I originally published this post last year after having my first experience of going to the dentist without insurance. It was a much different post than I usually write for M$M, and after asking for your experiences with and without dental insurance, I wanted to turn this into a more comprehensive look at the question of “Is dental insurance worth it?”
The thing about that question, though, is that health care costs are so wildly different from person to person that it’s probably hard to come to any kind of solid conclusion.
So is dental insurance worth it?
Again, I’m updating this with your experiences and some more information about dental insurance to answer that question, but first…
My choice to go without dental insurance
I used to have dental insurance when I was a teacher. I honestly can’t remember how much it cost per month anymore, and it was a total afterthought anyway. It was just one of those random line items that got taken out of my pay every two weeks.
When I finally quit my job to run M$M back in 2015, I started shopping around for healthcare.
As a side note: in my experience so far… healthcare kinda sucks when you’re self-employed, well that was until I found a health sharing ministry for health insurance, which I will talk about more in depth in another post. If you are looking to start your own business soon, start looking at healthcare now.
I opted to go without a dental insurance policy in that first year of self-employment and have ever since. The biggest reason was that I valued the savings and didn’t want to spend the money. I’m embarrassed as hell to admit this to tens of thousands of people because it seems a little gross, but not only did I make the decision to start seeing the dentist without insurance, I just didn’t even go to the dentist at all that first year.
That’s just the reality of being self-employed in the beginning; you kinda give up essential things like that because you’re afraid you’re going to run out of money. But don’t worry, I do brush twice a day, floss, and use mouthwash probably two or three times a day. Gotta stay married after all 🙂
My first experience going to the dentist without insurance…
It started when my dentist’s office called to check on my insurance status because they tried to contact my old insurance company and found out I wasn’t on a plan anymore. I said no and that I was going to pay out of pocket, to which I received a super awkward “Oh wow… well… OK. We’ll see you at 10:40 am.”
I got to the dentist’s office and checked in. Again, they asked if I had dental insurance. And again, I said paying out of pocket was the plan, another awkward response.
Then I sat down in the chair, and the hygienist asked if I had dental insurance as she was going over my file. Same awkward answer and response. I was starting to feel like the only person who had ever gone to the dentist without insurance.
The dentist came in and immediately found a crack in a filling I had done when I was about 12. He said I would need a crown (which sucks and I will get to that later), but then he mentioned dental insurance.
Same. Freaking. Awkward. Interaction. Followed.
He left, and then the hygienist showed me pictures of the crack in my tooth so I would know they weren’t ripping me off or anything. After that, she cleaned my teeth and told me my teeth and gums were in great shape other than the crack.
Then she called in someone from the office to work out a payment plan with me for the crown because I didn’t have dental insurance. I guess they just assumed that I wouldn’t be able to afford the procedure because I was a 20-something and dressed like… well… a blogger. I can’t really blame them for not seeing my latest income report 😉
The crown would have cost $2,000, but since I told them I didn’t need a payment plan and would pay out of pocket in full, they dropped it to $850. They said the dentist was “doing me a favor.”
*shrug* I feel like I was doing him a favor, but I digress.
After that, I got up from the chair and went to pay for the cleaning and schedule my next appointment. They asked if I had dental insurance again. AGAIN. So, the same weirdness followed. That totals six different times in one visit, a little excessive guys. I had no freaking clue that choosing to see my dentist without insurance was basically going to be a constant interrogation, I would have just shown up with a sign that said, “I’m self-employed, I don’t have dental insurance, stop asking.”
What are the numbers on dental insurance?
Thinking that I must be the only human being willingly seeing the dentist without insurance, I decided to look up some data. I was happy to see I wasn’t alone.
Here are the interesting stats I found about dental insurance:
- 205 million Americans have dental plans.
- 114 million Americans don’t have dental plans.
- The majority of people who have dental insurance are covered through AARP or a plan through their employer.
- The average cost of a cleaning in the U.S. is $85.
- Average premium prices for employee-only plans range from $223-$288 per year.
- Average premium prices for employee and family plans range from $445-$865 per year.
But, what does dental insurance actually cover?
The average dental insurance provides what is called 100/80/50 coverage. Again, this is this typical plan. Don’t yell at me if yours is different, but you can calmly share your dental insurance coverage in the comments.
This 100/80/50 split means:
- Preventative care, like cleanings, exams, x-rays are covered 100%, and most plans let you go for these check-ups twice a year.
- Basic procedures are covered around 70-80%, and those are things like fillings and extractions. It’s also typically the same coverage for periodontal work (aka stuff with your gums).
- Major procedures are covered at 50% or less. These are crowns, root canals, bridges, implants, dentures, etc.
