5 Money Saving Tips For Discount Dental Plans

By Kenneth Kowalsky, webmaster of DiscountDental4U.net, a unbiased consumer's guide to discount dental coverage.

Do you know that discount dental cards are the fastest growing segment of the dental benefits 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 plans offer.

As the Webmaster of a site that tries to make sense out of all the different discount plans, let me pass on some of the "inside information" I've learned over the past 20 years that enableds me to quickly and decisively recommend one discount plan over another.

(1) Let The Dental Plan Buyer Beware
Don't even consider a discount dental plan unless you know that it is a reliable, trustworthy operation. Despite being part of a very heavily regulated industry, companies that sell discount dental plan coverage have a history of all too many fly-by-night operators who are looking or to scam the public such as collecting membership fees without providing any service. Make sure you are working with a legitimate dental plan company by first checking with your state insurance commissioner to see if the firm is registered. You can reach your state insurance office by visiting NAIC.org.

Another useful tip is to make sure any company you're considering buying a discount plan from class quality phone support by calling the number of the company's home-office beforehand. You may never need to call the head office of a problem comes up, but you want to make sure that they're available should such a problem arise.

(2) Make Sure There Are Local Dentists
Some companies selling discount plans like to boast about how many dental providers they have their network. This can be deceiving because more important than how many participating dental providers a plan has is how many providers it has near you!

In addition, these numbers can be deceptive as discount plans have several trick" to boost their network numbers making it seem that there are many more dental providers who accept their plan than who actually do. For instance, dental providers who work out of two offices are counted twice while providers who no longer accept the plan are often still counted as "participating"? If there are only one or two dental providers nearby, I recommend that you call these providers to make sure they are still participating in the discount plan you're considering joining.

(3) Check For Local Dental Specialists
Although most of the dental work you and/or your family will need can be taken care by a general dentist, eventually someone is going to need to see a dental specialist. That is why any dental plan you choose should have one or more of the following dental specialists in your general area: Periodontist, Endodontist, Orthodontist, Oral Surgeon, and Prosthodontist. Nonetheless, if there is one thing I have learned over years helping people find dental coverage, it's that far too many people insist on seeing a specialist for a dental problem when a dentist can treat them just as well and for a lot less money.

(4) Be a Smart Consumer : Shop Around
Take your time to when shopping around for a discount plan because some plans may cost less upfront but offer smaller discounts on dental procedures, thereby costing you more if you visit the dentist more than once or twice in a year! I don't recommend any particular discount plan but I do suggest that those looking to purchase such a plan visit DentaPlans.com because they make it easy to comparison shop by allowing you to quickly compare membership fees, participating dentists, dental procedures prices between as many as 30 different plans. If you do decide to buy discount plan through them, you can save an extra 10% by using the special coupon-code "USA" when filling out your online application.

(5) Monthly or Yearly Enrollment : Which Is Better?
If you're new to discount plans, you should probably join a plan that gives you a choice between joining on a month-to-month basis rather than paying a lower rate and getting locked into a full year, such as with this discount plan. There is always a chance you could get stuck paying for a plan you don't need if several months later your employer offers dental insurance as a health benefit or if you get another job that includes 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.