Discount dental plans are an affordable alternative to traditional dental insurance and in many ways are better than dental insurance. What, you say? How could that be, you ask? Let’s take a look at the differences between the two dental plans.

Dental Insurance

Dental Insurance is what many people think of when they’re in need of dental care. The first thing that comes to mind for most people when they start having problems with their teeth is that they need to get some dental insurance. Unfortunately, by the time you start having problems you’re too late to have dental insurance do you any good. The reason for this is because, like any other insurance policy, dental doesn’t cover pre-existing problems. Most plans require a minimum of twelve months after buying the plan before they’ll start to pay any portion of your prior problems. Even then you’ll still have to pay 50% or more, in most cases.

Dental insurance is great for routine preventive care, such as fluoride treatments, teeth cleaning,etc. but if you’re thinking that you’ll go buy a dental plan to have it cover the root canal that you need immediately, then you’re in for a big disappointment.

Discount Dental Plans

Discount plans are not insurance in any way, shape or form. They offer big discounts of between 10% and 60% not only preventive maintenance, but also on major dental work, such as bridges, dentures, root canals, braces and more. You simply locate a participating dentist near you, pay a “less than insurance fee” to join the plan, make yourself an appointment with your new dentist (or your old. Your current dentist may already be a provider) and pay the dentist the discounted cost of your dental work in full at the time of your appointment. This way they get paid on the spot, you get your teeth fixed on the spot and you can both walk away happy.

There are no exclusions with dental discount plans, no age limits, pre-existing conditions are fine and there’s very little paperwork to deal with. If you or your family are need of a dental plan, especially if you’re in need of immediate dental care, I’d give dental discount plans a good look. They may even be your best option.