Reasons Why People Prefer Discount Dental Plans
You know you need to regularly see a dentist to really take care of your teeth. While brushing and flossing helps prevent tooth decay, there would always be a reason for you to have a dental check-up. Everyone needs a decent dental plan but not everyone owns one. The American Dental Association reports that approximately 50% of permanent residents living in the United States do not have any form of dental insurance. The main reason for this is the prohibitive premiums, and people opt to save their precious dollars on other concerns, unless the monthly payments are co-shared or sponsored by a third party like an employer. After all, it is easier to spend on something that you are going to need today than on something that is pre-need.
WHY PEOPLE DO NOT CHOOSE DENTAL INSURANCE
Dental insurance, like most any other insurance plans, do not include coverage for conditions that are considered pre-existing prior to the approval. So, if you have some recurring dental problems that need paying attention to, you do not buy dental insurance because that problem will not be covered. Most insurance policies have what they call a “progressive scale” where existing conditions will be covered after a certain period of “waiting time,” and the scope of coverage will be good for only a portion of it, e.g., 10% on the first year, 25% on the second, and so on.
You want to have your teeth whitened by a dentist? You want to straighten up your teeth? These will not be covered by a dental insurance policy as these are considered cosmetic in nature. Different insurance firms have different plan benefits but basically, the above provisions are common to most. Now, do you still wonder why the American Dental Association reports this distressing percentage of people without dental insurance?
HOW DOES AN INSURANCE COMPANY PAYS FOR YOUR DENTAL NEEDS?
Dental insurance companies have different mode of determining the amount to be covered for each dental procedure but they are mostly based on:
a. “UCR” or “Usual, Customary, and Reasonable” dental insurance plans
b. “Table of Allowances” dental insurance plans
With UCR, dental insurance companies have their own proprietary fees for each dental procedure in which these prices are considered the “Usual, Customary, and Reasonable” fees usually charged by a dentist. It’s either they base their coverage on this UCR, or they base it on the dentist’s bill, whichever is lower. More often than not, the patient shoulders an excess amount to complete the bill payment to the dentist.
With “Table of Allowances” scheme, the dental insurance company refers to a list of dental procedures and their corresponding fees that the insurance company will shoulder. Usually, these assigned fees for each dental procedure is lower than what a regular dentist will charge. Like the UCR, the patient would always pay the remaining balance.
It would not be difficult to say that all the above policies are always to the advantage of the insurance company as the UCR rates and “Table of Allowances” are unrealistically low compared to existing or prevailing professional rates charged by most dentists.
DISCOUNT DENTAL PLANS TO THE RESCUE
Discount dental plans are amazingly easy both on the pocket and in terms of actually availing of one. You need not worry about pre-existing dental conditions, no long waiting time for these before they could be covered, and no exceptions on cosmetic dental procedures. You wish to wrap your teeth with those shiny metallic braces, you wish to have a root canal procedure, or you simply wish to have your regular dental check-up? Discount dental plan is your best option. These dental plans have no problems with the cosmetic side of dental treatment. And since this is not insurance, you would have no problem about previous dental procedures you have had with other dentists.
Discount dental plans work by having you pay a regular monthly or annual fee (which is as very reasonably low as less than 60 U.S. dollars per year. With this small fee, you can avail of as much as 60% on dental fees for most routine and major dental procedures such as braces, crowns, extractions, root canal, and even dentures. What’s more, you can avail of these benefits within three days from the time you signed up for membership.
You can save a lot of money while saving your teeth with a good discount dental plan.