Whether selecting dental insurance through your employer or on your own, the following steps provide general guidance on how to select the right dental insurance plan.

Selecting the Right Dental Insurance Plan: A Step-By-Step Process

Before selecting a dental insurance plan, it’s important to do some homework regarding your family’s and your own dental history, current oral health status, and your budget.

Evaluate Your Needs

If you are a single adult under the age of 30 with very good dental health and no history of oral disease, then your dental insurance needs will be very different than, for instance, a household of four with two young children. The family of four may have one parent with a history of gum disease, a child who is likely to need orthodontic work, and another child with a history of multiple cavities.

In this case, the likelihood for more frequent visits to the dentist’s office and more expensive procedures would indicate that the family of four may want to invest in a more comprehensive dental insurance policy, even if the plan cost is somewhat higher.

To thoroughly understand your requirements, make a generalized list of you or your family’s dental and oral health needs - both historic, current, and predicted - as well as what you’ve paid in the past for dental care visits. This will serve as a good benchmark for evaluating policies and anticipating overall costs.

Understand the Different Kinds of Dental Plans

There are several different types of dental insurance plans. Each will work differently in terms of out-of-pocket costs, benefits, deductibles, and so on. Generally, dental insurance plans are divided into the following categories:

Determine Which Plans are Available in Your Area

You may not have access to all types of dental insurance plans listed above – the plans you can choose from will depend on what’s available in your area

Contact the dental insurance companies that serve your region to determine the specific plans available.

Know What’s Covered by Each Plan

Once you have a solid understanding of the types of dental insurance plans available in your area or offered by your employer, you can begin to conduct deeper research into the details – such as covered procedures, waiting periods, and annual limits.

Think About Network Size

Each type of dental insurance plan will have a different sized network (meaning the contracted dentists who are enrolled with the plan) to choose from. If you live in an area where there are relatively few dentists nearby, then network size may be a critical factor.

In addition, you may want to find out whether your current dentist is covered by the plans you’re researching. Be aware that you will likely have to pay more out-of-pocket to continue seeing your existing dentist if he or she is out-of-network.

Consider the Costs and Your Budget

Different dental insurance plans will work differently in terms out of pocket cost.  PPO is the most attractive plan because it balances between cost and access to care.

To determine which dental plan makes most sense for your budget, spend some time calculating your estimated yearly dental costs based on historical patterns.

When crunching the numbers, make sure to consider:

• Premiums (monthly vs annual)

• Co-payments

• Deductible (if applicable)

• Annual maximum

This will help you understand your options from a financial perspective and make the choice that best aligns with your family’s budget.