Dental Insurance

[johnjohn320]

I haven't been to the dentist in a few years (I know, gross). Time to get a cleaning. I don't have any pain or anything, it's just time.

My insurance doesn't automatically include dental; for that I'd need to pay a $400 premium. Should I go that route, or just go to a dentist sans-insurance? I keep seeing signs and ads for "$39.95 dental cleaning!" which I'm sure is misleading. But how expensive, truly, is a simple check-up and cleaning? Is it worth it for me to take out the insurance dental plan?

 

[highland145]

When we had the option for dental, it was about a break even on the premiums vs what we'd have to pay without it.

 

[ShawnD1]

I haven't been to the dentist in a few years (I know, gross). Time to get a cleaning. I don't have any pain or anything, it's just time.

My insurance doesn't automatically include dental; for that I'd need to pay a $400 premium. Should I go that route, or just go to a dentist sans-insurance? I keep seeing signs and ads for "$39.95 dental cleaning!" which I'm sure is misleading. But how expensive, truly, is a simple check-up and cleaning? Is it worth it for me to take out the insurance dental plan?

$400 for dental is probably worth it.
I recently did some dental stuff so let me share how much that cost.
For a dentist to look at my teeth and do nothing, it was $120
For the cleaning, it was $270
Put filling material on the outside of 10 teeth along the gum line was $1200.
Thank god I have a real job that pays for 80% of this stuff.

It's even more fun when you get older and you need shit like dental bridges and browns. My mom's teeth cost more than a car. Each crown and each bridge is a couple thousand. My braces were about $5000.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The problem is that dental often takes 6-12 months or more before they pay for anything besides cleaning. You could ask HR to show you the dental plan * to see the waiting period.

So if you need a crown or root canal, you might have to wait a year (and pay the $400 twice) or get it now and pay 100% yourself.



* ( Lisa needs braces! )

 

[highland145]

Shawn, your Mom paid for brown teeth?😵


j/k

 

[dud]

When we had the option for dental, it was about a break even on the premiums vs what we'd have to pay without it.

This or worse. Some premiums are so high that unless you have multiple issues like root canals, etc. you would have been better paying out-of-pocket.

Consider a discount dental plan. This is not insurance but for a yearly fee ($150 or so) you receive a discount at participating dentists. Try dentalplans.com.

 

[nickbits]

check the fine print of the plan (max pay out per year and whatnot).

The dental option I had was like $40 a month but the most they would pay out was $1000/year. Seemed like a ripoff to me. I signed up for my dentist's discount plan which was $80/year and includes 2 cleanings and 1 set of xrays. Any other work is at a discounted price.

 

[DaveSimmons]

This or worse. Some premiums are so high that unless you have multiple issues like root canals, etc. you would have been better paying out-of-pocket.

Consider a discount dental plan. This is not insurance but for a yearly fee ($150 or so) you receive a discount at participating dentists. Try dentalplans.com.

Maybe -- IMHO it's much more important to find a good dentist that you're happy with than to find one that belongs to the discount plan (many good ones do not).

Start by asking friends and co-workers if they have a dentist they are happy with. Once you've picked a dentist you can ask the office staff if they belong to any plans.

It doesn't matter so much for a cleaning, but if you do need fillings or worse then you want a dentist that will do the work without pain, who will explain what they're doing clearly, and will take the best care of your teeth. My old dentist was more interested in selling cosmetic work than in keeping the teeth healthy.

 

[lokiju]

This or worse. Some premiums are so high that unless you have multiple issues like root canals, etc. you would have been better paying out-of-pocket.

Consider a discount dental plan. This is not insurance but for a yearly fee ($150 or so) you receive a discount at participating dentists. Try dentalplans.com.

Came in here to say this.

I work for a big company that actually has pretty awesome and affordable dental (a 1st for me, job wise) but for my parents they just do one of those dental discount plans dud mentioned.