Which is better dental insurance or dental plan?

Answer 1

Dental insurance is a typical insurance. You pay a monthly premium then when you visit the dentist you pay a copay and your insurance pays the balance.

With a Dental plan you pay the bill but get a very discounted price, up to 80%. At the time of your dental visit the insurance will cost you less but a dental plan does have several advantages 1. Where dental insurance for a family can cost over $100 a month there are dental plans that will include the same family for less than $20 a month. 2. Dental insurance has limits on the annual benefit (usually around $1000) After that point you pay 100% out of your own pocket. A dental plan will never run out and you will get the same discount regaurdless of how high the bill gets. 3. If you need immediate care dental insurance has a waiting period where a dental plan does not.

Answer 2

To find companies in your state that provide dental insurance or dental discount plans, go to the National Association of Dental Plans site (www.nadp.org) which has a directory of companies that offer dental insurance. The directory can be searched by state and you can select "individual" and get the list of just those companies that provide individual dental insurance in your state. The listing also tells you if the company provides dental HMO, dental PPO, dental indemnity (traditional insurance without a network) or a discount plan (not insurance but a discount off the dentist's fees who are part of the discount network).