Question: It seems as if I am getting less out of my dental insurance than I used to. Could you explain?

Answer: Insurance is a supplement and has never been intended to pay for treatment completely. When insurance came out in the 1960s average annual benefits were $1,000- $1,200 for the big 3 Automakers.  Now (40 years later) the annual benefits average from $1,200-$1,500.  Since then the cost of health care (including dentistry) has gone up significantly.  If the annual benefits kept up with inflation during these 40 years they would average between $4,000-$5,000. So it is simple to see that there is more cost sharing than there used to be because of the decrease in insurance benefits.

Dentist in Macomb County, Michigan Discusses Dental Insurance