Dental insurance is a financial plan that pays for the costs associated with oral or dental care. You should visit dentist every six months to make your dental insurance more effective as it will cost less if the problems are detected in early stages. Leaving the problem untreated can make the treatment more complex and also expensive. In this article, we will discuss the importance of dental insurance and different types of dental insurance plans.
Importance of dental insurance
Proper oral care does not mean merely brushing and flossing, it is much more than that. You need to visit dentist every six months to get your teeth checked and cleaned by him. This is more obvious for children as they tend to consume a lot of sweets and chocolates, which can cause tooth caries. Visiting the dentist regularly can help in identifying the problem and treating it in early stage.
Sometimes, dental procedures becomes costly when not done in early stages. Without dental insurance, these treatments can easily and quickly increase your expenses. People often don’t understand the importance of visiting a dentist, and this is more common with the people who do not have dental insurance. It is important to have dental insurance as it will make you visit dentist regularly and problems of your mouth are identified in initial stages.
Types of dental insurance
Following are the types of dental insurance plan :
1) Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO)
Dental Health Maintenance plan is also known as pre-paid plan and one of the best options for families. This plan requires you to choose a dentist to coordinate all your oral need. And, if there is a need for you to see a specialist, preauthorization is required for specialty care. You need not pay the dentist for his service as the payment is made in advance. But if you are visiting a dentist outside this plan, you need to pay the entire bill amount.
2) Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan
Under PPO, when you visit a dentist, you need to pay certain percentage of the treatment cost and the rest is paid by the insurance plan. The amount for payment depends on the type of coverage in insurance plan like preventive, diagnostic care or major dental procedures. For instance, 80% of the fees of preventive services are covered by the insurance plan and you have to pay 20% of the amount. While if the treatment includes crowns and bridges, 50% will be covered by insurance company.
3) Indemnity Dental Insurance Plan
If you choose Dental Indemnity Plan also called free for service, you are free to visit any dentist you wish. Sometimes preauthorization is required for certain dental procedures. This plan requires you to pay an amount (deductible). After paying the deductible, your insurance company will pay some percentage for the dental services you have undergone.
Dental insurance is important to because of the high cost of dental care. Choose a plan according to your need and affordability.