Individual Dental Insurance Plans
Dental insurance can be a great investment for both your finances and your health. That's because dental insurance plans primarily cover preventative care, which leads to better oral health and less expensive procedures. Dental Insurance Basics
Dental insurance works like most other types of medical coverage. You pay a monthly premium for coverage, and the policy pays for all or most of your related costs. The more expensive the policy, the more extensive the coverage. While some health plans will cover dental care, many do not. If this applies to you, or if you carry an individual health policy, you may need an individual dental insurance policy to guarantee yourself adequate care.
A good dental insurance plan should cover all or most of the basic dental procedures, like office visits and cleaning. Care beyond that may or may not be fully covered by a dental insurance policy Generally, as procedures become more expensive, a dental insurance policy will cover fewer and fewer of them.
The popularity of dental insurance has been on the rise over the past few decades. And as dental plans have become more widespread, different coverage options have developed.
PrimeStar - Click here to get a free dental insurance quote
Smile Dental - Free Dental Insurance Quote
SecureDentalOne - Free Dental Insurance Quote
Traditional Dental Insurance Vs. Managed Dental Care
The most basic dental insurance plan works on a fee-for-service (also called indemnity) basis. You pay a monthly premium for coverage, and your insurer will pay for all or most of your necessary dental care, no matter where or from whom you choose to receive care. A newer option is managed dental insurance, which works a lot like managed health care. A managed dental insurance plan covers most of the same service as an indemnity policy would, but premiums are usually lower and freedom of choice in dentists is limited.
Most managed dental insurance plans work under a PPO (preferred provider organization), which means that policyholders must choose a primary dentist from a list of approved dentists. And to maintain full coverage for all procedures, any specialist you see will have to be approved by this primary dentist.
Most individual dental insurance, both fee-for-service and managed care policies, will impose a 6- to 18-month "waiting period" for most or all procedures, which means services won't be covered until after you've owned your policy for a while. (This is a big reason in favor of buying dental insurance before you know you need it. Like now.)
Choosing Among Discount Dental Plans
Discount dental plans help make maintaining good oral health a lot more affordable. And, with no waiting periods or complicated coverage procedures, dental plans are about as simple as you can get. Note: Dental plans are not insurance, they're discounts. How Discount Dental Plans Work
As social awareness about oral health has risen, so has the demand for affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those without coverage. These dental plans are much cheaper than traditional dental insurance, and also offer equal coverage for all dental work, even cosmetic procedures not covered by standard indemnity dental plans.
The hitch is that dental plans are not really insurance at all. They work more like club memberships, where the cost of membership (your "premium") earns a steep discount on any club service (dental work) you buy. The discount applies to all dental services performed by an approved dentist, but no procedure is covered completely.
The Ins & Outs Of Discount Dental Plans
When it comes to dental plans, the good news is afford ability, breadth of services, and immediate coverage. The bad news is greater financial risk and responsibility. Here's why. Although the monthly cost of most discount dental plans is very low compared to the price of a traditional dental insurance policy, there's more allover financial risk with a dental plan. No care is totally covered, so an expensive procedure will mean a big out-of-pocket expense, even with the dental plan. And even when undergoing a low-cost service (like cleaning), you'll still be expected to pick up a part of the tab.
However, on the plus side, discount dental plans are effective immediately - so any procedure you need now will be covered as soon as you buy the dental plan. Traditional indemnity dental plans usually impose a waiting period of between 6 and 18 months for any major procedure. The last "pro" is that all good dental plans should come with a money-back guarantee.
