Have you seen the price of dental insurance these days? I really strongly believe, that in the case of dental insurance in the United States, there are a couple companies who essentially have a monopoly on the market. When I recently priced dental insurance I found that the limited dental insurance plans available in my area were both expensive and very restrictive in what they would cover. I found that I would have to pay about $60 per month for coverage that would have a cap of $1000 of care – which is totally insane!

Thankfully, I found a great alternative to dental insurance in discount dental plans. A discount dental plan has a lot less of an upfront cost and provides much better benefits at the same time. Here are five things I learned in my quest to get relief from high dental bills in my family. I hope they are as helpful for you as they were for us!

Tip #1 A Ton of Cost Savings A discount dental plan can save you a ton of money over a regular dental insurance plan. The premium is much, much lower and the coverage is much, much better. A dental insurance plan will come with a hefty monthly premium and a lot of restrictions on what it covers. In contrast, a discount dental plan costs a lot less upfront and offers you the ability to have a lot of dental work done and get a large discount on all of it. With dental insurance you pay whether you use the insurance or not. With a discount dental plan, you pay very little upfront and then only pay more money if you need to visit your dentist.

Tip #2 No Pre-Existing Condition Exclusions Most dental insurance will exclude any procedures where they believe that you have a pre-existing condition. Discount dental plans will not do this to you; they understand that you will be seeking care when you need it, not because you are already in perfect dental health. Discount dental plans allow you to get the treatment you need, when you need it, and for whatever you need it for.

Tip #3 No Forms & Dentists Love Discount Plans – One of the best advantages to a discount dental plan, in my opinion, is the fact that there are no insurance forms, no reimbursements to wait on, and no insurance companies to have to deal with at all. You simply present your discount card to your dentist and receive a hefty discount on any dental work you need to have done. Dentists love the discount dental plans because it saves their office a lot of time and effort in not having to deal with your insurance forms and payments. Dentists happily pass along this savings to you because you are saving them the time and hassle.

Tip #4 Large Selection of Dentists to Choose From Where a dental insurance plan may limit your choices in a dentist, a discount dental plan will have many more dentists who you can choose from. Most all dentists today love the discount plans because they dont have to fill out forms and deal with an insurance company. Because of this, most dentists are members of as many discount dental plans as possible. For you, the patient, this means that you have many more dentists to choose from. With a discount dental plan you can choose from a much wider selection of participating dentists in your area than you can with regular dental insurance.

Tip #5 Some Discount Dental Plans Cover Cosmetic Dentistry – If you are in the market for teeth whitening or other cosmetic dental procedures, many discount dental plans will offer you a discount on these services. If you have dental insurance they generally do not cover cosmetic dentistry at all. So, if you want to have any cosmetic dentistry procedures done, it makes a lot of sense to first find a discount dental plan which will cover the procedure you want to have done to save as much money as possible.

With more dentists participating in discount dental plans than ever before, a discount dental plan can be a much better, and cheaper, option than traditional dental insurance. Whether you need x-rays, cleanings, crowns, fillings, root canals, or other dental procedures, it is a great idea to find and sign-up for a discount dental plan today. The cost savings to you can be immense.