4 Tips to Save the Most Money

1.  Preventive care

Make sure you’re taking advantage of regular periodic preventive checkups based on your dentist’s recommendation. Those diagnostic procedures, cleanings and scalings, etc., will prevent small problems from developing into bigger, more expensive and harder to treat problems later.

2. Compare Plans Carefully

The monthly premium shouldn’t be your only consideration. There are many parts of a plan (covered in more detail in this Buyer’s Guide) that determine its affordability including yearly maximums, deductibles and various forms of out-of-pocket expenses like copays and co-insurance. Before your make a final decision, go through every aspect of your choices, keeping in mind your unique needs, and get a sense of how much each plan might cost you over a three-year period. DentalInsuranceStore.com publishes the cost for most covered procedures. Click on the plan details link found in each plan’s quote.

3.  Look for a plan with a network

You’ll pay less. Dental insurance companies work very hard to put together networks of dentists who agree to care for you for a negotiated rate. The purpose of these networks is to save you money. A dental health maintenance organization or a preferred provider organization plan may be able to save you as much as 50% on more expensive care.

4.  Discount plans and dental insurance can work at the same time

Even if you already have dental insurance, the discounts offered by discount dental plans may be used along with your dental insurance for even more savings on your dental care. Consult with your dentist about which dental discount plans they participate in and contact your current insurance company before beginning treatment to verify if you can use a discount plan and your current insurance simultaneously.