Local Dental Care - Affordable Dental Plan

Selecting an Affordable Dental Plan for Your Family

What is the best and most affordable family dental insurance plan for me?

Finding a family 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 dental insurance 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.

• 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?
• Does an affordable dental plan include 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?
• 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?

If you consider these elements carefully when choosing a affordable dental insurance plan, you can be assured the best possible outcome.

+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.

Know About a Dental Plan Before You Buy Insurance Coverage

Everyone seems to want a dental plan, but many dental patients don’t fully understand what it can do for them. The following information is intended to provide an overview of dental insurance, the variations that exist and how to effectively use your dental plan coverage and benefits. Also be sure to ask your employer if they have a discount dental plan.

Dental insurance is most commonly found as an employee benefit that helps the member and his or her family to afford proper dental care services. While dental insurance plans for individuals are sold, they are often quite expensive due to the elective nature of most dental services. Employers and their human resource managers purchase most dental plans for the company’s employees.

Dental plan and medical insurance programs are quite different in their coverage and their philosophy. A dental insurance plan is designed to support preventive care the helps the patient to avoid major dental expenses, while medical insurance programs are designed to provide extensive coverage for major illness and diseases, but little or no coverage for preventive services.

A similar medical insurance plan would have nearly complete coverage for preventive and diagnostic services, but lower coverage for a life-threatening illness that kept the patient in the hospital for an extended period of time.

The coverage levels in a dental plan are generally expressed as a series of three numbers, for instance - 100 / 80 / 50 - which represents the percentages of coverage for Preventive and Diagnostic services, Basic Restorative services (simple fillings) and Major Services (crowns, bridges and dentures). For a significant dental treatment plan, the majority of the cost will be borne by the patient because of the 50% coverage and annual maximum benefits that may be as low as $1500. Be sure to look for affordable discount dental plans.

The method of payment for dental insurance plans is referred to as fee-for-service. That is, the dentist charges a separate fee for each service rendered and the charges are submitted to the insurance company on a claim. Traditionally, those claims were paper claims that were mailed to the insurance company, but today many of the claims are being sent electronically from the dentist’s computer to the insurance company’s computer and then paid electronically back to the dentist.

It is important to remember that dental services are nearly always elective. Most patients do not have any life-threatening dental issues. Despite the fact that dental disease can be painful, the risk of death or serious consequences from a dental problem is very low. While the pain could make the situation very urgent for the patient, once the pain is relieved, the subsequent treatment can be performed quickly or slowly depending upon the expectations of the patient and the availability of the dentist and your dental plan coverage.

by Dr. Fred Sharpe

+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.