Dental Insurance

[llmcdaniel]

I have Medicare plus secondary, neither of which has dental insurance. I’ve checked online for insurances vs dental discount plans, all of which are very confusing. What have you folks purchased that works well, AND what local dentist do you recommend? Thank you for your suggestions.😁

[Blueblaze]

We switched to United AARP Advantage when we moved here, because we thought we liked the Villages Healthcare system at the time, and that seemed to be the only insurance they accepted. It includes dental for checkups and cleaning, but when I tried to find a dentist in-network, there was only one, "Smile Design". It took three months to get an appointment, and then all they did was xrays -- they expected me to wait another month for the cleaning. And then they charged $20 for that dumb "panoramic" xray because United refused to pay for it.

So I checked again to see if there was another option, and now "Smile Design" doesn't even show up in-network.

I used to not care about dental insurance but just getting xrays and a cleaning these days is getting to be more than the cost of an insurance policy.

Village Healthcare turned out to be no great shakes, so we'll probably go back to Humana Advantage next year. Practically everyone except Villages takes Humana, and there are lots of dentists in their network.

[Babubhat]

Go to dentalplans.com. For about 100 bucks a year you get heavily discounted rates which pays for itself in a visit. A list of participating dentists and the rates they charge are on the website. Very satisfied. Looks for promo codes. You can usually get a few months free or percentage off

[davem4616]

like you, never had to worry about it in the past, as it was included

we had been using Mutual of Omaha until the dentist sold his practice and the new guy doesn't take it....right now it's cheaper for me to just reach into my pocket than pick up dental insurance...but that may change

when this health policy is up I'll shop around

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Most "dental insurance" isn't really insurance. It's discount plans with a couple of things thrown in for free. This is actually good, because the premiums would be pretty high if it was "actual" insurance. Since teeth aren't "medically necessary," any dental surgery would technically be cosmetic, unless to correct a deformity or repair an injury to the jaw/face. In that case, normal health insurance takes over.

You can find a number of plans with Delta Dental, that cover basic yearly or twice-yearly cleanings, a full set of xray every couple of years, yearly bite-wings, and then discounts for everything else.

Monthly fee for these Delta plans depends on your income. Through the ACA Marketplace you can find one for under $10/month that doesn't give the best discounts, but if you already wear dentures, or have excellent teeth, it's a good deal. If you have work needed, higher-premium plans cover more, and offer deeper discounts.

[Michael G.]

I had a sister-in-law that had some expensive dental work coming up.
She signed up for dental insurance through her supplement insurance co. had the work done.
The insurance paid and shortly after, she canceled.

[PugMom]

Most "dental insurance" isn't really insurance. It's discount plans with a couple of things thrown in for free. This is actually good, because the premiums would be pretty high if it was "actual" insurance. Since teeth aren't "medically necessary," any dental surgery would technically be cosmetic, unless to correct a deformity or repair an injury to the jaw/face. In that case, normal health insurance takes over.

You can find a number of plans with Delta Dental, that cover basic yearly or twice-yearly cleanings, a full set of xray every couple of years, yearly bite-wings, and then discounts for everything else.

Monthly fee for these Delta plans depends on your income. Through the ACA Marketplace you can find one for under $10/month that doesn't give the best discounts, but if you already wear dentures, or have excellent teeth, it's a good deal. If you have work needed, higher-premium plans cover more, and offer deeper discounts.

i agree with your comment on how dental insurance isn't really insurance. it MAY cover cleaning, xrays or extractions to a certain percentage, but any real work is mostly out of pocket. as far as i know it doesnt cover implants @ all.

[Neils]

Work with dentist office. If no ins, most will give you the insurance discounted price if you offer to pay cash in full at time of service.
Actually better for them to get paid right away with no ins company hassle. .

[jdulej]

I had a sister-in-law that had some expensive dental work coming up.
She signed up for dental insurance through her supplement insurance co. had the work done.
The insurance paid and shortly after, she canceled.

Which is why most dental ins. is so bad.

[Babubhat]

Your dental insurance premiums will be close to the amount of benefit. You want a dental discount plan , Not insurance

Plans - WebMD Dental Savings Plans (https://dentalsavings.webmd.com/plans/?postalCode=32163)