Find the best
dental insurance plans on the internet with Best DentalPlans.com.
Selecting traditional
individual
dental insurance plans which is often perceived as the best way to pay for
dental expenses, while an excellent option when sponsored by your employer or
company, it may not be very cost effective when you are paying for it. The
reason is partly because there are co-payments with some waiting periods which
can be painful when you have a toothache.
We have the Best Dental
Insurance Plans
Most of the best individual
dental insurance plans require you to satisfy waiting periods and deductibles
before having major and sometimes even minor restorative work done but not all
of them.
Best dental
plans help make maintaining good oral
health a lot more affordable...and, with no waiting periods or complicated
coverage procedures, dental discount plans are about as simple as you can get.
Keep in mind family dental plans vary by price and dental benefits sometimes
based on the dental providers in the network.
Best Dental Plans, Best
Discount Dental Plans,
Best Individual or Family Dentists, and Best Dental Care
Select a state
from the list below
to find the available dental plans in that state.
Best Indemnity Dental Plans
This type of dental insurance
plan pays the best when it comes to individual or family dental coverage on a
traditional fee-for-service basis which is helpful when deciding to buy coverage
for babies, kids, young teens, and especially seniors. Remember, a monthly
premium is paid by the client and/or the employer to a dental plan insurance
company, which then reimburses the family or individual dental office with
dental insurance for the services rendered. An insurance company usually pays
between 50% - 80% of the individual or family dental office fees for a covered
procedures; the remaining 20% - 50% is paid by the client.
Best Affordable Dental Plans
These plans often have a
pre-determined or set deductible amount which varies from plan to plan.
Indemnity plans also can limit the amount of services covered within a given
year and pay the individual or family dental offices based on a variety of fee
schedules. Some typical features of these plans:
-
High deductibles before
coverage begins (well-designed plans don't apply the deductible to preventive
services)
-
Probationary periods on certain procedures that last up to a year
-
Annual dollar limit on benefits
-
Chose your own individual or
family dentist
-
Your average monthly cost: $15
to $25
-
Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.
Best Dental
Plans - HMOs
These insurance plans, also
known as "capitation
plans," operate like their medical HMO
cousins. This type of dental plan provides a comprehensive dental care to
enrolled patients through designated provider office. A Dental Health
Maintenance Organization (DHMO) is a common example of a capitation plan. The
dentistry provider is paid on a per capita (per person) basis rather than for
actual treatment provided.
Participating individual and family dentists receive a fixed monthly fee based
on the number of patients assigned to the office. In addition to premiums,
client co-payments may be required for each visit. Some typical features of
these plans:
-
Monthly premiums (some require you to prepay a year's worth)
-
Co-payments for office visits
-
Free preventive or routine care
-
You must select from an
approved network of that family or individual dental insurance dentists
-
May have an initial enrollment
fee
-
Annual dollar cap
-
Your average monthly cost: $10
to $25
-
Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.
The Best Dental Preferred Provider Organizations
Another true insurance plan, a
Preferred provider organizations (PPO)
falls somewhere between an indemnity plan and a dental HMO. This plan allows a
particular group of patients to receive dental care from a defined panel of
individual or family dentists. The participating individual or family provider
agrees to charge less than usual fees to this specific patient base, providing
savings for the plan purchaser.
If the patient chooses to see a
dental specialists who is not designated as a "preferred provider," that patient
may be required to pay a greater share of the fee-for-service. A group of
individual and family dental offices agree to provide services at a deeply
discounted rate, giving you substantial savings — as long as you stay in their
network. Unlike the more restrictive DHMO, though, you can go out of network and
still receive some benefits. Some typical features of these plans:
-
Monthly premiums
-
Annual dollar cap
-
You must stay within the
approved network of individual or family dental providers or pay higher
deductibles and co-payments
-
Your average monthly cost: $20
to $25
-
Companies selling these plans are regulated by state insurance departments.
What are the
Best Dental Discount Plans - Remember they are not insurance
This type of dental plan is not
insurance. The managing organizations have negotiated with local dental offices
to establish a set price for a particular dental procedure and offer deep
discounts (some up to 70%) off the regular ADA pricing code.
