Dental Insurance
- Thread starter Zee09
- Start date
Not really. The best I can hope for on a normal years care is maybe $40.00 benefit from a $320.00 plan. Of course if there was some type of emergency repair needed it might pay more.
This is for a plan that I purchase through my dentists office outright, not affiliated with a Medicare type C plan. Friend of mine has one of them, but she prefers EXTRACTIONS now, since that's covered.
I haven't had an extraction in 50 years!
This is for a plan that I purchase through my dentists office outright, not affiliated with a Medicare type C plan. Friend of mine has one of them, but she prefers EXTRACTIONS now, since that's covered.
I haven't had an extraction in 50 years!
Zee09
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That was actually the one i was looking at- they have several plans.
I have Delta Dental, too. My dentist accepts it but he's not in network so I have to pay a little extra for work beyond routine cleanings. Luckily, that's about all I needed except for my gold crown. If you need a crown, it's going to be expensive whether or not your dentist is in-network.
Delta Dental is the "gold standard" of course they have many plans but I never ran into a dentist that didnt take it.
Now retired I have UHC Dental as part of my Medicare plan... just as good, many dentists take it but nothing remotely close to the dentists that take Delta.
But I like UHC Dental because I get it for free as part of my plan ... .
)
Now retired I have UHC Dental as part of my Medicare plan... just as good, many dentists take it but nothing remotely close to the dentists that take Delta.
But I like UHC Dental because I get it for free as part of my plan ... .
)
JTK
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I wouldn't bother with it unless it's an employer sponsored plan. The Aetna dental through my employer is quite good for the ~$40/mo I put into it for my family of 6. The key is using a dentist/dental group that is on their list of their preferred providers. You get the max benefit that way.
I'm not sure exactly what plan it is but it's like $1,500 max for the year and 50% on major work. So probably their lowest tier, with it being so cheap. There's another tier up from mine that's like $50-60/mo where it has a slightly high max cap and is like 60% towards major work.
Amen. I had a crown done a few years ago and it was still like $600 OOP after insurance. qqqqq
Delta Dental is likely your best bet. But the reality is that dental insurance (unless you know you need some extensive procedures) is just not that great.
For a long time I opted out of traditional insurance and instead went with dental discount plan. I believe it was through Humana. I paid $50/yr and that was it. If I needed some kind of procedure I simply paid the pre-negotiated rate (typically 50% of book cost) and went on my way. If all you plan on using it for is "standard" dental care then this will likely be the cheaper option for you long-term.
For a long time I opted out of traditional insurance and instead went with dental discount plan. I believe it was through Humana. I paid $50/yr and that was it. If I needed some kind of procedure I simply paid the pre-negotiated rate (typically 50% of book cost) and went on my way. If all you plan on using it for is "standard" dental care then this will likely be the cheaper option for you long-term.
Zee09
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50% off is great unless the cap is $1000... Ya know?
Just self-insure. Dental bills are pretty tame compared to medical where a major surgery with hospital stay could be 6 figures. I can't imagine most dental procedures exceeding a few thou.
Zee09
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Atikovi.
I am not made of money like @AutoMechanic. Lol
Yeah I have been self insuring forever but a basic plan that offers 50% off with no caps would be worth it. Unless they give you the bottom feeder dentists many plans network you with...
In the long run, I think you'll save the most money by going with a good dentist who doesn't push unnecessary procedures on you. I've heard that Aspen Dental is bad that way. I travel well out of my way to stay with my dentist. They have many patients but it's a real family attitude. Everyone there has been there for years and they are all very nice.
Zee09
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Agreed.. I had the same one since the late 70's..group that is.
Plus some do really bad work.
I had dental insurance once for 3 months.
The reason only for 3 months is because I did a cleaning and it covers nothing.
My out of pocket paying directly is going to be less than the insurance premium plus payment to the dentist with insurance.
So I cancelled it.
Plus they are very strict on the 6 months interval so you can not have next schedule like 1 day before 6 months since the last cleaning.
The reason only for 3 months is because I did a cleaning and it covers nothing.
My out of pocket paying directly is going to be less than the insurance premium plus payment to the dentist with insurance.
So I cancelled it.
Plus they are very strict on the 6 months interval so you can not have next schedule like 1 day before 6 months since the last cleaning.
OMG! Went to our local Aspen dental, first time in my life 6 months ago! NEVER again! It was SCARY! I never went back well, I did go back to have a cavity filled but the dentist there did not agree with the dentist that told me I had a cavity! Showed me the X-rays, told me how great the existing filling was and did not agree with the other dentist!
THEN, I was supposed to go back for a cleaning, but I never went, after having my teeth cleaned up to two times a year at other places (I only switched because insurance) they wanted $400 for a deep cleaning of a certain area, that would be my cost. Maybe it was $500.
So they wouldnt make the appt for a standard cleaning until the hygienist called me back, she never called me!
It really was a scary place and it wasnt that old, clock in the waiting room was broken, equipment looked poor, even some rust.
Anyway, I have already been to a real nice, new state of the art dentist practice once again and thrilled and ALL local dentists seem to hear the same stories about Aspen. But lets be fair, I am sure in some areas of this country some Aspen Dental places are nice. Aspen is HUGE but I will NEVER walk into another one.
TO backtrack, the only reason I went to Aspen at the time was I bit into a bunch of sand or grit while eating a salad at Carrabbas Italian.
and Aspin was the only one who could take me right away. I was concerned I damaged teeth, they did a ton of X-rays all ok then the above happened at the start of this thread happened.
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