbc792ec6e42959\"},\"description\":\"If you need fillings, don\u2019t wait to save your smile. 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