Recommendations needed for dental insurance for someone with no dental plan

[yankees60]

Our local dentist offers his own plan for about $365 annually that covers cleanings and exams twice a year and gives a discount on x-rays and other things. We have turned it down. So far at least, spouse and I have been going for one cleaning and exam a year, with the dentist saying after each visit that this frequency is entirely adequate for us. The cost is about $180 per person. We also refuse routine x-rays for reasons I don't want to detail here. There is nothing absolutely magic about having to go to a dentist for cleanings twice a year; that seems to be a rarely-challenged business-building rule of thumb which is overkill for some people who take excellent care of their teeth and get good checkups.

I fit into the category of "some people who take excellent care of their teeth and get good checkups". But I have chosen to get a third cleaning. I've also chosen the dentist's plan for about the amount you quoted. I pay for the third cleaning (at 15% off).

[wander]

All dental insurance sucks. 100% - no exceptions. Don't buy it.

Disagree. I have had a Delta dental plan through an employer, which paid a useful portion of the cost of crowns etc.

But if OP is looking for a stand-alone plan that will pay a substantial part of implants- no, not gonna happen. And for routine care- probably self-pay is fine.

+1. The dental insurance helps me on making sure that dental offices do not overcharge a dental routine. That's worth the price for me. I only go to (in-network when possible) dental offices that would provide details of charges including payments that they received from ins. companies. On some of the major dental works, the dental insurance pays 50% the cost which is also nice.

[wije]

All those plans are pretty much the same. Just pick one. Delta Dental is the largest. Blue Dental is the one with the best integration into your regular health insurance, provided that it is Blue Cross Blue Shield. But the other plans are just as good.

How does Blue Dental integrate with BCBS?

[quantAndHold]

My experience with individual plans is that they have a 2-3 year waiting period before they’ll pay for anything that isn’t routine, and they’re expensive enough that you’re almost always better off just private paying. After I retired, we had insurance for a couple of years, until I got to November one year, had paid like $800 in premiums, and we still hadn’t hit our deductible. In the years since then, we’ve had some significant dental bills, but we’re still ahead of where we would have been with the insurance.

The one exception to this is what someone mentioned upthread. Some dental practices, usually larger ones, will offer their own insurance, kind of like a micro-mini dental HMO. If you like the dentist and the practice, these can be helpful. Keep in mind, though, that the really expensive stuff, the endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, etc, is usually referred out to specialists, which then wouldn’t be covered.

[Tom_T]

Even when I had decent dental insurance through my employer, I'd still have to pay 50% of the cost of a crown. It's sad how little dental insurance actually covers compared to health insurance.

[tj]

Even when I had decent dental insurance through my employer, I'd still have to pay 50% of the cost of a crown. It's sad how little dental insurance actually covers compared to health insurance.

Dental insurance premiums are also s fraction of health insurance premiums. To expect dental insurance to cover the lion share of cost would require massive increase in premiums.

[yankees60]

Even when I had decent dental insurance through my employer, I'd still have to pay 50% of the cost of a crown. It's sad how little dental insurance actually covers compared to health insurance.

In both cases the insurance providers need to make money.

It's now the law that everyone has to have health insurance. Therefore the health insurance companies make lots of money on those who utilize medical far below the premiums collected.

Dental insurance is not mandatory. Therefore, a far higher percentage of those choosing to buy it will buy with the intentions of using it. Heavily using it.

[yankees60]

Even when I had decent dental insurance through my employer, I'd still have to pay 50% of the cost of a crown. It's sad how little dental insurance actually covers compared to health insurance.

Dental insurance premiums are also s fraction of health insurance premiums. To expect dental insurance to cover the lion share of cost would require massive increase in premiums.

Exactly!

[grok87]

My experience with individual plans is that they have a 2-3 year waiting period before they’ll pay for anything that isn’t routine, and they’re expensive enough that you’re almost always better off just private paying. After I retired, we had insurance for a couple of years, until I got to November one year, had paid like $800 in premiums, and we still hadn’t hit our deductible. In the years since then, we’ve had some significant dental bills, but we’re still ahead of where we would have been with the insurance.

The one exception to this is what someone mentioned upthread. Some dental practices, usually larger ones, will offer their own insurance, kind of like a micro-mini dental HMO. If you like the dentist and the practice, these can be helpful. Keep in mind, though, that the really expensive stuff, the endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, etc, is usually referred out to specialists, which then wouldn’t be covered.

thanks, very helpful!

[tj]

My experience with individual plans is that they have a 2-3 year waiting period before they’ll pay for anything that isn’t routine, and they’re expensive enough that you’re almost always better off just private paying. After I retired, we had insurance for a couple of years, until I got to November one year, had paid like $800 in premiums, and we still hadn’t hit our deductible. In the years since then, we’ve had some significant dental bills, but we’re still ahead of where we would have been with the insurance.

The one exception to this is what someone mentioned upthread. Some dental practices, usually larger ones, will offer their own insurance, kind of like a micro-mini dental HMO. If you like the dentist and the practice, these can be helpful. Keep in mind, though, that the really expensive stuff, the endodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, etc, is usually referred out to specialists, which then wouldn’t be covered.

thanks, very helpful!

12 months waiting period for major, no waiting period for everything else.

https://www.physiciansmutual.com/web/dental

[grok87]

thanks, very helpful!

12 months waiting period for major, no waiting period for everything else.

https://www.physiciansmutual.com/web/dental

thanks. i went on the website and clicked thru till i got a list of providers. to be honest it came across as a little scammy. no real local dentists that i would want to use were listed. just a long list from a large industrial town a few towns away that i would not be excited to go to.
but i will keep it in mind.
cheers,
grok

[UpperNwGuy]

All those plans are pretty much the same. Just pick one. Delta Dental is the largest. Blue Dental is the one with the best integration into your regular health insurance, provided that it is Blue Cross Blue Shield. But the other plans are just as good.

How does Blue Dental integrate with BCBS?

The dental bill goes to BCBS. BSCS pays their share (which is small), then sends the bill to Blue Dental who pays the rest. This covers routine stuff like cleanings, exams, and xrays. The patient has to pay a hefty share for fillings, crowns, and root canals.

[PoorPlumber]

I asked my dentist what dental insurance to get that was reasonably good and that he would get paid.

He told me in not so many words that they all suck.