About Dental

There are several basic types of dental insurance plans offering a range of cover from the most basic dental care plans to complete all encompassing dental insurance plans.

Basic dental care plans aren’t effectively an insurance but rather a ‘club’ that enables you to obtain discounted dental care from participating dentists. The level of discount is largely dependant on the monthly fee you pay but unlike dental insurance there is no limit to the amount of discounted treatment you can receive. One thing to check with dental care plans is the amount of local dental coverage (if any!). You can join a dental care plan for just a few dollars a month.

Indemnity Insurance Plans are a type of dental insurance whereby you pay the insurance company a fixed monthly fee who, in turn, will reimburse your dentist for services rendered. However, the dental insurance company doesn’t normally cover the whole cost with the policy holder be liable for 20 – 50% of the total cost. If you take out an indemnity plan you need to check the level of deductibles and the maximum amount the insurance policy will pay out in any given year. Also find out the length of any probationary period during which the dental insurance company won’t pay out and whether you are able to use your own dentist. Expect to pay around $14 to $26 per month.

One of the increasingly popular dental insurances is the direct reimbursement plans which are self funded by employer’s rather them paying dental insurance premiums. As a general rule the person receiving the dental care will pay the fee in full and reclaim all or part of the cost (depending on what level of cover their particular employer provides) from their employer. Annual benefits of this dental insurance option are usually capped with the capped level varying quite significantly from one employer to another

Capitation dental insurance plans (HMO’s) are when the dentist is paid an annual fee per patient rather than on a treatment basis. However, the dental insurance policy holder may be required to contribute towards the cost of any treatment. The cost of HMO insurance plans are generally targeted at preventative and emergency care and can vary from patient to patient following an initial examination.

Preferred provider organisations (PPO) offer an insurance plan that allows you to visit dentists from a preferred supplier list at a heavily discounted rate. If you choose to use a dentist that is not covered by the dental plan you will still receive some element of discount but nowhere near as much as you will receive from a ‘preferred’ dentist. As with most dental insurance plans an annual cap will apply. Expect to pay up to about $25 per month.

UCR (Usual, Customary & Reasonable) indemnity dental insurance plans have a database which contains average prices for each dental procedure you might undergo. When you submit your bill for payment the dental insurance provider will check the cost of your treatment against the average. If you paid more than the average you will have to incur the additional cost with the insurance company only paying the insured percentage of the fee shown in their database. If the cost of your treatment is lower than average you will receive the agreed percentage of the amount you paid. There is no control over how dental insurance companies calculate the UCR cost and the insurance company always pockets the benefit of lower fees.

There are some insurance agents out there gritting their teeth and shaking in their boots right now, but I don’t care. It’s time everyone knew the truth about dental insurance plans. You see, most people are under the impression that they can put off seeing a dentist until they feel that it’s absolutely necessary and then they’ll be able to call up their insurance agent, grab a new dental insurance policy, see the dentist, file the claim and live happily ever after. Is this what you think? Have you been deceived too? Don’t feel bad because most people have been. Here are three reasons that dental insurance is not a good deal.

#1. Dental insurance is no different than any other type of insurance. It does not cover anything that is considered to be pre-existing at the time that you bought the policy. This means that if you buy an insurance policy today, see a dentist and get your teeth worked on that your claim will be denied and you’ll have to pay 100% of the costs, unless it’s an appointment for basic care, such as cleaning, but even then you’ll have to pay your annual deductible and co-pay.

#2. Cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth whitening, dentures, orthodontics and other dentistry that has to do with improving your personal appearance, is not covered in a standard insurance policy. Teeth whitening may seem like a luxury, but not having any dentures to chew your food with is a problem for many individuals, especially many of our seniors who can’t possibly pay full price for them.

What about braces for a child that desperately needs them , but their parents are on a limited budget? In order to have any type of expensive orthodontics care covered you would have to buy an expensive policy called “orthodontics insurance”. These plans are limited and most still won’t pay more than 50% of the costs. You’ll still be responsible for your deductible and co-pay also. Are you beginning to see my point?

#3. Here is the big kicker. Most dental insurance plans will only pay an annual maximum of $1000-$2000.00. In other words, after you’ve paid up your annual deductible for the year you can only expect to get $1000-$2000.00 worth of assistance from your insurance company, after that you’ll be paying 100% of the costs yourself. Many people pay thousands of dollars into their policies over the years without ever having to use them to this extent and then get the news when they need the dental care most. I’m telling you right now that dental insurance is not the way to go for dental care.

If you need to buy a dental plan for an individual or family, your best, most reliable option is to buy a discount dental plan instead of insurance. Discount plans simply offer big discounts on both preventive care and major dental, including pre-existing conditions, dentures, braces and more. You simply need to visit a participating dentist anywhere in the USA and pay them in full at the time of your visit. You will save as much as 60% when you visit the dentist and the costs will be predetermined before the work is ever done, so you don’t get any hidden surprises.

Don’t waste your money on dental insurance anymore. Do a bit of research and you’ll know that what I’m saying is a fact, not fiction. After you do that grab a discount dental plan and start saving money.