Dental plans

Dental Plans
Dental Insurance in the United States is insurance designed to pay the costs associated with dental care. Dental insurance pays a portion of the bills from dentists, and other providers of dental services. By doing so, dental insurance protects people from financial hardship caused by unexpected dental expenses.
The most recent data (2006) from the National Association of Dental Plans shows that 57% of the population in the United States has dental benefit coverage. Some 96% of those who do have dental coverage get it through their employer, most often as a policy separate from their health insurance plan. Depending upon the type of medical coverage you have, it may be a good idea to have a compatible program to eliminate any gaps or overlap within the two plans. That may save money while allowing you to take advantage of receiving necessary preventive care.
Not all dentists are pleased about participating in any type of dental plan. It means more work for them (and especially more paperwork), and less pay. It is also important to have adequate coverage for your situation, so you can access the features you need and are not paying for something you will not use. Most group dental insurance plans do not have restrictions, such as pre-existing conditions but do have annual maximum payments.
The most common types of dental insurance plans are either Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO). Both types are considered managed care, and each dental insurance plan has benefits and disadvantages.
Dentists participating in the PPO plans have negotiated their fees with the administering company, and provide their services under the plan, but this usually does not cover all fees. Dental plans usually have small deductibles to consider about $50 and DPPOs and traditional indemnity plans usually pay a percentage of the charges, leaving the patient with a co-pay. DHMOs usually state their co-payments as a fixed dollar amount per procedure.
If your employer is paying the monthly premiums for the dental insurance plan and the dentist you use is part of the PPO, this might be an attractive option.
A Dental Health Maintenance Organization is another dental insurance plan option, based on the model of medical HMOs. Here, too, the patient is enrolled in a program, and can visit any dentist in that program. However, dentists may end up having to provide services at 'below cost' rates, and not be able to spend as much time with each person as a PPO could offer. Working in an HMO setting, the dentist has many more people to see and is compelled to function in an environment where volume matters. Although a patient will be seen and treated, the relationship with the dentist may not developed if there is a lack of time. If you want to be seen by a dentist who takes time with his or her patients, this may not be your optimum dental insurance plan.