Where is the Best Place to Find Dental Insurance? Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. Dental appointments should be part of your normal routine and attended regularly, not just when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Whether you're looking for a hygiene checkup or cosmetic concerns like tooth whitening, visiting your dentist regularly can keep you happy, healthy, and smiling with all those pearly whites.
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Rather than being a traditional insurance broker or policy provider, 1 Dental offers what it calls a "Dental Discount Plan." This plan is for those who pay for membership with 1 Dental, and it offers savings on your dental care. Unlike some traditional insurance plans, you can start using 1 Dental immediately. In business since 1997, 1 Dental stands out as a reliable choice that offers an alternative to traditional insurance.
Get a suggested plan after a short questionnaire
To begin looking for plans in your area, you just need to submit your zip code on the main page of the website. 1 Dental will ask you a few questions, including why you are looking for a dental plan, what kind of dental work you may need, and whether you've been referred to (or currently need) a specialist. The company only offers its own membership-style coverage, but the discounts visible are highly promising if saving on your monthly premium is your goal.
No database, just three plans
There isn't a database at 1 Dental. Instead, you'll have to trust the price the company suggests to you. We were offered a "bundle" plan underwritten by both Dental Access through Aetna and the 500 Series Careington. If you want to see the plans separately, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the site and click the "plans" dropdown, so you can see costs for the individual plans. According to the plan details, the plan handled by Dental Access is best for those looking for specialist work. If you aren't planning to use orthodontics or get extractions in the near future, you can stick with the 500 Series Careington which is ideal for general care needs. And, of course, you can bundle them, if you want both.
Prices from $16.95 to $24.95 per month
For our price check, we created an individual as a "test" customer who is 34 years old, in need of preventative care as well as potential use of orthodontics, living in Central Florida. For our test customer, we were quoted $24.95 per month by 1 Dental for a single individual's coverage (as a combo pack of the two coverage types). If you want to add a member, the listed cost is an additional $6 per month. If you want to get just Dental Access or just 500 Series Careington, the cost for each individual plan is $16.95. According to the cost breakdown on 1 Dental, our plan would save us $1,295 on braces, $60 on a general exam, and $101 on a cleaning. However, none of these included 100% coverage for any aspect of our dental care.
Refunds within 30 days
1 Dental lets you use their plans for 30 days to test out the coverage. If you don't love your savings or the process of using 1 Dental, you can get a 100% refund for your plan. If there is a setup fee (which isn't charged for all packages), you won't be refunded for that, but the rest of your monthly cost will be returned to you.
Free vision included
On top of dental, you can also get savings on vision care through 1 Dental. The vision plan comes bundled automatically with the dental plans and offers 20-40% off eyewear, 15% off contacts, a free LASIK exam, and savings on LASIK surgery too. You can use your same member ID number at your dentist and eye doctor.
Top marks for great savings
1 Dental has an impressive reputation with the Better Business Bureau. It currently holds an "A+" BBB rating and accreditation. Customers offer high praise for this service; one third-party review site showed a solid 4.6-star average out of 5 for 1 Dental with particular praise for the outstanding customer service at this provider. Subscribers claimed to have gotten 50% off their total dental costs for a year, and they loved the convenience and flexibility (rather than the renewal fees and difficulties found at more traditional insurance providers).
Great savings with zero long-term commitment
If you want something that stands out from traditional insurance, but still covers a large amount of your dental costs, 1 Dental is a great provider to check out. While it doesn't cover any aspect of dental completely (as in $0 for check-ups), the overall costs are reduced across every aspect of dental coverage - including orthodontics. Plus, with free vision savings as well, 1 Dental offers a one-stop shop for several aspects of your health and wellness. These factors, as well as the competitive costs per month, earn 1 Dental a very high rating in our review.
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Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. Dental appointments should be part of your normal routine and attended regularly, not just when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Whether you're looking for a hygiene checkup or cosmetic concerns like tooth whitening, visiting your dentist regularly can keep you happy, healthy, and smiling with all those pearly whites.
However, as with many medical and preventative care appointments, the cost of dental work can get pretty high. A recent study shows that the national average cost for a standard visit (dental exam, cleaning, and x-rays) is around $203 per visit. If you're not one of the lucky folks who get dental with their job benefits, grabbing your own dental insurance is a sure way to make sure you save money and keep your teeth healthy at the same time.
