Principal Dental Insurance - In Your Local Area

My Dental Plan: Maximizing the Benefits of Your Dental Plan

The new dentistry brings together a unique complement of skills, knowledge, and capabilities with one primary focus: ensuring your dental health. Working as a team, your dentist and the dental team he or she has assembled wants to recruit you to join them in making sure this focus on new dentistry is maintained you get full value from your dental health plan.

The dental team has two major parts that you may hear referenced during your visits: the "back" and the "front." These terms refer to two very specific functions of your dental team. The front office handles all the administration, scheduling, dental plans, insurance and financial details, and the back office provides the treatment.

Your front office team makes sure you know about scheduling opportunities, handles finances, files with your dental plans and keeps the administrative details under control to provide you efficient services and support. The back office team is thus free to do what they do best: provide the best care and service for you. You'll find the dentist, dental hygienist, and dental assistant ready to assist you during your appointments.

The key component for success of any team is each member's commitment to do their part. As a consumer and team member, your commitment to new dentistry involves three things:

1. Maintaining your commitment to your dental health through regular hygiene appointments and the daily practice of flossing and brushing.
2. Asking questions and getting the essential information you need about your teeth and gums or to understand any treatment plans.
3. Staying open to options and opportunities that the new dentistry offers you by thinking about the information and feedback that your dentist provides you about the status of your dental health and dental plans.

You can maximize the dental plan benefits with the skills and expertise of your dental team by deciding for yourself what kind of relationship you want with your dentist and the dental team and how they can help you achieve a positive outcome for your dental future.

By Brian DesRoches, PhD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

What Are the Best Dental Insurance Plans for Me?

Although there is no one "best" dental insurance plan, some plans will be better dental coverage than others for you and your family's dental needs.

Dental plans will primarily differ in how much you have to pay.

Although no plan will pay for all the costs associated with your dental care, some plans will cover more than others.

With any dental insurance plan you will pay a basic premium, usually monthly, to buy the dental coverage.

In addition, there are often other payments you must make. These payments will vary by dental insurance plans but essentially are deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance.

Here's a list of key questions to consider in selecting from a group of dental insurance plans that best meets your coverage needs:

• How much will it cost me on a monthly basis?
• Are there deductibles I must pay before the insurance begins to help cover my costs?
• After I have met the deductible, what part of my costs are paid by the plan?
• What dentists are part of the 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?
• If I use dentists outside a plan's network, how much more will I pay to get care?
• Will my dental coverage be extended?
• Are there any limits to how much I must pay in case of major illness?

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.