When we think of dental benefits, we generally think of traditional dental insurance and Medicaid. However, we often forget about health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts.

Health savings accounts, or HSAs, are a type of savings account that allows you to set aside money and withdraw it on a tax-free basis as long as you pay for certain medical expenses. However, these accounts are only available with high-deductible health plans.

According to healthcare.gov, “While you can use the funds in an HSA at any time to pay for qualified medical expenses, you may contribute to an HSA only if you have an HSA-eligible plan (sometimes called a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)) — generally a health plan (including a Marketplace plan) that only covers preventive services before the deductible.”

For example, in 2023 you could include costs for the prevention and alleviation of dental disease, including the services of a dental hygienist or dentist for such procedures as teeth cleaning, the application of sealants, and fluoride treatments to prevent tooth decay. Treatment to alleviate dental disease includes services of a dentist for procedures such as X-rays, fillings, braces, extractions, dentures, and other dental ailments.

Similar to HSAs, flexible spending accounts allow you to create an account through your employer to pay for many out-of-pocket medical expenses with tax-free dollars. Allowed expenses include insurance copayments and deductibles, qualified prescription drugs, insulin, and medical devices. According to healthcare.gov, you decide how much to put in an FSA, up to a limit set by your employer. If money is left at the end of the year, the employer can offer a couple of options to utilize the funds.

Unfortunately, over-the-counter oral health care products are not included in either of these plans. However, the American Dental Association has recently put its support behind new federal legislation that would allow health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts to be utilized for items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss.

We all know the importance of these preventative health measures that you can easily do at home. The more we have people using these simple tools, the less tooth decay and gum disease we will see. I think we are all for that!