Sandygirl

But they wont be able to quote the plan premium.
sandy

TexasSunshine

Thanks for all the comments. We do have a Care Credit card, DH just had extensive work done and we had 18 months to pay with no interest. I got it paid off in 6 months. I was just looking for something to save me money but it doesn't look like dental insurance will help.

sparkys_mom

My coverage at work is with Delta Dental. The premiums are pretty low but, of course, that is with an employer plan. They also don't cover a lot. It is $1500 max/year. There is an annual $50 deductible. They pay the cleanings and 50% on crowns. I just had to have a night guard made and they won't pay any of that $550.

If you have your billing records from your dentist you might want to take a look at what they "charge" compared to what the insurance company actually "pays". I see this all the time on my medical bills. The office visit might be $100 but the insurance company is only contracted to pay $60 and you are not responsible for the balance because they are contracted with the insurance company. If you have a long standing relationship with your dentist then I would approach him about giving you a discount just like he has been doing all along with the insurance company.

One other thing you can look into if you are getting ready to retire and have any sort of 401K, etc. is the possibility of a one time payment into a Health Savings Account. I don't know much about it other than you can pull money from your 401K into the HSA once, and only once, but I think it is tax free when you do that and then you would pay your dentist or whatever medical bill with the HSA. Hardly what you would call 'free' but it's something, at least.

Rose Marie

Delta is the only one I know of and did not like it.
Also Dentists will charge more if you have insurance.

MaggieLou

I have dental insurance through the company I worked for. When I retired I had the option of keeping it. It has two options. One pays just routine care and is cheaper and the other pays about 50% of any work you have done, crowns, etc. We used it for my DH dentures and they actually paid more than I thought they would. My cost is about $59/month for both of us.

MamaHen

We dropped out dental insurance because of the cost versus what they would cover. We paid over $1200 a year for it, and they would only cover a max of about $1500 with crowns at 50%. Not worth it. It is much cheaper to just pay out of pocket, our dental work cost less if we pay up front.

Stitchit123

Be very careful in your search. I've been looking for dental ins. for a spell now.And I have noticed they all want me to sign up NOW and all they need is my debit card number.But as soon as I ask them to send me literature so I can make a better informed decision they actually hang up on me. Makes me think they were about to do some dishonest banking at my expense. I never ever use my debit card on-line or over the phone.

gramma nancy

I second this advice. I called my dentist and oral surgeon (I know, Ugh!) to find out what they accepted when I was deciding what to buy. They both took Delta Dental, so that's what I bought (through my employer) even though it was the most expensive option I considered. Previously, I had only minimal insurance and the oral surgeon said, "You have terrible dental insurance." That's when I knew there were more options out there.

Lori S

Please be aware that dental plans are like regular health insurance... the same company can offer lots of different plans . I think my dental plan is utterly useless. It pays so little, and will only pay if I use an "in plan" dentist... and none in my area are excepting new patients. The list of what is not covered is MUCH larger than the list of what is covered.

jetayre

Good advice from many. Call AARP if you are or aren't a member. They carry Delta Dental which I had when I was employed. Was not happy with the insurance as it does not give enough as far as I am concerned, but the AARP is straight forward on what they do and don't do. There are two plans A and B. They will send you info explaining every thing. They do have a waiting period of a year on somethings and you still have to pay 50% on some things, etc but they are basically the only game in town. I just got it and had to use it the day after I got It. I had pay $639.72 for year $1342.00 for two I saved about $500-600 after I paid the diffence.. That did not count 2 cleanings included . Remember the TWO plans and look at all the print as usual.