The cost of individual dental plans has gone out of site the past few years. Traditional dental insurance, that many people use to be able to get through their employer's group plans, has now become unavailable because their employers can simply no longer afford it. So what options do you have now? Let's take a look.

If you're going to purchase some type of private dental plan then you need to take a good look at what is available first, and don't instantly jump to the conclusion that dental insurance is going to be your best option.

The main disadvantage of dental insurance for individuals is that it does not cover pre-existing conditions, for any worthwhile dental insurance plan the monthly premiums are high and if you need to see a dentist right now for emergency coverage, you're out of luck. Think about this for a moment. If you buy auto insurance, what is the first thing that they do after filling out the paperwork? They walk outside and walk around your vehicle with a clipboard checking off all of the existing dents and dings that are on your vehicle. Why they do this? Because they don't want to pay for anything that was already there before you got your coverage. Dental insurance is no different.

The first thing that will happen after you purchase dental insurance is you'll visit a dentist and you'll find out exactly what is wrong and he will exclude all pre-existing conditions by making a record of them at the time of your initial visit. These waiting periods can be as long as 12 months and in the meantime, if you are in pain or need immediate dental care for any reason, you'll be forced to pay out-of-pocket. Dental insurance is good for preventive maintenance only, things like cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays, etc.. The idea is to prevent any major problem from occurring. You don't really see any major benefits from dental insurance until you've held the policy for a very long time, and even then you may still pay a deductible.

Your best option is a dental discount plan. These plans have low fees to become a member. As a matter of fact, you can get an individual dental plan for as low as $79.95 per year. You can be seen within one to three business days for any pre-existing conditions. You can save anywhere from 10% to 60% by using these individual dental plans. The only stipulation is that you must pay for your discounted service at the time of your visit. There is no financing or payment arrangements available. If you are in need of immediate dental care, I highly recommend that you look into individual dental plans from dental discount plan providers.