Dental Care Discount Plan - Is It Worth It?
Discount Dental Plans
By: Kevin Stith
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Dental Care Discount Plans
However, for the discount program to be activated, the
patients need to approach a dentist who is a member of a network of dentists
providing discounts on their services.
Comparing Dental Plans
Most dental plans make it very easy to receive regular
preventative care. They do this by not requiring the patient to pay anything out
of pocket for certain specific services, such as annual examinations, bi-annual
cleanings, x-rays, and sealant treatments for children under the age of 18
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According to the National Association of Dental
Plans (NADP), based in Dallas, about 89% of
large employers offer some type of dental plans
to their employees as part of their employee
benefit scheme. While one may consider it
unnecessary to go for a dental plan if there is
no history of problems, it is advisable to
secure a plan for requirements in the future.
Dental discount programs are basically
membership-based policies. In exchange for the
prescribed fee, the patients get a discount on
different dental services such as fillings,
braces, routine examinations and cleaning.
Patients are typically provided a 30% discount
off the regular charges. In some cases, it may
even be as high as 70%. However, for the
discount program to be activated, the patients
need to approach a dentist who is a member of a
network of dentists providing discounts on their
services.
Some aspects of these plans are:
a) An initial down payment towards enrollment in
the program
b) Monthly installments to the dental-discount
company
c) Discounts on cosmetic procedures that are not
normally covered by insurance plans.
These plans are quite different from dental
insurance plans, in that they do not have a
monthly deduction from the paycheck. This plan
also does not place a constraint on the holder
by limiting the patient to a dentist, as do
insurance schemes. Under a discount plan the
patient can visit a member dentist anywhere and
still avail the discount benefits. Therefore,
these plans do not come under the purview of the
state insurance department.
Due to their ease of operation and availability,
they are by far the most preferred dental
benefit options. Consequently, a lot of
companies have this as their main scheme. Like
most of the other dental plans they can be
purchased online; however, it is always wise to
approach the exchange of confidential details
with caution.
Dental Plans provides detailed information
on Dental Plans, Dental Insurance Plans,
Discount Dental Plans, Individual Dental Plans
and more. Dental Plans is affiliated with
Employee Benefit Plans.
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