Category
Vision Insurance
Andrea Feucht, 14 Dec 2023

Ready to Get Dental and Vision Insurance?

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If you currently have medical coverage and have wondered if you really need dental or vision insurance, now’s the time to learn about your options and consider signing up. We’ll show you how dental insurance and vision insurance are a match made in heaven.

Vision and Dental Care Go Beyond Medical Insurance

Your medical insurance covers many things you would expect, from doctor visits to hospital stays to prescription drugs. Those plans often cover preventative care like blood tests and cancer screenings like mammograms.

However, while nearly all medical insurance covers emergency care for bodily injuries that include your eyes or mouth, the coverage often ends there. Preventative care for your oral health or vision health screenings are not covered services in a standard medical insurance plan. Just because the basics of oral and eye health are not included in medical insurance, don’t think that vision and dental preventative care are not important. That’s a myth we’ll take apart right now.

Vision and Dental Health Influence Your Overall Well-Being

We are learning more all the time about how the health of your mouth and your vision connect back to your overall health. Knowing that the body is not a collection of parts but one holistic system — this makes sense.

For example, the bacteria from plaque flourishes in your mouth when brushing and flossing habits are not adequate. Those bacteria can cross over into your bloodstream, setting the stage for something called endocarditis, an infection of the lining of the heart. Other issues, according to the Mayo Clinic, plaque bacteria also can contribute to an inflammatory response in your whole body, raising your chances for heart disease or a stroke.

As for vision health and holistic well-being, there are important connections worth knowing. The American Academy of Ophthalmology outlines several health problems that can be detected by an eye exam. For example, one of the earliest signs of high blood pressure can be detected by examining the blood vessels in the eyes. Eye exams are important for those at risk of diabetes, too. Even before a patient knows that they have diabetes, they can show signs of diabetic retinopathy in the blood vessels of the retina.

Additional total health conditions that could be detected in an eye exam include:

• Multiple sclerosis
• High cholesterol
• Vascular disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Something that seems simple, like an annual eye exam, can serve as a warning signal — possibly saving your life.

The Importance of Dental Insurance

When you have dental insurance, you’ll feel more confident each time you visit the dentist. You’ll know that routine cleanings will be affordable (or covered completely). If and when you need additional services, like fillings, your costs will be discounted so you can take care of your oral health in a way that’s right for you.

The dental insurance plans offered through VSP by Guardian Direct give you over 114,000 dentists in-network, coverage for cleanings and x-rays, and significant discounts on in-network dental procedures. It’s a simple way to take care of your oral health.

The Importance of Vision Insurance

When you have coverage through a plan like VSP’s Individual Vision Plans, you’ll have access to a low-copay comprehensive eye exam each year, which checks for signs of many of the health conditions above, plus glaucoma, cataracts and more. But VSP’s insurance also gives you vision correction benefits, like generous allowances toward frames, lenses and other upgrades so that you can see (and look) your best. VSP gives you options like name-brand frames, cutting edge technology in lenses and enhancements, and locations all over the country for your convenience.

Wondering how much money you could save with vision insurance from VSP? Without insurance, the cost of glasses can range anywhere between $8 and $600 for a standard pair. And that is without fancy lens enhancements that can increase the cost, depending upon the lens enhancements that you choose to add. Many VSP customers save hundreds of dollars per year on their eyeglasses and exam costs. Even LASIK procedures are discounted with a VSP vision plan.

Ready to Get Dental and Vision Insurance?

Remember that connections are everywhere between the health of your mouth and your eyes and the rest of your body. What you can do today is take charge to make sure you have coverage for the regular care of these important systems.

You’re in the right place with VSP’s nationwide and well-regarded vision insurance coverage and VSP’s partnership with Guardian Direct to offer affordable dental insurance plans to you. We invite you to take charge of your dental and vision insurance needs: Find a vision insurance plan that works best for you, and shop the Guardian Direct Dental Insurance plans here.

Information received through VSP Vision Care's social media channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.