Are Dental Membership Plans Better Than Dental Insurance?

If you need help paying for dental services, you have many options. However, most people only know about dental insurance, but not everyone can get it. Dental insurance is not always a benefit offered by employers. To fill the gap, dental clinics, such as Langley Dental Care in Charlotte, offer dental membership. Are these dental membership plans better than dental insurance? It depends. Find out if you may be one of those who say these plans are better than insurance.

How Dental Insurance Works

Dental insurance works similarly to medical insurance. If you get dental insurance through your work, your employer may cover the monthly premiums or share the cost with you. Most types of dental insurance work directly through your dentist’s billing department after you pay a copay for a visit. The billing department will send the rest of the cost of the visit to your insurance company, which will pay its agreed-upon percentage or amount, depending on if you’ve met your deductible.

Dental insurance may require waiting periods after signing up, so if you have an existing dental problem or want to start cleanings immediately, you may need to wait before getting coverage. Some dental insurance plans might not cover you if you had dental problems before signing up for the policy.

Types of Dental Insurance

The various types of dental insurance include HMOs, PPOs, and dental indemnity plans. These three plans have different restrictions on where you go for care, how much the plan covers, and how you pay.

The HMO plan requires you to choose a dentist from a list of insurance-approved doctors for your main source of all dental care. If you need surgery, endodontic care, or other specialized treatment, you will still need to see your dentist first to get a referral. Sometimes, these types of plans do not have deductibles or maximums.

PPOs allow you to choose which dentist or specialist you go to for care. These plans have greater flexibility in your provider options, but you will pay more out-of-pocket for out-of-network providers. These types of insurance plans typically have maximum coverage and deductibles you need to meet.

Lastly, dental indemnity plans require paying a percentage of the bill upfront from any provider. The cost you pay is based on what the insurer considers customary charges. If your dentist charges more, you will need to spend more on the treatment. Like PPOs, these plans will have required waiting periods, deductibles, and maximums.

What Dental Insurance Covers

Dental insurance typically covers preventative and restorative care. Cosmetic treatments typically do not fall under dental insurance coverage. Services often paid – at least in part – by dental insurance include cleanings, periodontal treatments, routine exams and x-rays, fillings, and root canal treatments.

How Dental Membership Plans Work

Dental membership plans are different from dental discount plans or cards. Those give you discounted prices for services, but memberships will completely pay for several types of preventative care.

Memberships are subscriptions you purchase with low monthly prices that give you benefits throughout the entire year at your dentist. Specific benefits that you get depend on the type of plan that you have.

Types of Dental Membership Plans Available

Membership plans include those for kids and adults with the cut-off age of 14. There is one plan for kids and three different tiers for adults. Plans for adults include those to cover special gum care and a discounted plan for veterans.

Those under 14 can have a child plan that pays for x-rays, two exams, two fluoride treatments, two cleanings, and an emergency visit. This plan’s monthly payments are less than the cost of the benefits you get from it after just one year.

Adult plans include the standard, periodontal, and veteran. The standard adult plan and veteran plans have benefits that pay completely for two cleanings, one set of x-rays, two standard checkup exams and screenings, and an emergency exam. The difference is the cost with the veteran plan at a monthly discount benefiting those who have served the country.

The periodontal plan is an adult plan designed to help those who have a history of gum disease and need extra cleanings and care for their oral health. This plan includes three yearly periodontal maintenance cleanings, two routine exams with screenings, an emergency exam, and routine x-rays.

What Dental Membership Plans Cover

Dental membership plans completely cover the recommended routine cleanings and exams for most people. You don’t have co-pays or additional payments for these services. If you keep up with regular visits for cleanings and exams, you will reduce the likelihood of dental problems becoming severe and needing major treatment, such as root canal therapy or extraction. However, if you need restorative dental services, you can receive those at up to a 20% discount from our practice.

Things that membership plans don’t cover include cosmetic services and specialist services from other providers.

Are Dental Membership Plans Better Than Dental Insurance?

So, are dental membership plans the best choice for you? Memberships might be the better option if you don’t have insurance now or want to get help paying for your dental treatments without signing up for a policy.

Because you don’t have waiting periods, deductibles, networks, or maximums, memberships make paying for dental care easier and clearer. Plus, you get discounts for signing up other family members for their own plans. Get rid of the middle man and enjoy the convenience of regular dental care with plans that pay for themselves in benefits in as fast as one year.

Find Out More About Our Dental Membership Plans at Langley Dental Care

Are dental membership plans better than dental insurance for you? Contact us at Langley Dental Care to find out more about our payment options or sign up for a membership plan. With our membership plans, you get treatment coverage from our friendly, professional team, who can help your entire family enjoy quality dental services. We work hard to help you smile by keeping your teeth healthy and offering memberships and other easy ways to get affordable dental care.