Is dental insurance better than a dental plan?

Just like any other insurance, dental care insurance is also vital. There is no doubt that keeping your teeth healthy and visiting your dentist for regular check-ups can be expensive. Therefore, having a dental plan or insurance is a must.

But how to choose between the two? There are a lot of options for dental plans as well as for insurance that you can go for. Insurance and plan terms are used to reduce your oral care costs; their coverage and benefits vary.

Selecting an appropriate dental care plan or insurance is difficult because you have to care for many things. In addition, you must look for an appropriate coverage plan that does not force you to break the bank. 

To help you select the ideal dental plan or insurance, we have discussed a few critical things you must keep in mind while opting for either.

Difference between dental plan and insurance

The main difference between the both is as under: 

With dental insurance, you have to pay a set fee or amount every month. In addition, every time you go for your dentist appointment, the insurance company pays your treatment fee either fully or partially. 

With a dental plan, you have to pay a sign-up fee, and then you will be provided with a discounted price or rate each time you visit your dentist for treatment. 

What is covered under the dental plan and insurance?

There are many things that patients often get treated for when it comes to dentistry, and here are the things that are covered under dental insurance and plan: 

Dental care plans and insurances cover several things, including multiple oral procedures, for example,  extractions, fillings, crowns, dentures, implants, bridges, etc.

Dental plans and insurance coverage differ depending on your type of insurance. The dental insurance and plan are meant to cover the risk and the procedure’s cost accordingly.

Different types of dental insurance and plans

Below given are some of the most common types of dental insurance and plan you can go for: 

• PPO (Preferred provider organization): In the PPO plan, you get a network of dentists who agree to provide you with various oral care services under a particular fee. The plan’s services depend on each dentist. In addition, PPO allows you to see a dentist out of the plan, but you have to pay extra for that. 
• DHMO (Dental Health Maintenance Organization): DHMO plans are the same as HMO. In this network, dentists are given a particular set of fees each month to offer you various oral care services whether you go to your dentist or not. 
• Medicaid Dental Plan: For qualified Medicaid members, dental care is a covered service. Benefits include check-ups, x-rays, and cleanings every six months, tooth fillings, root canals, dentures, partial dentures, Space maintainers for children with missing teeth, crowns, etc.
• Referral or Discounted Plans: In this plan, the company selling the oral care plan creates a referral contract with multiple dentists and convinces them to provide the services at a discounted rate. You will receive a discount for various services, including any oral procedure or cosmetic surgery. 

These are some of the primary insurance plans you can buy to easily cover the cost of your treatment. Though, the debate about whether the plan or insurance is better still needs to be answered because it depends on your preference. However, we hope reading the above differentiation will give you a better idea about dental plans and insurance.