Woman with Glasses

Personal Dental Insurance -- Make the Right Choice with These 3 Tips

Whether you're buying dental insurance in California, Mississippi, Rhode Island, or anywhere in between, it's important to do your homework so that you can make the right choice.  If you're looking for the perfect personal dental insurance plan, follow these 3 tips:

  1. Make sure your approved provider list is long enough

    All PPOs will come with a list of dentists that have been approved by the insurance company.  As long as you go to a dentist on this list, you'll have full access to all of your benefits.  If you don't go to someone on this list, you may wind up paying extra copays, higher coinsurance rates, or having to foot the entire bill yourself!

    That's why it's so important to make sure that the list that comes with your personal dental insurance is long enough.  If there isn't a dentist listed in your small town, look for another plan.
    It's also important to make sure that there are enough dentists to handle your big city.  If, for example, you're getting dental insurance in California, you'll need a list that's very long -- just to account for all of the people who call California home.  If there are only 10 dentists on your list in the Los Angeles area, you're going to have a tough time getting an appointment with one of them!

  2.  Make sure your plan is affordable from top to bottom

    Some people shop for personal dental insurance just by looking at the monthly premium payments.  However, that doesn't give you the whole story.  Some dental insurance for individuals comes with low premiums -- but then skimps on coverage or charges you extra-high deductibles to make up for it.

    When you're looking at personal dental insurance plans, calculate how much you would need to spend in a worst-case scenario.  That way, you'll see if those low premiums really will save you money!

  3.  Make sure your family dental insurance covers everything you need

    Buying family dental insurance is a little bit trickier than dental insurance for individuals, because you've got to think about several people's needs, instead of just your own.  If your wife needs a lot of crown work done, you'll need to make sure it's covered.  Or, if you think your daughter is going to need braces soon, you'll need to make sure you've got orthodontic coverage.  Or, if your teenage son plays a lot of contact sports, you'll need to make sure that you've got plenty of coverage for emergency dental services.

    It may sound like a lot to think about, but a good website will make it easy to compare several family dental insurance plans at once -- so that you can make a wise choice!