Time for a dental insurance checkup!

Do you floss regularly? If not, it's time to start. Never mind your nagging dentist. Here's something to really scare you into proper gum care: An increasing number of employers are reducing (or even dropping) dental insurance benefits, which means you could soon be paying dramatically more for your next filling or crown. 

Already, only 57% of Americans under age 65 have dental insurance (mostly through their employers) compared with 85% for medical, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. And some say the numbers are about to get worse. Pressured by the soaring cost of health care, many companies are being forced to take a hard look at how they spend their limited health-care dollars.

Dental insurance tops the list of benefits employers are looking to cut, says Frank Scanlon, a spokesman with the Society for Human Resource Management.  

An increasing number of employers are now asking their workers to pay more - or even all - of their dental insurance premiums, says Kathleen Strukoff, an employee benefits consultant with Aon Consulting. That could easily set you back $600 per year. Worse yet, some employers, especially small ones, may stop offering coverage all together.  

Companies argue dental insurance is a nonessential benefit, since a patient's total financial risk is relatively low. After all, a medical catastrophe could wipe you out financially — something that's unlikely to happen with even the worst dental expenses.