If you never go to a dentist, you don’t need a dental plan! However, if you do go to a dentist, a dental plan could save you money. The same can be said for vision plans. A number of the dental insurance companies offer combined dental/vision plans. The cost of the vision plan add on usually is less than a stand-alone vision plan. However standalone plans are not expensive.Dental services are categorized as preventive, basic and major. Preventive services are cleanings, x-rays and an exam by the dentist. Basic services are simple extractions or fillings. Major services consist of root canals, dentures, etc.

There are two types of dental plans, traditional and fixed indemnity. Traditional plans usually have a small deductible for all but preventive services and they usually pay 100% of the cost of preventive services. Depending on the plan, the traditional plan 50% to 80% of basic and major services after the deductible is met. Traditional plans have maximums that they will pay out in a year. This can vary from $750 to $10,000, depending on the plan.

Fixed indemnity plans pay a fixed amount for each service. Preventive services may not be covered 100%. There are fixed indemnity plans available that do not have a payout maximum

DON’T WAIT until you need a plan before you get one. Almost all plans, traditional or fixed indemnity have wait periods. The wait period is the time that must pass before you can get basic or major service benefits.

In most cases, the wait for major services is a year. There are some plans with a lower waiting period for major services, but not short enough if you need it now. Some plans have no wait period for basic services. Some have wait periods as high as six months.

Dental plans have networks of dentists. There are several competing networks. Part of the process of acquiring dental insurance is to confirm that your dentist is in network or that there are dentists that are in network that are acceptable to you.