With access to quality, affordable dental care increasingly limited, I find it vitally important to discuss the cost-saving benefits of what is known as a discount dental plan. But, before I do, let me explain why.
100+ Million Americans Without Dental Coverage
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 100 million Americans are currently living without any form of affordable dental care coverage. This is certainly an alarming number considering the widely accepted link between dental health and overall health.
The National Association of Dental Plans(NADP) considers discount dental plans as a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional dental insurance: “With an estimated 45 percent of Americans not having any type of dental coverage, and the dental insurance marketplace offering few, affordable dental products for individuals, discount dental plans are an attractive answer to the need to reduce consumer out-of-pocket costs and increase access to care.”
What is a Discount Dental Plan
Though, I’ve written several posts in the past about discount dental plans, I’ll briefly mention the essentials. A discount dental plan is a discount plan, not insurance, that entitles you to discounts on most dental procedures at a local dentist. Depending on the plan you select, you can save 10%-60% on most dental procedures. The savings can add up quickly even on x-rays and fillings.
There are no forms to fill out, everyone is accepted, you can choose from over 100,000+ participating dentists, and there are more than 30+ high quality plans to choose from. If you don’t have traditional dental insurance, or your self-employed, you can see how helpful a discount dental plan could be for you.
So, how much do they cost? Typically, for an individual plan you’ll pay around $80/yr and $130/yr for a family plan. With just a few visits to the dentist its easy to see that you’ll have more than payed off the cost of the plan for the entire year. Well worth it in my opinion.
How to Find a Local Plan
Believe it or not, finding a discount dental plan is actually really easy. I would recommend, however, that you take the time to browse the benefits and restrictions(if any) associated with each plan. Also make sure that the plan you choose has dentists in your area that accept your plan.
Step 1
Visit DentalPlans.com
Step 2
Enter your zip code into the zip code search box on the right side of the homepage.
Step 3
Browse and compare plans available in your area. Be sure to look at each plan’s fee schedule to determine which dental procedures receive discounts and the extent of the discount. Choose a plan.
Step 4
Once you have selected a discount dental plan, click the big blue “Join this Program” button.
Step 5
After clicking the “Join this Program” button, you’ll be brought to this screen. This is just notifying you that you’ve added a discount dental plan to your cart. On this screen, you’ll also see the plan type you selected(individual or family), as well as the final price of the plan. Make sure that this information is correct and look down the page to the “Apply Discount(Optional) form on the left.
At this point, type in DPP10 in the coupon code box to save 10% off the final price of your plan – compliments of DentalPlanCards.com
Click the “New Member Checkout” button to enter the billing information page.
Step 6
Finally, fill out the billing information form and choose to pay by credit card, eCheck, or by mail. You’re Finished! Within 1 to 3 days your plan will be activated so you can begin receiving the discounts according to your plan’s fee schedule at any participating dentist that accepts your plan.
Get Started
To get started, visit DentalPlans.com.
Important Note: DentalPlans.com is the premier discount dental plan broker on the net. They’ve contracted with more than 30 national and regional discount dental plan providers to provide you with an environment where you can quickly and easily access an compare information for each of the plans.
This article has 2 responses
I have really bad teeth. I think it was because of eating too much sugar caused. I think it is time to take the necessary approach to treatment of my teeth.
Actually, the only time the copays are so low for htleah insurance is when you’re dealing with those high-dollar plans provided by a lot of employers. (At least those are the types of plans that were provided be employers in the past; that’s changing significantly because of the cost involved.) Trust me, these are FAR from the norm. As for dental insurance, the fact is that there are nearly as many organized networks for dental providers as there are for medical providers (where belonging to as many networks as possible is the best way to ensure you keep new clients coming in to your practice.) Dental insurance, by comparison to what you pay for medical coverage (particularly of the variety you mention) is also CHEAP. And I don’t know very many people who would pay triple the price for dental insurance so they could get the $10 copay. In the end, it’s really that simple.