While most dentists are used to dealing with patients who have anxiety about their procedures, just about any of them will tell you that the thing that nothing makes people more anxious than talking about payment.
Dentists work hard to make their care affordable, but there’s no getting around the fact that navigating payment can be a little disorienting. One of the biggest things that trips up new patients is the difference between dental insurance and dental discount plans, and how to decide which to use. This blog aims to address this issue and to help you make this choice.
How does Dental Insurance Work?
While there are some dissimilarities, dental insurance is fairly similar to medical insurance. You can get dental insurance through the healthcare exchange or your employer, for which you’ll pay a monthly premium. You can use dental insurance to pay directly for care from in-network dentists, or to get select reimbursements for out-of-network dental care.
As with medical insurance, you’ll likely need to pay a deductible in order for a dental plan to begin paying for care. However, an unusual quirk of dental insurance is that most plans also entail an annual maximum, which is the absolute most that a plan will pay out in the course of a year.
How do Dental Discount Plans Work?
Many dentists offer dental discount plans as an alternative to insurance as a way to encourage client loyalty. Like insurance, you’ll pay either a monthly or annual fee in order to get complementary services and discounted care. However, these treatments must be obtained from the practice that you’re a member of.
Unlike insurance, however, there are hardly any restrictions attached to these discounts: no deductibles, no yearly maximums, and no need to submit claims.
Which is Best for Me?
Dental insurance allows you to get the same coverage at any in-network provider, making it better for people who see several different dentists. They also tend to pay for a greater portion of major procedures; dental plans tend to cover 50-80% of restorative care, while the savings from dental discount plans typically cap out at around 20-30%, if they include a discount at all.
However, dental discount plans have the benefit of circumventing deductibles, waiting periods, and annual maximums. If any of these could pose issues for you, and you have a single dentist that you see for everything anyway, that could be a good reason to pursue one as an option.
About the Author
The thing that Dr. David Thomas loves most about being a dentist is the relationships that he has been able to form with his patients. No matter who you are, what issues you’re facing, or where you’re coming from, he would relish the opportunity to become your friendly neighborhood dentist!
Dr. Thomas received his degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his AEGD residency at the Maricopa Institute of Health Services Hospital in Phoenix, AZ.
If you have any questions about the best ways to make dental care affordable, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (206) 244-4622.
