First off, there are only two different things that we need to look at. Those are dental insurance and dental plans. Somehow there’s become a lot of different terminology for these two, but they’re the only ones that you need to worry about.Dental insurance, unless provided by your employer, isn’t as “cost effective” these days. Some of the drawbacks are annual deductibles, annual spending limits, non-coverage for pre-existing conditions or a very long (usually 6-12 month) waiting period, and limitations and exclusions on certain types of care. You must also pay a monthly or annual premium which can be in the $25-$50.00 per month range for an individual person and even as much as $100.00 monthly for entire family coverage. At these rates it’s no wonder that there are such a high number of people who aren’t covered. They simply cannot afford it.Let’s define a discount plan - it’s really very simple. A dental discount plan allows you to visit a dentist at a reduced rate. You join the plan, which is usually very inexpensive and you may then visit any dentist in that plans “network”. This network is a group of dentist’s that have agreed to accept a reduced payment for services performed. They do this under the condition that the work be paid for at the time of the visit.With dental discount plans you’ll pay a discounted fee for services rendered at the time of your visit. For example, let’s say that you need your teeth cleaned. The normal price for this may be $80.00, but you’ll get a discount card stating that you get a 50% (example) discount, so, in this case, you’d only pay $40.00.This can be very cost effective for a family.The 50% savings used was only an example. Many plans offer even higher discounts on certain procedures. Some even include discounts on procedures such as cosmetic dentistry, professional teeth whitening, orthodontics and more.That pretty much sums it up. I hope that this was helpful so that you may make an informed decision when you decide to buy dental coverage.
Tags:
dental plans,
dental discount plan,
dental insurance,
dental coverage