Dental expenses can mount quickly, so it truly pays to be covered.
Regular dental check-ups and cleanings help keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Visiting a dentist regularly can help lead to early detection of serious diseases.
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The first challenge consumers face when shopping for dental coverage is the collection of unfamiliar terms cropping up across the plan comparisons and benefit descriptions. One of those phrases is “individual dental insurance.” In this article, we’ll cover:
By the end of this article, you should have the background you need to recognize quality dental coverage at a competitive price.
“Individual dental insurance” refers to dental insurance purchased by a single person to cover him or herself. The fact that the insurance is purchased by a private person (in other words, a normal consumer) and not a company is the reason why individual dental insurance is also called private dental insurance.
Within the insurance industry, individual dental insurance is distinguished from group dental plans purchased by employers, unions, or other organizations.
Fundamentally, the difference between individual and employer dental insurance is that the employer-variety of dental coverage is most likely a group plan, i.e., a policy that covers multiple employees while the individual plan covers only a sole enrollee. Group plans have the advantage of scale to obtain more favorable premiums than is the case for single enrollees within the individual dental plan market. Insurers also like groups because they are likely to be more predictable with respect to annual claims (in other words, there is less fluctuation expected between predicted dental claim expenses and the actual claims).
Another important difference between individual and employer dental insurance is that the enrollee pays the full premium for individual dental insurance, while an employer may subsidize a portion of the premiums for its employees enrolled in employer dental insurance. A subsidized dental plan lowers the premiums for the workers who choose to enroll.
There is no standardization of benefits among dental insurance plans. In other words, the dental procedures covered by insurance in one dental plan may be different than the dental procedures covered in another plan. This situation makes shopping more work, unfortunately. With that said, there are many dental plans on the market that cover services such as:
Benefits often missing in individual dental insurance include:
Some dental plans may also place a temporary waiting period delaying when a dental procedure is covered. This is usually reserved for expensive procedures such as crowns or implants. During a waiting period, an insurance company will not pay for a specific period. Waiting periods commonly range from 3 months to 18 months. The waiting period begins when the insurance becomes effective. When the waiting period expires, insurance will pay its contribution toward the cost of the dental procedure.
When comparing dental plans available in your area, here are a few questions a consumer should ask of each plan you are considering:
For more detailed information on shopping for a dental plan, you can review our article Dental Insurance 101.
Dental insurance is typically much less expensive than medical insurance. With respect to deductibles, the typical amount ranges from $50 to $100 according to Consumer Reports. Premiums (the monthly fee you pay for coverage) varies considerably, but there are many plans available for less than $50 a month for individual coverage. You can review the cost of plans in your area using our free dental premium comparison.