February is Children’s Oral Health Month and a perfect time to educate your clients on the importance of preventive dental care.  Many people know that poor dental health is closely connected to inflammatory diseases, heart disease and arthritis. However, the link between children’s oral health and overall health gets far less attention; having the right dental benefits in place will ensure families get the care they need.

Just over 19 percent of children ages 2 to 5 and almost 23 percent of children ages 6 to 19 have untreated cavities, according to a 2010 National Center for Health Statistics study called “Health, United States”—making it the single most common disease among children. Dental disease is also one of the leading causes of school absenteeism for children.

Focus on prevention

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America knows that early and regular dental visits help keep families healthy and control costs, and that’s evident in their flexible plan offerings.  Guardian’s customized plan designs emphasize wellness and cost containment. A growing trend among dental benefits is to cover the right preventive benefits at 100 percent, which helps avoid more costly treatments down the road, according to Ray Marra, vice president Group Products at Guardian.

“There’s no cost to the member and there’s no way they would be discouraged to get care by having to pay for an oral health exam for themselves or their children,” he says. “This eliminates financial barriers for people going in to the dentist.”

"We have some plan designs that if you use preventive care it's not going to accrue towards the plan maximum, which means in fact it extends the value of your maximum," he adds.

Guardian’s preventive coverage includes discounts on Xylitol gums and mints that help prevent cavity-causing bacteria, fluoride treatments and sealants. These measures strengthen teeth where most children’s cavities are found: on the crown or enamel surface of the tooth.

Education is key

Ease of use is paramount in Guardian's approach to children's dental benefits. Guardian's online tools help employees find a provider near them that meets their needs.

The site also offers a dental cost estimator for members to chart treatment plans and see the cost savings associated with seeing a dentist in the network.

"For working families [dental treatments] can end up being costly, but if you have that preventive care covered you can bring your kid in and get fluoride treatments and not have to worry about the cavities again…its one less thing to think about for the parent," says Marra.

Not only does Guardian's suite of online tools make things easier for members, detailed claims reports assist brokers and employers in monitoring plans. This ensures the plan in place is best suited to meet workforce needs.

A network built for employees

Members realize the value of staying in network, in part, because the options in network are so strong. Guardian has one of the largest dental PPO networks nationwide, and is among the leading carriers for orthodontists and pediatric specialists.

"A lot of parents are concerned about their child's first trip to the dentist. A pediatric dentist might be a little bit easier for the children," says Marra.

“We want to make sure we have the right specialist, whether that be a pediatric dentist, or endodontist, or orthodontist. We want to make sure our network really has a good mix of general practitioners and specialists.”

Guardian takes pride in the strength of its network and encourages members to use in-network practitioners, so they get the best value for the important treatments that keep them healthy. Guardian works with the broker and planholder to implement a customized recruitment strategy based on the group’s needs. This includes outreach to dentists through personalized communications and face-to-face through its force of experienced network recruiters located throughout the country.

Guardian recruits dentists to the network based on who employees are already using. Guardian will often reach out to dentists not currently in network based on claims from members. By bringing these dentists in-network, employees realize savings. Guardian's confidence in this mission is demonstrated through recruitment commitments and even guarantees, which are available for larger groups.

What’s more, all dentists in Guardian’s network must undergo a thorough credentialing process. Guardian makes sure their dentists are properly licensed and have the right insurance. They will even check complaint files and in many cases inspect facilities.

"We're not just signing up anybody. There are certainly quality standards," says Marra. "We also re-credential to ensure these standards continue to be met."

With the highest quality care and in-network options that help working families' money go further, children's oral health is a priority at Guardian.

Visit www.aboutemployeebenefits.com for information about how Guardian can help you create your dental strategy.