Types of Dental Insurance Plans

Face up and smile, because you just cannot do without dental insurance. You know well that dental care is important right from childhood right down to the time you reach denture-age. Okay, so you know that dental insurance is a must, but do you know you can save money on a dental insurance plan if you choose to explore the market and look beyond the traditional dental insurance plans? We bet you didn't know that!

Regular dental insurance plans

 
These are the regular indemnity dental insurance plans that are bandied all over the place. They work like the traditional health insurance plans, and when you are covered by a regular plan, you will typically pay a monthly premium and get reimbursed for your dental care expenditure. The amount of reimbursement can go as high as 100% of the bills. However, certain conditions may not be covered by your plan and there may be a waiting period for some conditions. If you are going in for this plan, then take an employer-backed plan instead of a regular one, as it will be cheaper. Oh, and don't forget to buy dental insurance coverage for your family too. These plans are ideal for middle-aged people with families.

Dental expenditure reimbursement plans

Do not confuse this plan with a regular dental plan because this is not the regular dental insurance plan. This is more of a contractual agreement or Memorandum of Understanding between you and employer where you will first pay your dental care bills and then get the money reimbursed by your employer, up to a certain limit. The employer will not take any dental insurance coverage, but will include the reimbursement as a benefit forming part of your remuneration. Ideal for yuppies.

Dental discount plan

You will be surprised to know that dental discount plans are not insurance plans. Rather, it is like a dental discount "coupon", using which you get a pre-determined discount for dental care services. If your discount plan entitles you to a 30% off, then you will get that percentage off when you go in for regular dental check-ups or for cleaning to a dentist who is networked with the dental discount plan provider. You won't have to pay any premium for a dental discount plan – but you will have to shell out an enrollment fee and a small monthly fee, both of which when added together are lesser than the premium you might have to pay for a regular dental insurance plan. This is ideal for young people who just have to visit their dentist for routine work.

Voluntary group dental plans

If you are employed, then you can cobble together a group of your co-workers and request your employer to get you guys a voluntary group dental insurance plan. The only difference is that when you get together and avail of such a plan, you will have to pay a lower premium than an individual dental insurance plan because numbers always have a bargaining power. Ideal for employees who want to save some cash.

These were the different methods that you can choose from while finalizing your dental insurance plan. Can you ever believe that there are 4 different ways of choosing a dental insurance plan! In the end, do not be carried away by the premium and discount numbers – go for the plan that is best suited for your needs.