Western Dental Encourages Californians to Review Their Recently Expanded Dental Benefits

ORANGE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Dental, the largest provider of dental care services to Medi-Cal Dental (also known as Denti-Cal) members, recently distributed hundreds of thousands of letters to Californians who qualify for Medi-Cal to inform them that adult dental benefits were fully restored beginning January 1, 2018. Many treatments previously not covered for adults 21 and over are now included in the Medi-Cal benefit.

In June of 2017, California lawmakers passed a bill that fully reinstated dental benefits that were reduced significantly in 2009 due to budget constraints during the Great Recession. Benefits, partially restored in 2014, are now fully restored, including coverage for deep cleanings (scaling and root planing), white crowns for front teeth, partial dentures, and root canals for back teeth.

"This is great news for the millions of Californians who currently access dental care through Medi-Cal and did not have coverage for these vital dental treatments," said Dr. John Luther, Chief Dental Officer of Western Dental. "As the largest provider of dental care to Medi-Cal members, Western Dental is proud to partner with the state to offer these expanded benefits in every one of our 190 dental offices in California."

Good oral health is critically important in a variety of ways, from speaking and chewing, to appearance and the ability to get a job. Additionally, certain treatments can help prevent intense pain associated with a variety of dental diseases and help prevent related non-dental diseases. One of the recently restored benefits for example, scaling and root planing, provides a deep cleaning that can help manage gum disease. Untreated gum disease makes it harder to control diabetes and is linked to other diseases such as heart disease, respiratory diseases, and even cancer.  

ABOUT WESTERN DENTAL

Western Dental (with its affiliates, including Brident Dental & Orthodontics) is one of the nation's largest dental providers and is the leader in accessible, affordable oral healthcare, serving approximately 2.5 million patient visits annually in 244 affiliated offices throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. In addition to general dentistry, it offers orthodontics, oral surgery, pedodontics, periodontics and endodontics in its offices, creating a convenient full service "Dental Home."

In California, Western Dental is the leading provider of services to both adults and children in the Denti-Cal program – part of the Medi-Cal public insurance program that provides health care benefits for more than 13 million low-income individuals and families. Western Dental dentists provided care to more than a half-million Denti-Cal beneficiaries in 2017 and is committed to continuing to partner with the State to help improve the program.

All of Western Dental's services are backed by a unique quality assurance system that electronically monitors all patient visits, treatments, dental staff and clinical performance to enable high-quality care. To learn more about Western Dental or inquire about an office in your community, visit www.westerndental.com or call 1-800-6-DENTAL.

SOURCE Western Dental