Selecting An Affordable Dental Plan for Your Family

Finding a dentist and an affordable dental plan can be a confusing experience. Although there is no one "best" affordable dental plan, there are some plans that will be better than others for you and your family's dental insurance plan needs. We will try to guide you in simple terms. However, rather than just giving you answers, the best thing we can do is to make sure you are equipped with the right questions.

There are three major things to consider, each with their own unique set of questions. By considering the questions thoroughly, you will arrive at the right and affordable dental plan for you and your family.

1. How affordable is the plan (cost of care)?

• How much will it cost me on a monthly basis?
   
• Should I try to insure just major dental expenses or most of my dental expenses?
   
• Can I afford a policy that at least covers my children?
   
• Are there deductibles I must pay before the family or individual dental insurance begins to help cover my costs?
   
• After I have met the deductible, what part of my costs are paid by the family dental insurance plan?
   
• If I use dentists outside a plan's network, how much more will I pay to get care?
   
• How often do I visit the dentist and how much do I have to pay at each visit?

2. Does an affordable dental plan included services that match my needs (access of care)?

• What other dental providers are part of the individual or family dental insurance plan?
   
• Are there enough of the kinds of dentists I want to see?
   
• Where will I go for care? Are these places near where I work or live?
   
• Do I need to get permission before I see a dental specialist?
   
• Are there any limits to how much I must pay in case of a major illness?
   
• Is the prescription medication which I need covered by the dental insurance plan?

3. Have people had good results when covered by a specific, affordable dental insurance plan (quality of care)?

• How do independent government organizations rate the different dental plans?
   
• What do my friends say about their experience with a specific plan?
   
• What does my dentist say about their experience with a specific dental plan?