How to Find a Discount Dental Plan

By Susan Braden
Published Jun 04 2010

The most important points for any health policy are low prices and great service. However, finding those two together in one package is difficult. A discount dental plan is no different. A myriad of this type of plans are available, but which discount dental plan will give you both quality service and a great price? Follow this step-by-step guide to help you make an informed decision.

Step 1. Search the Web.

If you go to the search engine of your choice and search the terms “discount dental plan,” a long list of websites will appear. The most helpful and reliable websites are typically listed towards the top of the page. You may want to peruse the top 5 listings and make some notes about each plan.

There are observations you can make upon entering a discount plan’s website that will tell you a lot about the quality of its service and the strength of its prices. First, the site should look professional, because established, reliable businesses can always devote the time and money to create a nice-looking, user-friendly website.

Secondly, if the website offers several different types of health plans (including a variety of plans for dentistry, nursing, chiropractic, etc.), its resources may be spread thin between a myriad of plans, and the website may not be able to give you the best customer service and discounts for your needs. Finally, if the site has multiple plans available, it is most likely a large dental broker that will charge more than other sites that specialize in offering one key plan.

Once you have made these initial observations, start looking more thoroughly through plan websites that interest you for more information about their reputations, pricing, and benefits, so you can best compare each afterward.

Step 2. Investigate Each Plan’s Reputation.

Before digging into a plan’s pricing and any "fine print," you will want to check the company’s reputation. You can do this several ways.

First, check the Better Business Bureau to determine if the company and/or website you are researching is registered and has no negative reviews listed. Secondly, find out if this plan is used by any major, trusted corporations. This key information will usually be listed on the plan’s homepage.

Finally, find out how large the plan’s network is. How many dentists honor its discounts, and how many members does the company serve? Plans with less than 50,000 dentists involved and less than a few million members are likely less established and less likely to offer you a cheap price.

Step 3. Find out about Prices.

Discount plans have two sets of prices that you need to know: 1) monthly or annual rates and 2) prices per procedure. The monthly and/or annual membership rates should be easiest to spot on the company's website. If you want discounts for both yourself and your dependents, determine how much the membership rates will rise for each person added. Typical monthly rates are less than $15 a month.

Before you join a discount program, be sure to check its prices per procedure so you know exactly what you will be charged for different types of treatment at the dentist. Make sure that you can see its full fee schedule of prices for the procedures you need before you buy. Less reliable companies tend to provide just a sample fee schedule, so you will only know what each procedure really costs after you have become a member.

Step 4. Note any Fine Print or Plan Add-ons.

If you like a plan’s website, reputation, and prices, you may want to further research the plan’s features to determine if there is any “fine print” you may have missed. If you need to see the dentist due to a toothache, make sure the plan can discount pre-existing conditions, a common feature of a discount dental plan. Be sure to find out how soon the plan can be effective and if it includes any helpful add-ons like a vision or prescription plan.

Step 5. Compare Your Results.

If you want to create a personal comparison of the pros and cons of each discount program, try writing a simple summary for each website you have researched and set the summaries next to each other. You may not have to do such extensive comparison if a one plan clearly stood out during your research.

After completing this final step, you will have survived navigating the discount dental plan market, and likely found the program that best fits your situation! You now have the power to make an informed, rational decision about which plan is right for you.

For information from Susan about a discount dental plan, click here.