About Dental Insurance

Dental Insurance Plans

Dental insurance helps protect you from unexpected dental expenses and makes it easier to afford to keep up the regular checkups, cleanings and other preventive treatments you need to keep your mouth healthy.

Like medical insurance, dental insurance provides benefits for a specific rate or premium. Different plan designs offer various levels of coverage and different choices in which dentists you can visit.

The major differences between dental insurance plans:

• the choice of dentists
• your out-of-pocket costs
• how dental treatments are paid

Most types of insurance, like a dental PPO, DPO, DHMO or prepaid plan, rely on a network of dentists. These participating dentists agree to perform services for patients at pre-determined rates and usually will submit claims for you. You'll usually pay less when you visit a network dentist.

Most (but not all) traditional indemnity or fee-for-service insurance products do not provide a network feature, so you may have to pay for services up front, file your own claims, and wait for the insurance carrier to reimburse you. However, there are advantages such as having the freedom to visit the dentist of your choice.