When most people begin their search for a dental plan the first thing that normally comes to mind is getting a quote for dental insurance. This is completely normal, because we're sending out payments each month already for car insurance, boat, renter's/homeowner's, medical and more, so dental insurance MUST be what we need to get our teeth covered, right? Well, unlike other types of insurance, the coverage that dental insurance provides is totally misunderstood by most consumers and this is the reason why.

You see, dental insurance is mostly designed for preventive care. This means that you can buy a policy and get most of the costs of basic care taken care of, such as cleanings, x-rays, ect., however, if you are in pain from a condition that you had before you bought the policy you'll be forced to pay the costs of getting your care for those issues out of your own pocket.

You see, dental insurance does not cover any conditions that are "pre-existing", or were already there before you bought your policy. This is really no different than health insurance, which also has a waiting period before an existing condition will be covered. With dental insurance your waiting period will be 12 months or longer and there's no guarantee that the insurance will cover you then. Most companies will then pay a percentage, like 25% or 50% and then gradually pick up more coverage as each year passes by that you own the policy.

A much better option now for dental care is called a Dental Discount Plan. These discount plans are NOT insurance, therefore, there is no waiting period and pre-existing conditions are fully included. Most of these plans offer savings of up to 60% on not only routine care, but also on MAJOR dental, such as dentures, bridge work, braces and more. All that you need to do is find a participating dentist in your area, pay the small fee to join the plan, (less than insurance), make an appointment with your dentist, get your dental work done and pay in full at the time of your visit. If you are in need of a good dental plan for yourself or your family, I highly recommend that you take a good look at dental discount plans first.