Unless you get hit in the mouth and need emergency-room treatment, the cost of dental care isn’t likely covered by your health insurance plan. If you don’t have dental insurance, you’re probably shelling out more each year for regular dental cleanings, fillings and X-rays than for routine healthcare.

But putting your money where your mouth is can be costly. Until recently, buying dental insurance on your own wasn’t cost-effective, and many insurers didn’t offer plans directly to individuals or families.

Now, a growing number of insurers are offering “family dental-plan insurance” while other companies are offering “dental-discount plans.” There are big differences between the two:

Dental insurance:

This type functions like health insurance—except it covers your dental care based on the plan you purchase, the dentists used and whether or not you’ve met the deductible. How it works:

• You pay a monthly premium ($100, for example) depending on the type of coverage you need.

• You may be limited to a network of doctors if you choose a dental HMO (health maintenance organization). A PPO (preferred provider organization) lets you go out of network for care but reimburses you less.

• You will need to meet an out-of-pocket annual deductible on a PPO before a percentage of your out-of-pocket cost is covered.

• You may find that coverage of specific treatments is capped or that there’s a maximum total payout for the year.

• You may not be covered by a policy for pre-existing conditions at the time you sign up.

Dental-discount plans:

• You pay a comparatively low monthly fee ($10, for example).

• You must use only the dentists in the plan’s network who provides a 10% to 60% discount on procedures depending on whether you sign up for an individual or family plan.

• You won’t have to meet a deductible or face a maximum limit on benefits you receive annually.

• Your pre-existing conditions, such as gum disease, in most plans are covered.

Important: Dental-discount plans are not regulated by state insurance departments. This simply means that plans aren’t insurers and that you should carefully research them before enrolling.

Want to Know More?

• Should You Buy Dental Insurance?
• How to Buy Dental Insurance
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