Affordable Discount Dental Plans - 4 Things You Should Know Before Joining a Discount Plan

There are affordable discount dental plans available nationwide for both individual and family. The secret is to know what to look for and also to check for availability in your state. Most plans have a substantial network of qualified health care providers, however it's possible that you may not have a participating dentist in the immediate area where you live. This happens occasionally to people that live in rural areas or a considerable distance from a large city or town.

1. Discount dental plan members receive big discounts that are normally between 10-30% off the cost of routine dental care. However, the savings can substantially more on certain procedures such as crowns, dentures, bridges and more. You can get more plan details and sample savings directly from the company you choose to consider.

2. Co-Pays & Premiums

Discount dental plans are an insurance alternative, not a policy. Therefore, there are no co-pays, deductibles or premium payments. There is a low annual fee for membership fee that costs between $80-$180.00, depending on the dental plan you choose and whether it's for an individual or an entire family. Some companies allow members to pay this fee monthly, however they usually charge you more for doing it. For example, there's one company that offers monthly payments of $19.95 for a family. This adds up to be $239.40 per year. However, a different company with a comparable plan will only cost you $179.95, if you pay it in advance. That's a difference of $59.45. Saving money doesn't hurt, but only you know your budget best.

3. Quality Dental Care

Discount dental plans offer quality dental care just as any health insurance policy would. If you decide to join you'll see the same qualified dentists and specialists that you see listed online or in the yellow pages. Your current dentist may already be a member of a network.

4. Plan Exclusions

In general there are no plan exclusions. This means that the cost of any existing problem you may need taken care of will likely be a lot less. Since discount cards are not insurance you usually won't have to worry about this.

The only exclusion that you may run into while using a discount card is trying to receive a discount on unfinished orthodontic work. This means that if an orthodontist has already begun the work on your braces then you would not be able to receive a discount from a member dentist. This type of scenario is rare though so you shouldn't worry about it. The simple solution would be to join a discount plan before you get the work started. There are no age limits for using the service.

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Dental Service Plan - 3 Facts About Dental Plans That You Must Know Before You Buy

Buying a dental service plan isn't as easy as 1, 2, 3. You need to know exactly what you're buying before you spend the money and the only way to do that is by researching the facts. There are mainly two types of dental plans available to you. These are Dental Insurance and Discount Dental Plans. There are big differences between the two so let's dig right in and learn the facts.

Fact #1. Dental insurance will not pay for any existing condition that you may already have. This means that if you already have caries (cavities), have a broken tooth, missing teeth, etc that having an insurance policy will not help you one bit. The word "insurance" means to "provide protection in case of an unforeseen event" and something that has already happened is not an unforeseen event. A policy may provide some coverage after a mandatory one year waiting period, but the conditions to be treated and the amount covered are at the sole discretion of the dental insurance provider.

Fact #2. Dental insurance will not pay for braces. Orthodontics care is not covered by a standard insurance policy and must be purchased separately. Also, it has an a low annual coverage limit, usually starting at around a $2,000 maximum for an individual and $4,000 per family and it will only cover up to 50% of all costs incurred for braces.

Fact #3. Discount Dental Plans are NOT insurance. These service plans offer discounts only. There are benefits to this though. The first is that you can be seen immediately for any condition you may have and you'll receive a discount. The only alternative would be to pay full price. Also, there are no age limits or exclusions and braces, dentures, bridges and crowns are all included within the plans.

These are three facts about dental service plans that are very important in the decision making process for both individuals and families. The decision you make should be based on your immediate needs.

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How to Beat the High Cost of Braces

Getting braces for your children is one of the most challenging things about being a responsible parent. The fact of the matter is that orthodontic work is not cheap and unless you are financially prepared for it, you may face a problem that you aren't able to afford. There are a few things that you should be aware of before you go shopping for braces. Let's take a look at your options.

#1. Dental insurance does not cover orthodontic care. Most people are under the impression that if they own a dental insurance policy that they're automatically covered for braces, but this is far from the truth. The fact of the matter is that a standard dental insurance plan does not cover braces at all.

#2. Orthodontic insurance is sold as a completely separate policy and, unfortunately, it doesn't cover 100% of the costs either. The biggest drawbacks of buying an orthodontic policy are that the policy will only cover up to 50% of the total costs of the work. That means that you'll pay the monthly premiums just like any other policy and you'll pay a co-pay each time you visit the dentist, just like any other policy, however, you'll only be insured for 50% of the total cost of the braces. The other bad news about these plans is that they also carry an annual limit. Most common annual limits are around $2,000 for an individual and $4,000 for a family. This means that if the total cost of the braces is $3,000 your policy would only pay for 50% or $1,500 and you'd be limited to a maximum of an additional $500 for the remainder of the year.

#3. Discount dental plans are a good option for those in need of braces. The only drawbacks to a discount plan are that you are limited to only seeing dentists within the network of the plan and you'll need to pay a fee to join. These can range from $20.00 per month up to around $180.00 per year for a family. It's generally less expensive to pay a year in advance for most plans. Also, you may either be limited in your choice of dentists or be forced to travel if you live in a rural area. However, it would definitely be worth driving for an hour or two if you were going to save several hundred or thousand dollars.

#4. You may be able to find an orthodontist that would be willing to finance your costs. This isn't very common, but there are dentists that do this so you may get lucky if you look around a bit. Some family dentistry clinics now offer financing, but they usually charge substantial interest and most require a down payment.

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