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Dental Insurance: Maximize Your Dental Health

What do you want from your relationship with your dentist? Oftentimes, this question is answered when there is a dental problem or emergency requiring immediate attention. There is a different approach to your relationship with your dentist that relates to your own needs and the dental plan you have. This approach is designed to help you create the kind of experiences you want with your dentist.

You have a choice about this relationship and how it can support and assist you in your life. It begins with the simple question stated at the beginning of this article: What do you want from your relationship with your dentist? Are you just looking for a doctor who can take your dental plan? Or, do you want more?

The answer to this question can take many forms. For some people it may mean having a lot of information about their dental health and future. They seek facts to know they are making good, informed decisions. Others may want a friendly relationship in which openness and communication are valued.

They want information your dental plan, but more importantly, they want to know they are important to the dentist and the dental team. Some individuals want minimal information and discussion -- just the facts and the solutions to take care of any problem.

We all have different wants in our relationships with health professionals such as dentists. Here are five tips to assist you in deciding what you want in your relationship with your dentist:

• Do you want a lot of detailed information about actual problems or potential problems or do you prefer a quick summary of data with recommendations about what to do with you dental plan.
• Do you like to make quick decisions or do you prefer to think about things before you act?
• Do you like to talk about what is happening or do you prefer to have your dentist just tell you what is going on?
• Do you want the dentist to describe a problem situation and solution with pictures so you can see what it happening or do you prefer to go on gut feeling?
• Do you want to maximize your individual dental plan?

Each person looks for different things in their relationships. It is your responsibility to determine what you want and look for that in the relationship with your dentist. The answers to the questions above will tell you something about this.

The next step is communicating what you want so that you are understood. Only you know when someone else understands you. Here are four tips to assist you in this communication process:

• Tell your dentist that you have some ideas about how he or she can assist you with your dental insurance plan.
• Ask when it would be a good time to discuss your needs and desires for your dental care and relationship with your dentist.
• Communicate what you want and how that will help you.
• If you had a negative experience in the past with another dental professional, always discuss what happened. Past hurts or disappointments have a way of negatively influencing present situations that are similar in nature.

Communicating what you want is important to your dentist for it is the best way for him or her to maximize your dental plan for you.

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.