If you need other procedures like fillings, crowns, or root canals, your total cost at the dentist could be thousands of dollars (crowns can cost up to $1,800 per tooth). While you can't do much about the cost of the dentists themselves, there are some resources to help you find affordable dental insurance to keep costs down.
A recent study compared different monthly costs (including preventative visits) and found that those with insurance paid $800 less per year than those without. Plus, if you get insurance, many of the basics are free of charge, making it less likely that you will need more complicated or expensive trips to the dentist in the future.
Now, when you decide to grab dental insurance, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. Like health insurance, your dental insurance company will have a network of accepted providers. If you have a dentist you really love, you'll want to make sure you grab insurance that is taken by your current dentist. In-network insurance policies will usually cover 100% of preventative dental care, up to 80% of basic procedures (fillings, root canals, and extractions), and up to 50% of major procedures like crowns, implants, and treatment for gum disease. Keep in mind many plans do not include orthodontics (such as braces), but most insurers or brokers offer at least one plan that does include specialist care.
In general, you can find a few types of dental plans. First is the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). This is the common "network" approach where dentists join a PPO network and set up their fee schedule with the insurance provider. You can go out of network with PPO plans, but you may have higher out-of-pocket fees. The other main option is the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans which have a more restricted network requirement. For HMO (sometimes called DHMO in dental insurance), you are not able to go out of network and still use your insurance benefits.
If you're ready to support your dental health and enjoy the security of covered preventative care, but don't know which dental insurance service to choose, we've put together some factors to help you decide:
To help you find the best dental insurance for your sparkling smile, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the top providers and brokers out there today. Whether you prefer total coverage for dental and orthodontics or a simpler option that focuses on preventative care, there's a dental insurance plan out there waiting for you. This way, you can enjoy your pearly whites and save some money in the process!
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Why Has Dental Insurance Become So Popular?
A person's smile often is the first thing others notice about them. A beautiful set of pearly whites can make or break that first impression.
Keeping our teeth, gums and mouth healthy goes a long way in improving our appearance. As we age, our teeth develop numerous issues which should be monitored and treated by a dental professional. But let's face it - dental procedures can be expensive. Even a routine exam and cleaning can cost over $100 in most areas. Costs can be even higher for those without dental insurance.
Recent figures indicate that 42 percent of all Americans go without dental insurance, which in turn results in a lack of regular visits to the dentist.
However, studies in recent years have linked improper dental care and health to everything from heart disease to diabetes and even cancer. A healthy mouth is the first step toward a healthy body.
Some people are lucky and have dental insurance included as part of their regular health insurance package through an employer. For those people, espousing the benefits of proper dental hygiene and care are unnecessary. They have the benefits in place and are happy to use them.
For those who are not lucky enough to have dental insurance through an employer, the benefits of purchasing your own plan through an insurance broker or directly from a dental insurance company are numerous.
Dental insurance plans have seen an increase in popularity in recent years due to the general populations' growing knowledge about the important of proper dental hygiene. This includes a twice-annual exam and cleaning by a dental professional. A recent spate of television ads promoting dental insurance plans has helped to spur that growth, accounting for roughly a 7 percent increase in the number of people who sought out and purchased dental insurance plans.
Another reason dental insurance plans have become so popular is that they are easier to navigate than a traditional health insurance plan. Because there are only so many dental procedures a person can undergo, plans are very clear as to what they cover and how much coverage is included.
Dental insurance plans also tend to be more affordable than traditional healthcare coverage plans, and the cost remains stable from year to year, whereas healthcare insurance costs are less predictable and often skyrocket from year to year.
Employers also are taking notice of the rise in popularity in dental insurance plans and are considering them as part of a comprehensive healthcare package to help attract the best employees. Next to annual salary, benefits are the next most important factor for many individuals when considering employment. Companies which offer healthcare and dental plans are more likely to not only attract the best people for the job, but retain them from one year to the next.
If you are among the people who are not lucky enough to have dental insurance through your employee benefits package, but would like to secure your own coverage, be sure to review the best plans for your area before making a decision.
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