Cannot Afford Going To The Dentist? What Are Your Priorities?
Dentists frequently hear new patients say that the reason they haven't had dental work is because they didn't have dental coverage. It is always a curiosity to wonder how do these same patients can afford non-essential expenditures -gifts, vacations & recreation, boat payments, tobacco, alcohol, gambling and so forth- since they didn't have any insurance to help pay for it.

Sadly, it says something about people's values when they choose discretionary lifestyle expenditures above needed health care, and would be willing to shed body parts and allow disease to worsen rather than discipline their basic values and budgeting.

According to the American Dental Association, only about 60% of the American public has dental insurance. This coverage is almost always supplied by their employer or professional association. That leaves 40% of Americans without any dental coverage whatsoever including those on Medicare such as the the elderly.

To make matters worse, fewer and fewer insurance underwriters are offering individual dental coverage these days as only 10% of such companies offer this type of insurance anymore (SOURCE: National Association of Dental Plans).

Even if you can get an individual dental insurance policy, the monthly premiums you'll pay will be astronomical because you're not part of a group and therefore not eligible to receive group rates.

Discount Dental Plans Save You Money and Teeth
Seeing this problem develop, some health benefit companies have started offering what is known as "discount" or "reduced-fee" dental plans. In fact, companies offering these types of plans are one of the fastest growing segments of the health care industry. This segment is growing so fast in fact that consumers can easily become overwhelmed with the differences in price, fee schedules, restrictions, enrollment options, etc., that the different discount dental plans offer.

As the Webmaster of a website that tries to make sense out of all the different dental plans, let me pass on some of the lessons over the years I have learned that have enabled me to quickly and decisively recommend one discount dental plan over another.

1. Make Sure There Are Local Dentists Nearby
Most dental plans like to boast about how many thousands of dental providers they have their nationwide network. What's important is not how many participating dental providers a given dental plan has, but how many providers there are where you live. Especially if you have a dental emergency where you need to see a dentist on an emergency basis, what is more important then knowing that there is a least one participating dentist within driving distance who accepts that plan. After all, what's the point of joining a dental plan whose nearest dentist is 100 miles away?

Even when a plan claims that there are several dental providers near you, these claims can be very deceiving as dental plans have several "tricks" to boost their network numbers making it seem that there are many more dentists who accept their plan than who actually do. For instance, dental providers who work out of more than one office are counted twice or more while providers who stop accepting the plan are all too often still counted as "participating"?

2. Make Sure There Are Specialists, Not Just General Dentists Nearby
Although most of the dental work you and/or your family will need can be taken care by a general dentist, the fact remainsthat eventually someone is going to need to see a dental specialist. That is why any dental plan you choose should have a least one of the following dental specialists in your general area: Periodontist, Endodontist, Orthodontist, Oral Surgeon, and Prosthodontist.

Still, I should point out that if I do you have learned over years it is that far too many people insist on seeing a specialist for a dental problem when a general dentist can treat them just as well and for a lot less money. Therefore, before you go see a dental specialist, I strongly suggest you have a general dentist assess your situation first and then refer you to a specialist if it's something they cannot do themselves.

3. Enroll On A Monthly Basis Rather Than Yearly
If at all possible, you should join a dental plan on a month-to-month basis rather than get locked into a full year. This is because there is always a chance you could get stuck paying for a plan you don't need if several months down the line either you or your spouse's employer may start offering dental insurance or one of you can get a job that already offers a dental coverage.

In addition, opting for a month-to-month plan also gives you the flexibility to drop your plan if you find a better deal somewhere else. Most plans only allow you to get your money back after 30 days but what happens if you no longer need your general plan after, say, 90 days? I'll tell you what happens; you're S&#% out of luck!

Kenneth Kowalsky
Webmaster, Discount Dental 4 U