I have to select a dental plan for work by Friday, and I’m not sure what would serve me best. Our human resources director told me that none of the plans are terribly great, and since I am new to the area, I don’t know anything about the reputations of dentists around here (or even doctors, for that matter). I’m wondering if I should go ahead and randomly pick a plan, or just pay out of pocket for two annual cleanings. That way, if I find someone I like, I can just go to them and not worry about them accepting the insurance.
I am really good about taking care of my teeth; I brush twice daily, floss, and use Listerine. I’ve only had the most minor cavities ever (they were essentially “buffed” out of my teeth with no need for anaesthetics), I’ve had all my wisdom teeth out, and I had braces as a teenager. Since I don’t expect to have any major problems, it may end up being cheaper for me to not take any of the insurance policies and just pay for the cleanings as I need them. How much does a typical dental visit cost, for a routine checkup? I was on my parents’ insurance for most of my life, so I don’t have any real dollar figures to compare against the monthly costs of the insurance. I’m all about good oral hygiene and saving money, so please advise me accordingly!
One final thought: would dental plans ever cover teeth whitening procedures, like they have shown on TV shows like Queer Eye For the Straight Guy? I’d love to get that done, but I have a feeling insurance won’t cover such a “cosmetic” procedure anyway.
Most dental plans cover cleanings and exams completely, cavity filling (some or all of the cost, depending on your plan). Most plans cover some of the cost of other necessary dental work like crowns or root canals, but not all of it, and in many cases, not even most of it. I’ve never heard of a dental plan that will cover whitening or other cosmetic dentistry (including braces, though often those aren’t just cosmetic).
Find out the details of the dental plans available to you, and how the cost compares to the cost of just paying for dental treatment. If they basically only cover cleaning and fillings, you might not need it. If it covers more, I would recommend getting it simply because you never know if you might have to use it.
Anecdote: My roommate does not have dental insurance, and hadn’t been to the dentist in several years until very recently (poor student, out of work for awhile, etc). She found out she has eight cavities, and has to pay for them all out of pocket, whereas if she was able to get insurance, probably would have to pay for little or even nothing to fix them.
I didn’t go to the dentist for about as long as her, and had one cavitiy, and living with her I can see that our dental hygiene is about at the same level. You just never know, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Dental insurance won’t cover cosmetic procedures.
Routine check-ups cost around $75-$100 I think, and I think x-rays cost more.
Iif you’re sure you won’t be needing any root canals or anything like that, I’d say compare the $200 or so you’d pay for cleanings to whatever the cost of the plan is, then make your decision.
Many dental polices seem to work against the traditional notion of insurance, which covers unexpected expenses by spreading the risk among a broad group of people. Scheduled annual or semiannual exams are, clearly, not unexpected.
If I were designing a dental program, I’d have it not cover routine maintenance, but cover root canals, crowns, etc. with only a small copayment. This allows you to budget for the routine work, but protects you from the big ticket items.
The argument can be made that, if they have to pay for it, people won’t have routine exams until something bad DOES happen. I don’t know if this is a valid argument…
I’m voting for buying the best plan they’ve got. The deduction from your paycheck may sting for a few weeks but after a while you won’t miss it.
You just don’t know what’s going to happen. You may have several teeth knocked out in some horrible car accident (God forbid). You may get an abcess on your gum someday (even people with good dental habits get them). If your employer offers a policy that would cover stuff like that, go for it.
Most people don’t have savings in the bank that will cover something major. I’d hate to see you need a large amount of dental work done in an emergency, end up getting a Care Credit card and end up over your head in debt. Care Credit is great — but for catastrophic stuff that you’re totally unprepared for, the interest and fees could eat you alive.
Best to just play it safe, IMHO. You can’t have too much insurance.
It also depends on how much you have to pay for it and how much your employer pays. If your portion if $12 per month, then you’re better off taking the insurance even if all your expected usage is two cleanings a year. If your employer pays nothing and the total premium is $35 per month, then you would lose money unless you have a couple of cavities or other work to be done.
While this is my philosophy as well, most dental insurance plans have annual maximums in place to limit the amount of benefits they will pay. The standard maximum is usually $1,000 - $1,500 per year. It is unusual to find a dental plan that will pay more than that in benefits on an annual basis. This won’t go very far if you have to have a root canal, crown or other major service.
As others have suggested, I’d find out how much your employer subsidizes towards the plan and what your premiums would be on an annual basis. If the premiums are less than the cost of two cleanings and the plan covers cleanings, it may be in your best interest to take the insurance. You never know what dental problems may arise down the road, it’s always better to have some insurance than none at all – especially if the premiums are less than the cost of expected dental expenses.
That would wind up costing the plan more. It is a lot cheaper to fix a small cavity early than to have to remove and replace a tooth. Medical coverage handles checkups for this very reason.
For the OP: How much does your company put in for dental insurance? If you don’t take any, do you get that money? You might be leaving money on the table by not taking it. I agree with Abbie - you never know. I just broke a tooth, and I’m glad I’ve got coverage, since my teeth are miserable.
My dental insurance is pretty cheap, but I can’t think of the exact amt. I pay nothing for cleanings and xrays, and they cover about 70% of any procedures I need. I had my top wisdoms out last summer and paid about $150 or so.
I’d opt for the insurance, even if only for the bi-annual cleanings. Plus, if you have it, you will go for sure, whereas if you don’t, you’ll put it off.
Well, that’s how I am anyway. (Just had teeth cleaned yesterday )
I can’t emphasize this enough. Check the MAXIMUM and do the math. I paid for two years for dental insurance (Delta Dental) before I bothered to do this. It turned out
My premiums = $600.00/year
My maximum benefit = $1000.00/year
What that means is that the MOST i could possibly benefit from this plan was $400.00 a year and only in the unlikely event my dental bills went over the $600.00 I spent in premiums.
And that event was unlikely, since I usually end up with only 1 routine visit a year (I’m bad) and the last time I had cavities was about 20 years ago. So I was blowing about $500 a year just on the maybe 1 in 10 or 1 in 20 chance that I’d save $400.00.
Even if I’d had a dental catastrophe and had been hit with a monster dental bill, all this plan would have saved me was $400.00. Absurd.
I’m sitting here right now with a temporary cap on one of my molars (the permanent cap will be ready on Saturday.)
I broke the tooth while eating a bowl of chili. How? Why then? No idea.
My ordinary, run of the mill dental plan covers 50% of the cost of a cap. In my case, that means I’ll save about $300. Plus, I’ll have my teeth cleaned at the same time, which my insurance covers completely.
Maybe you’ll stay lucky, particularly if you’re young. Maybe you’ll need a root canal.
It depends on what kind of risk assessment you want to do.
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