How we've ended up regulating medicine to the nth degree, but when it's teeth we're like "oh well, lol", continues to mystify me.
> For the longest time, surgeons, dentists and optometrists weren't part of the medical profession. You'd have a barber who could give you a shave or pull your teeth, or a butcher who could cut up a hog, or cut off your gangrenous leg. Optometrists were craftsmen who made the spectacles in their shop. Doctors were University educated in Latin and Greek to read ancient medical texts and despised the uncouth yokels.
> Surgeons muscled their way into the medical profession, originally with the help of the Royal Navy, who only had space for one or two people in charge of both cutting off legs and looking after crew health on their ships.
> Dentists and optometrists never did, so they started their own universities, certification boards, etc. By the time they became respectable enough for people to try to merge them with the medical establishment, in the 1920s, they had no desire to give up their independence.
> The first insurance policies were private contracts with groups of doctors and the system developed from there.
Details vary from country to country of course, but the gist of it generally holds true.
And the final form of dentists, oral-maxillofacial surgeons are an all in one and have to study general medicine, surgery and dentistry.
The system is different but this aspect is pretty much the same everywhere around here.
Apparently teeth are luxury bones
I mean think about it from the insurer’s point of view. The only reason you’d ever get “the platinum” dental plan is if you were planning to use it. And it isn’t like you have that many “dental emergencies” if you have healthy teeth. If you don’t have healthy teeth you’d already know it when you pick out the insurance plan, so of course you’d get the upper tier.
The only scenario where it makes sense is if your employer picks up a healthy portion of the premium, in which case you are basically getting dental care subsidized by your employer. In that case you’ll likely come out ahead because you knew in advance pretty much how much dental care you’d need.
The same goes for vision care, really. You know in advance how many contacts, glasses and eye exams you’ll need. It isn’t really an insurable thing. If your employer pays for most of the premium, it’s employer subsidized eyewear & contacts for you!
…of course the math does change a bit when you have to pick the same type of plan for a family. In that case it’s time to bust out a spreadsheet and do the math to see the optimal course.
(That said, I believe dental issues that are the result of e.g. accidents do get covered by the default care package.)