The Dental Guide

As with any insurance plan, we often wonder if we really need such things as dental insurance. The truth of the matter is that, just like any other type of insurance, it is a tool that is used to offest finanical losses due to unforeseen event or incidents.

When you are young and healthy and you don’t need to visit the dentist more than once or twice per year, the chances are you probably won’t need dental insurance. In fact you may find that the insurance costs more than your actual dentist’s bill.

Dental bills can turn out to be very expensive and if you are someone with a turbulent dental history you may be well advised to buy dental insurance or sign-up to some form of discounted dental plan.

Good dental health depends upon a variety of factors including dental hygiene, stress, personal eating habits, nutrition etc. Millions of Americans are undergoing root canal and cavity procedures yearly - dental health in the USA has not been of a very high caliber over the past few decades.

There are several different types of dental insurance coverage available including:

• Indemnity Plans,
• Preferred Provider Plans,
• HMO Plans and
• Discount Plans

Dental Indemnity Insurance Plans : These are the traditional insurance coverage plans. Here you will get a percentage of your dental costs covered for a monthly fee. Normally these indemnity plan cover 100% of preventive type services, 80% of restoration services and 50% of major treatment like orthodontics.

Dental Preferred Provider Plans : These plans cost an average of $40 per month and give you highly discounted rates of dental procedures within the specified network. Some benefits are available outside the network also. These plans are regulated by the state insurance departments and fall into the insurance category.

HMO Dental Insurance : These insurance plans are also known as capitation plans. They operate like Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). These are also regulated by state insurance department and cost between $20-$40 a month.

Dental Discount Plans : Discount dental plans are like clubs where you get the best deals when you show your membership card. These are again network based. They give best value to individual and family memberships. This membership is only purchasing a discounted access to a network dentist and is not considered insurance.