Low Cost Dental Insurance Alternative - Where You Should Look

Upon closer inspection, you will also find that traditional dental insurance makes no economic sense. The fact is that for individuals and families, it is virtually impossible to come out ahead with dental insurance. This is because the insurance company must collect more money in premium than it pays out in dental benefits, or the insurance company soon goes out of business.

To ensure that you will not obtain more dollars in benefits than you pay in premium, dental insurance plans contain provisions which limit their exposure, including:

• waiting periods
• annual deductibles
• maximum allowable charges
• annual limits on benefits

In most cases, you must pay insurance premiums for a year or more before major dental services such as crowns or dentures are covered. After that, your benefits are typically limited to about $1000 to $1500 per year.

So is there something that offers cheaper, low-cost dental care?

The answer is yes, but you need to know where to look. You need to look for a low-cost dental plan (or discount dental plan).

Dental plans are not dental insurance. They work differently and they cost much less. Instead of reimbursing the dental office for work performed, a dental plan negotiates lower dental fees on behalf of its members. This is a win-win for everyone, because in return, participating dental offices obtain a steady stream of new patients, with no advertising cost or effort required.

Careington Dental Plan is one of America's oldest and largest plans. Using Careington as an example, savings typically run from 35% to 60% at a plan general dentist, and 20% off normal fees at a dental specialist. Best of all, there are no waiting periods for savings and existing dental conditions are accepted immediately.

Dental plans are also lower cost than dental insurance. But be sure to shop around, as the cost of dental plans can vary. The Careington Plan costs as little as $6.95 per month for an individual membership. Family plans run about $16 per month. Additional savings can be had by paying annually.

One drawback of dental plans is you must go to a participating plan dentist for all savings. So be sure to check the availability of participating dentists before you join any plan. This shouldn't be an issue if you live in or near a major metropolitan area. With Careington and most other plans, if you are not happy with a particular dentist, you are free to change and there is no waiting period required before going to the new dentist. You just need to make sure the new dental office is a participating plan dentist.

Everyone wants quality dental care at an affordable price. But for most people, low-cost dental insurance simply isn't a reality. However for most Americans, a good alternative is an affordable, low-cost dental plan.