Graduation season just ended, gifts are packed up and dorm or apartment necessities are ready to go. Your baby is a baby no longer and is now an adult. Wow! Time flies! As you stifle back the tears and wonder how long it will take you to deep clean their bedroom now that they are heading into adulthood, you remember there is a lot they don’t know. And, you have a lot of questions too. There are so many changes in a young person’s life as they venture into adulthood and this blog post will cover how to handle their dental appointments at Smile Hilliard.
What it Means to be 18+ Years old at the dental office
Your child may be ready to vote, but are they able to fill out a health history? As your child hits these milestones, it is important for them to know what medications they are taking, what medical conditions they may have, and what surgeries they have had in the past. It is essential for our doctors to know this information when treating your young adult.
In addition, now that your child is technically an adult, the privacy rules of HIPAA go into effect. Specifically, when discussing diagnosis and treatment. For example, if your son/daughter is diagnosed with having a cavity and needing a filling, we will need their permission to discuss it with you.
Lastly, a common mishap that happens with dental appointments is who is scheduling the appointment versus who is getting the confirmation messages. Many young adults juggle work, school, and social commitments, so parents tend to let them schedule the appointments but fail to change the confirmation notifications. Communication between parent and child is crucial to ensure the appointments are made when they can be attended and are then are confirmed per Smile Hilliard’s appointment policy.
New jobs equal new benefits! When an adult child has a new dental insurance plan, how does it work when they are still covered under the parent’s plan?
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to dental insurance, so it is specific to your situation, but there are some common generalities. First, most plans will allow parents to have their dependent child covered on the plan until the child is 26 years old. If your adult child lands a job that has dental benefits, the parent may wish to discontinue coverage under their plan. Or your child may have “dual coverage.”
Having “dual coverage” is usually beneficial, but remember, the child’s new policy is considered the primary policy while the parent’s policy will default to the secondary policy. It is essential to have the experts at Smile Hilliard verify the coverage and coordination of benefits as soon as the new policy is active.
Fully on their own. Your young adult is learning the ropes of healthcare decisions and responsibilities.
One of the last steps of integrating into adulthood is having the autonomy of making health care decisions on their own. As your young adult takes on these life decisions, it is wise to be available if they have questions. Genetics does play a role in many oral conditions, so having experience in their situation, giving them the pros and cons of what you went through, and maybe how you would have handled it differently are all excellent topics of conversation.
Included in making the decisions for their own care, your young adult will have to be responsible for making financial arrangements. This is a huge milestone, albeit not glamorous, but a necessary investment in their overall health.
At Smile Hilliard, we understand that becoming an adult has its ups and downs, but we know that dental appointments don’t have to be a source of worry or anxiety. We hope these tips will help you and your young adult navigate these new situations and make the transition to adult life a bit easier.