This plan has several
advantages over
traditional
dental insurance plans, namely, there
are no exclusions for pre-existing conditions. This allows a patient to receive
immediate coverage for work without meeting any waiting period requirements.
How do discount dental plans
work? As we become aware about our oral health, there has been a demand for
affordable dental care. Discount dental plans are the newest option for those
without coverage. These dental discount plans are much cheaper than traditional
dental insurance, and also offer almost equal coverage for all dental work, even
cosmetic procedures not covered by standard
indemnity
dental plans.
Dental Dental
Insurance for the Best Price
The catch is that dental
discount 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 normally
applies to all dental office services performed by an approved "plan" individual
or family dental providers, but no procedure is covered completely.
What are the ins and outs of
discount dental plans? When it comes to dental discount plans, the good news is
afford ability, breadth of services, and immediate coverage. The bad news is
greater financial risk and responsibility on your part.
Best
Supplemental Dental Insurance Insurance
Although the monthly cost of most discount dental plans is very low compared to
the price of a traditional dental insurance or indemnity insurance policy,
there's more allover financial risk with a dental discount 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 cost.
However, on the plus side, discount dental plans are effective immediately - so
are many procedures you need now will be covered as soon as you buy the dental
discount plan. Traditional indemnity and/or
insurance
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 discount plans should come with a money-back guarantee.
Best Direct
Reimbursement Plans
A dental care plan now coming
into vogue is the direct reimbursement plan. This is a self-funded benefit plan
— not insurance — in which an employer pays for dental care with its own funds,
rather than paying premiums to an insurance company or third-party
administrator.
You, the patient, pay the full
amount directly to the individual or family dentist, then get a receipt
detailing services rendered and the cost, which you show to your employer. The
employer reimburses you for part or all of the dental costs, depending on your
specific benefits.
Your company might reimburse 100 percent of your first $100 of dental expenses
and then 80 percent of the next $500, and 50 percent of the next $2,000, with a
total annual maximum benefit of $1,500. Or it might reimburse only 50 percent of
your first $1,000, resulting in a $500 yearly cap.
Some typical features of a
direct reimbursement plan:
-
Neither you nor your employer pay monthly premiums
-
Freedom to choose any of the best individual or family dental offices
-
Typical employer cost: depends on the number of employees and benefit caps
-
Benefits usually capped at $500 to $2,000 annually.
Dental care is quite different than medical
care. Major illness can strike at any time and the costs can be enormous. Most
dental disease is preventable and treatment is predictable. Regular checkups and
professional cleaning can help maintain your oral health and so dental benefits
are written to encourage patients to seek preventative care in order to prevent
more serious dental problems.
What do you look for in
choosing the best dental insurance plan?
Does the plan give you the freedom to choose
your own individual or family dentist or are you restricted to a network panel
selected by the insurance company? If you have a
family dentist with whom you are
satisfied, consider the effects changing dentists will have on the quality or
quantity of care you receive. Because regular visits to the dentist reduce the
likelihood of developing serious dental disease, it's best to have and maintain
an established relationship with an individual or family dental office you trust
and accepts the dental insurance plan you purchase.
Who controls treatment
decisions--you and your dental office or the dental plan? Many plans require the
office to follow treatment plans that rely on a Least Expensive Alternative
Treatment (LEAT) approach. If there are multiple treatment options for a
specific condition, the plan will pay for the less expensive treatment option.
If you choose a treatment
option that may better suit your individual needs and your long-term oral
health, you will be responsible for paying the difference in costs. It's
important to know who makes the treatment decisions under your plan. These cost
control measures may have an impact on the quality of care you'll receive.
Does the plan cover diagnostic,
preventive and emergency services? If so, to what extent? Most dental plans
provide coverage for selected diagnostic services, preventive care and emergency
treatment that are basic for maintaining good oral health.
But the extent or frequency of
the services covered by some plans may be limited. Depending upon your
individual oral health needs, you may be required to them directly for a portion
of this basic care. Find out how much treatment is allowed in any given year
without cost to you, and how much you will have to pay for yourself.
