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OK. I have to make an announcement. One that I am sure will shock many of you out there who know me personally and read my blog. It is a little embarrassing, however, I went to the dentist today….for the first time in twelve years!!
I know – somewhat gross, but I brush and floss daily and had perfect teeth as a child. Not a big issue in my books. I was one of those kids everyone hated, where I never needed braces and everything just grew in perfectly – even my wisdom teeth. I probably should ask my father for some money in lieu of costs associated with braces, considering how much my perfect dental history saved him. However, I have been scared of dentists and the idea of having someones fingers poking my teeth, so I resisted until I got an accidental chip on my front tooth.
The first thing that I encountered when booking my appointment was the famous line – “do you have insurance?”. I said yes and booked my appointment. Since it had been a while, I had to get the full exam with those creepy x-rays and the counting of the teeth. The dentist was a wonderful woman and I would highly recommend her to anyone in and around Oakville, Ontario (e-mail me if you want the details). Given the painless experience, I was ready to get all kinds of treatments like whitening and a guard to stop me from grinding at night – I deal with allot of stress these days managing the upcoming re-launch of Gremolata. The dentist said, these are all great things, but they will not be covered by insurance. That is when I said “no problem, I have a health and welfare trust”. She looked at me funny and that is when sales man James took over.
I explained to her about the Health and Welfare Trust I have with Benecaid and that I had a reserve of funds I could use for exactly this type of expenditure. She noted that these costs can be substantial but I told her that I had more than enough to cover it. She was impressed. After all, how many clients walk into a dental office and say, give me the works! Well, those with an HWT would.
I think this is why I am so passionate about Health and Welfare Trusts. I don’t feel limited to a plan. I can get the basic care I need but also invest in the things that will make me feel better about myself – such as brilliant white teeth or a new nose (the later requires more thought). All joking aside, it is a great feeling to know that you have the tax-free money to spend when and how you want to. It also makes me think how impressed every employee would be with the company they work for if they had access to the same HWT as I did.
Oh, and for the record. No cavities and a healthy smile was the diagnosis I received! Whew!
