Smart Insurance

Does one need Dental Insurance? This question is asked by us in parlance with any kind of insurance. Well, insurance is a tool that offsets financial losses due to accidents or incidents or unforeseen circumstances. With this in view, insurance is always advocated but if one is young and healthy and doesn’t need to visit a dentist more than twice a year, dental insurance will not be a requirement, since the premium for such insurance may be more than the annual tooth maintenance bill.

A Dental insurance or dental benefit plan is viewed upon as a much sought after employee benefit. So financially it makes sense to have a dental benefit plan in place to recruit and retain employees. Moreover, dental health is a very important part of overall employee health and man days lost due to dental problems or dental discomfort of an employee equates to financial loss for the employer.

Important factors while finalizing on a Dental Insurance Plan


An employee has to ask himself the following before he finalizes on a plan:

Would the employees like to retain the freedom of choosing their own dentists?
Will the mode of treatment be determined by the patient and the dentist?
What type of routine and preventive dental care is covered? Does the plan cover braces, oral surgery, crowns and bridges, root canals and treatment of periodontal diseases?
Will the plan cover all diagnostic, preventive and emergency services? Including preventive services viz. sealants & fluoride treatments, which might result in financial savings to the patient in future? Does it provide for full-mouth x-rays?
What forms of major dental care is covered? Does the plan cover implants, dentures, or treatment for temporomandibular disorders?
Does the plan allow for specialist referrals? If so, has the dentist be limited to “the” list of specialists to choose form?
Does the plan provide for emergencies? What are the provisions made for emergency care when the patient is on tour?
What percentage of monthly premiums goes into actual care and not to administration?

Kinds of Dental Insurance Plans


Managed Care Dental Plans

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans are plans in which the patient has to select a dentist from a list provided to him. These dentists have agreed to discount their fee by contract with the insurance company. Some PPO plans also allow patients treated by dentists outside their list, where the patient is penalized by excess co-payments and higher deductibles. PPO’s are normally less expensive than indemnity plans in their class.