Check out Discount Dental Plans Here

With dental insurance getting more expensive some people are dropping their dental insurance altogether.  Even though the premiums are high, dental insurance still often leaves the dental patient high and dry.  And when the coverage runs out, they are left without any compensation for dental work whatsoever, even if more work needs to be done.  But of course, the premiums will still need to be paid for, even if they have dished out all they are willing to for your dental work. 

Now I am not saying to drop your dental insurance company, especially if you get it through work.  But I AM saying that there are other alternatives to dental insurance, and not only that, but you can add a discount dental plan to your insurance coverage as well. 

Why is it a good idea to add a discount dental plan to your dental insurance?

While many are using dental insurance to pay help compensate for their dental costs there are other options you can utilize to reduce dental expenses.  Let's see some of the limitations of dental insurance:

If you have a typical dental insurance plan it carries a deductible of $45 - $125.  This plan will cover only certain types of dental work and has an annual limitation along with it that you can use for dental work.

This means that once you have used up your annual maximum limit, no matter how much you need more dental coverage you will have to pay for the rest out of your won pocket.

If you have a PPO plan  it will cover most minor and regular dental procedures like teeth cleaning, check-up, x-rays and other like things.  The PPO plan will cover 75% and more of these types of treatments, but any major dental procedures will only be covered by about half of that.  This means that if you need bridge work done, crowns, or gum work, they will be pay about half of the bill.

The real limitation in dental insurance, however, is in the maximum they will pay.

$1,000 is the most that your average dental insurance company will pay.  So if you ever need more care than that your dental insurance company will leave you hanging to pay the rest on your own, in spite of the high premiums you will continue to pay. 

And if you do not utilize that $1,000 by the end of the year then you loose it all and cannot carry it over to the next year.  I know some cell phone companies will carry your minutes over from month to month, but your dental insurance company will not do the same from year to year.

It is also worth mentioning that 30 years ago the max limits of dental insurance was still at $1,000.  And even though the costs of dental care has over doubled these maximums are the same. 

There has been a study done that said that HMO's do not compensate the dentists enough for the regular cleanings.  This has led to dentists rushing their patients through quickly and not giving the proper care that is needed for proper dental health.  This is especially the case when a dentist office has mostly patients who have HMO's.  They have had to make budget cuts and also are often not able to give out occasional toothbrush, dental floss, or child's toy.  With all the other expenses that a dentist has, an HMO is hardly able to cover much of it.

But more dentists and consumers are using dental plans, which can be used in addition to your current dental insurance plan.  Even if you have reached your maximum with your insurance you can still use a discount dental plan to get consistent discounts on both major and minor dental work.

You can read more about discount dental plans here.