How to Finance Dental Work

Dental procedures can become a financial burden.

The increasingly high cost of even routine dental care can make a visit to a dentist a financial hardship for many people. The inevitable recurrence of these expenses makes obtaining dental insurance or a dental discount plan the most effective way to control them.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Access to information on dental insurance and dental discount plans

1. Join your employer's group dental insurance plan. Such plans are easily accessible and easily financed, usually by payroll deductions. Dental coverage may be an automatic benefit of your employment. In most instances, though, you must choose to accept it at additional cost.

2. Locate a group plan. If you are not covered by an employer's dental plan, you may still be able to qualify for the low rates of other group dental insurance plans. If you are retired, the company from which you receive your retirement income may offer such a plan. Retired state and county employees in Kentucky, for example, may join the group dental plan offered to current employees through Kentucky Retirement Systems.

   Also check plans offered by your professional associations. The cost of joining these associations can be greatly offset by the dental insurance benefits they provide. For a $20 annual fee, for instance, retired teachers in Kentucky may join the Kentucky Retired Teachers Association, the benefits of which include a choice of several affordable group dental plans.

3. Find an individual plan for which you qualify. Most of the major health insurance companies like Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield also offer individual dental plans. Since individual rates are always much higher than group rates, you should investigate their benefits carefully before enrolling. Compare them with the cost of dental discount plans, too.

4. Find a dental discount plan. Dental discount plans are not insurance. They are agreements made between a dentist and a plan provider as to the rates the dentist will charge for services. Go to Dentalplans.com to find such plans. You can compare costs of various plans, find out if your current dentist is a participator and learn the costs for each covered procedure.

5. Evaluate the costs and benefits of all insurance and discount plans. Plans with higher initial costs may have benefits that outweigh that cost. A $23 monthly premium for a plan that offers 80 percent coverage for dental fillings is better than one with a $19 monthly premium that provides only 50 percent coverage of this expense.

6. Select the best plan for your needs. Remember, though, that dental costs are unpredictable. Excellent dental hygiene practices cannot prevent loose fillings or broken teeth. Look for solid overall coverage in the plan you select.

7. Use your dental plan's benefits effectively. Some plans, for instance, require a waiting period after enrollment for coverage of particular expenses. You may be covered immediately for routine dental exams, but be required to wait six months for dental fillings to be included. If possible, delay any elective procedure until its coverage begins. Exercise the same care in the use of your dental plan that you demonstrated in selecting it.

References

• KY Retirement Systems. 2009 Health Insurance Plans
• Kentucky Retired Teachers Association. Membership Benefits