Health insurers are learning that they can save medical costs by getting people to have dental care at the right time in their lives. Aetna and the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine released a two-year study of 144,000 insured patients that finds early periodontal treatment reduces overall medical care costs by 9% for diabetes, 16% for coronary artery disease and 11% for strokes.

Another study, published in the Journal of Periodontology, finds that early treatment of pregnant women with serious gum disease reduces preterm births by 84%.

Aetna has expanded dental coverage offerings for enrollees who would most benefit -- such as pregnant women and people with cardiac disease -- to include such services as an additional third cleaning per year and scaling and root planing to remove plaque around the tooth root.