When you start a new job one of the first things you'll need to do is sign up for your health benefits. This usually includes medical, dental and vision components. It's quite common for some people to pay the closest amount of attention to the medical portion of the overall policy. They want to find out what the deductible is and the cost of different procedures. However, if you're one of the people who zeros in on the medical part of the insurance package, you might want to expand your perspective. Listed below are a couple of the reasons why it's a good idea to pay attention to the dental portion of your health insurance policy as well.

You Could Be Missing Out On Covered Dental Visits

Because you are paying for your health insurance, you owe it to yourself to take advantage of all that it has to offer. In order to do this, you must take out some time to scrutinize your dental policy to determine what services are covered. The findings could surprise you.

For example, you might be entitled to multiple free cleanings each year. All those times you put off going to the dentist for a cleaning because you didn't have the money could have been in vain. Also, your policy could make you eligible for some of the more comprehensive services at a discount rate. Things like deep cleanings, root canals and tooth extractions which you might think are out of your budget could be available at an affordable price. This means that a healthier, more beautiful smile could actually be within your reach.

Your Current Dentist Might Not Be In-Network

Unless you're familiar with insurance lingo, you might not truly understand that some of the medical professionals are considered in-network, while others are deemed as being out-of-network. If you happen to be going to a dentist that is not in the network, you could be costing yourself more money than you need to.

It's a good practice to pull up your dental insurance company's website and do a search for your current dentist. You'll be able to find out if they are in the network. At that point, you can make an informed decision about whether to stick with them or possibly move over to an in-network dental professional.

Your dental insurance policy contains a wealth of information. Do yourself a favor; take a moment to look it over to find out what benefits are included.