Stepped-up demands on NYPD officers are taking a real toll on their quality of life, and PBA dentists like Brooklyn City Dental are keen to help. Irregular shift schedules, staffing shortages and chronic stress can affect officers’ oral and overall health, which is why the PBA fought so hard to provide dental plans that cover treatment. We want to help the NYPD’s rank-and-file actually use those benefits and get the care they need.
Brooklyn City Dental is located a block from the 94th Precinct on Meserole Ave, and a short ride from the 90th in Williamsburg. We’ve been treating PBA members and their families for years, and we want more officers in North Brooklyn to know we’re here.
Shift Work and Chronic Stress Have Measurable Effects on Oral Health
Sustained stress and irregular sleep have specific, documented effects on oral health that accumulate gradually and often without obvious symptoms until they’ve progressed.
The most well-studied pattern involves involuntary teeth grinding and jaw clenching during sleep, which is clinically referred to as bruxism. A peer-reviewed cross-sectional study of police officers found that nearly half of officer participants showed signs of probable bruxism, which causes worn enamel, small fractures, jaw soreness, and increased tooth sensitivity.
Oral health is also inseparable from overall health. The National Institute of Health’s decades of research have established well-documented connections between periodontal (gum) disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and systemic inflammation. The American Dental Association also identified significant overlap between risk factors for gum disease and heart disease.
The simplest and most accessible intervention is a routine cleaning twice a year to catch these conditions early, which are covered by your plan.
Your plan covers all of it at no cost to you
The PBA’s Cigna dental plan has no copays, deductibles, or coinsurance for covered in-network services. At Brooklyn City Dental that includes:
- Exams and X-rays: covered 100%
- Cleanings: two per year, covered 100%
- Fillings: basic and tooth-colored composite, covered
- Crowns: covered at 100% in-network
- Root canals: covered
- Extractions: covered
- Gum treatment (scaling and root planing): covered when clinically indicated
How to Confirm Your Coverage and Find the Right Dentist
Not sure which plan you have? Most active NYPD officers are covered through the PBA’s Cigna plan. Detectives covered under the DEA should check their separate benefits page. Retirees may be on Medicare Advantage or a continuation plan. Call PBA to confirm.
If your plan is administered through Cigna:
- Activate your myCigna account. If your plan is managed through Cigna, visit myCigna.com or download the myCigna app to view your specific benefits, check claim history, and see how many cleanings you’ve used this year. Your Cigna ID number is available in the app, no physical card necessary.
- Verify in-network status before you book. Use the provider search at cigna.com to confirm your dentist is in Cigna’s Total network. Out-of-network visits can result in out-of-pocket costs. Brooklyn City Dental is confirmed in-network.
- Call the office, not the insurance line. If you have questions about what a specific procedure will cost you, your dental office can pull your benefits and give you a clear answer before any treatment begins. We do this routinely. Call us and we’ll verify everything before your visit.
- Check coverage for dependents. PBA dental coverage extends to active officers and their eligible dependents from the first day of employment. If your family members haven’t used their cleanings this year, the same in-network, no-copay coverage applies to them.
We’re in the neighborhood, and work around your schedule
We’re on Manhattan Ave, one block from the 94th Precinct and accessible from the Nassau G stop. We verify your Cigna benefits before you arrive, no insurance card needed, just your name and date of birth. We handle the billing directly.
If your schedule doesn’t follow regular hours, call us and we’ll find something that works.
Walk-ins are welcome when we have availability. If it’s been a while since your last visit, there’s no judgment, we see that often and we know how it happens. You’ll leave the first appointment knowing exactly where things stand and what, if anything, needs attention.