-
Initial Oral Examination----once per dentist
-
Recall Examinations----twice per year
-
Complete x-ray survey----once every three years
-
Cavity-detecting bite-wing x-rays----once per year
-
Prophylaxis or teeth cleaning----twice per year
-
Topical Fluoride treatment----twice per year
-
Sealants----for those under age 18
What routine corrective
treatment is covered by the
dental plan?
What share of the costs will be yours? While preventive care lessens the risk of
serious dental disease, additional treatment may be required to ensure optimal
health. A broad range of treatment can be defined as routine. Most plans cover
70 percent to 80 percent of such treatment. Patients are responsible for the
remaining costs. Examples of routine care include:
-
Restorative care - amalgam and composite resin fillings and stainless steel
crowns on primary teeth
-
Endodontics - treatment of root canals and removal of tooth nerves
-
Oral Surgery - tooth removal
(not including bony impaction) and minor surgical procedures such as tissue
biopsy and drainage of minor oral infections.
-
Periodontics - treatment of uncomplicated periodontal disease including scaling,
root planning and management of acute infections or lesions
-
Prosthodontics--repair and/or relining or reseating of existing dentures and
bridges.
What major dental care is
covered by the plan? What percentage of these costs will you be required to pay?
Since dental benefits encourage you to get preventive care, which often
eliminates the need for major dental work, most plans are not generous when it
comes to paying for major dental work, most plans cover less than 50 percent of
the cost of major treatment.
Most plans limit the
benefits--both in number of procedures and dollar amount--that are covered in a
given year. Be aware of these restrictions when choosing your plan and as you
and your individual or family dental specialists develop treatment best suited
for you. Major dental care includes:
-
Restorative care--gold restorations and individual crowns
-
Oral Surgery--removal of
impacted teeth and complex oral surgery procedures.
-
Periodontics--treatment of complicated periodontal disease requiring surgery
involving bones, underlying tissues or bone grafts.
-
Orthodontics--treatment including retainers, braces and/or diagnostic materials.
-
Dental Implants--either surgical placement or restoration
-
Prosthodontics--fixed bridges, partial dentures and removable or fixed dentures.
Will the plan allow referrals
to
specialists? Will my individual or
family dental office and I be able to choose the specialist? Some plans
limit referrals to specialists. Your individual or family dentist may be
required to refer you to a limited selection of specialists who have contracted
with the plan's third party. You also may be required to get permission from the
plan administrator before being referred to a specialist. If you choose a plan
with these limitations, make sure qualified specialists are available in your
area. Look for a plan with a broad selection of different types of specialists.
If you have children, you may
prefer a plan that allows a pediatric dental specialist to be your child's
primary care. Since specialized treatment is generally more costly than routine
care, some plans discourage the use of specialists. While many general
practitioners are qualified to perform some specialized services, complex
procedures often require the skills of an individual or family dentist with
special training. Discuss the options with your individual or family dental
procedure provider before deciding who is best qualified to deliver treatment.
Can you see the individual or
family dental office with the insurance you have when you need to, and schedule
appointment times convenient for you? Individual or family dentists
participating in closed panel or capitation plans may have select hours to see
plan patients. They may schedule appointments for these patients on given days,
or at specified hours of the day, restricting your access.
Some individual or family
dental providers charge fees for seeing you on weekends or during emergencies
are high than those the plan allows. You may be required to pay additional costs
yourself. If you select these types of plans, have a clear understanding of your
dentist's policies as well as the plan's dentist-to-patient ratio. It's the best
way to ensure your access to care is not unduly restricted and that you are not
surprised by higher fees the plan does not cover.
Insurance companies
do their best to ensure that their policyholders understand their plans and
benefits, but it is up to an individual to make sure that they are making
informed choices. The differences in the various plans you can choose from are:
-
The type of third party funding
the plan.
-
Methods of selecting a individual or family dental location.
-
Compensation of the individual or family dentist's services to you.
-
The calculations of benefits
and payments.
Understanding these differences will enable you to make an informed decision
when selecting a dental plan that is best for you or your family.
