Still Have Dental Benefits Left? Why September Is the Smart Time for Recare

September is the quiet window between summer schedules and the year-end rush. For families at Smile Dentistry in Fishers, Simply Smile in Carmel, and Simply Smile in North Indy — the three offices of Indy Smile Group — it is also the last comfortable stretch to use remaining dental benefits before most plans reset in January.

If your policy still shows unused preventive coverage, a routine recare visit is the simplest way to use the visit you already have on the plan.

Why remaining benefits matter more than they sound

Dental plans are usually built so preventive visits are the first thing they are meant to cover. Cleanings, exams, and X-rays that are actually due typically sit in that bucket. Exact coverage is plan-specific. We verify at the visit. We do not quote what a plan will pay from a website.

Many plans reset in January. Unused preventive visits usually do not carry forward. Families who wait until December often find fewer openings. September and early October still leave time for a normal appointment without the holiday scramble.

What a fall recare visit actually includes

A recare visit is still a professional cleaning and exam with the team that already knows your history. When an Oral Health Scan is due, it is included at no extra charge. The iTero scanner captures a 3D model of the teeth and bite so we can compare this year with last year — crowding, wear, chips, or small shifts that are easy to miss on a quick visual look.

X-rays are taken only when they are due. If you wear a retainer, aligners, or a sports mouthguard, bring it. We check fit and function as part of the same visit.

The full walkthrough of what to expect: What a recare visit includes. Book from the recare page.

How this fits real Hamilton County schedules

Families at Smile Dentistry in Fishers near Hamilton Town Center, Simply Smile in Carmel along Meridian, and Simply Smile in North Indy all share the same calendar pressure: school is back, sports practices are stacking up, and work travel is restarting. A recare visit in September is easier to protect than one in mid-December.

If it has been longer than six months, the visit still counts as recare for existing patients. No new-patient paperwork, no restart of the relationship. The team simply picks up where the chart left off.

New patients and the $99 special

If you are not yet a patient at Smile Dentistry or Simply Smile, the New Patient Special is $99 for the exam, cleaning, and necessary X-rays. It is available to new patients only and is not valid with insurance. Once you are in the practice, future visits follow the normal recare path and can use whatever benefits your plan still carries.

We do not list office hours here. Current openings are on the recare page or by calling the office that is most convenient for you.

Straightening and whitening are separate decisions

Some patients who come in for fall recare also ask about clear aligners or whitening. Invisalign treatment for kids or adults is $4,979. The only add-on is the IPE appliance at $749 when a growing child needs it. Professional whitening is $399 in-office or $249 take-home. Those are separate from the preventive visit and are planned only after we have a clear picture of the current bite and enamel.

Free SmileView simulations and free consults remain available if you want a first look without commitment. Start on the Invisalign page.

A practical next step

If your plan still shows remaining preventive coverage, book the recare visit now while September openings are open. Existing patients schedule at any of the three offices through the recare page. New patients can start with the $99 New Patient Special.

Bring your insurance card if you have one. Bring the retainer or mouthguard if you wear one. Everything else is already in the chart.

Families at Smile Dentistry in Fishers, Simply Smile in Carmel, and Simply Smile in North Indy who treat September as the real start of the dental year usually finish December with clean charts and no leftover-benefit scramble. That is the quiet advantage of using what you already have before the calendar turns.