If you’re trying to figure out is dental insurance worth it for you, the “worth it” part will depend a lot on the condition of your teeth, how well you care for them, and how much dental work you think you’ll need during the year. If you take great care of your teeth, you may not necessarily come out ahead with a dental insurance policy.
But… there’s always the chance that something weird happens (like a cracked filling or your tooth breaks while you’re eating potato chips) that could make dental insurance a valuable tool.
From everything I can find in terms of research for this question, there really doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer to the question of is dental insurance worth it to your very specific situation. For some, affordable dental insurance is a real thing, for others, not so much.
The bottom line on dental insurance
Like I said in that last paragraph, your situation is probably the most informing factor in how you approach dental insurance. If you think it’s a good fit for you, then you’ll need to think about what type of plan to choose, and there are lots out there, especially if you go outside of your employer.
There are indemnity/fee-for-service plans, PPOs, HMOs, insert more capitalized letters here. You get it, there are lots of options, and they can be expensive.
If you aren’t self-employed, hopefully your employer is at least paying part of the total cost, otherwise you may be better off going to the dentist without insurance.
If that made you clutch pearls or blackout for a second, going to the dentist without insurance isn’t actually a horrible idea…
Some of my readers shared the cost of their dental work even with dental insurance, and I nearly blacked out. Those are the experiences that make me wonder how even is dental insurance worth it, seriously?
Choosing to see the dentist without insurance
Disagree with me if you will, but I’m still pretty happy with my decision to go without dental insurance.
Here’s why:
Say you take good care of your teeth at home, have a reasonable emergency fund, and are willing to go to the dentist at least once (averaging $150-$200 for exam, cleaning, and x-rays), that’s a total yearly out-of-pocket cost of just $150-$200.
Now, compare that to the average yearly individual policy, which averages $350. $100-$200 is a decent amount to save, and you know I can help you come up with a dozen or so things to do with that extra money (put it towards debt, stock that emergency fund for when you do need more expensive dental work, invest for retirement, more avocado toast for you crazy millennials).
Remember how I said my dentist gave me a “discount” for going in without insurance? That’s a thing they do, for a lot of people, not just the ones who regularly dress like bums. They’re saving money by not processing things through insurance. I’m not sure if this is the same as using the self-checkout at the grocery store, but you are saving them something, and they pass that onto you.
Help for the dentally uninsured millennials out there
The other thing about going to the dentist without insurance is that there are options for those major incidentals.
Hello emergency fund. I’m so glad I put you aside for a root canal one day. I don’t actually need a root canal… knocks on wood… just making a point about emergency funds.
Besides an emergency fund, or in addition to one, there are still more options for paying for work instead of seeing your regular dentist without insurance and leaving with a $2,000+ bill, like:
- Dental schools – Visiting a dental school is an option for anyone facing costly dental work. Don’t worry, highly trained dentists supervise the students as they work, and you do get a hefty discount. Every program is a little different, but you can find ones near you from CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation).
- Dental tourism – Similar to medical tourism, traveling for dental care (Latin America is a popular dental tourism destination) is a growing trend right now. I haven’t tried it, but lounging in Costa Rica for a week while recovering from a root canal doesn’t sound that awful. I have got to stop talking about this hypothetical root canal before it becomes a thing.
I also found this cool tool from Fair Health Consumer that takes where you live, the procedure you may need done, and then it gives you an idea of what it would cost to have work done at the dentist without insurance. You can also just call your dentist and ask.
Is dental insurance worth it to my readers, let’s see…
“Many dental costs actually are negotiable, especially if you pay cash. It means the dentist gets his money upfront instead of dealing with insurance… we actually save money with insurance. But if you don’t have dental complications, and especially if you’re self-employed, it probably makes more sense to forgo the insurance.”
“Right now, being in Thailand, dental work is A LOT cheaper here than back in America. I got a dental cleaning for $28, having no insurance. Then I got some crowns put in and it cost $1,430. If I had gotten the same dental work in the U.S., it would have cost around $5,000. Yikes! Dental tourism at it’s finest, haha.”
“I had similar experiences with my dentist when I had no dental insurance. I don’t remember exact costs, but the premiums looked like more than two cleanings a year, so I opted out. My dentist was great and gave me frequent discounts for years because of my lack of insurance.”
“They charge insurance companies more for procedures than they would a person directly, so the ‘favor’ was simply to charge you normal rates… I live in Arizona, a couple of hours from the border with Mexico, where I have lots of families I visit often. Dental work is much cheaper there and since I visit often, I plan my visit to the dentist for my wife and I during those trips. It saves me a ton of money.”
“I am a dentist who owns an office, so I definitely have a few insights into this topic… First, I think it is important to note that most dental ‘insurance’ is really more of a discount plan. Depending on where you live, many maximums on dental plans have not appreciably changed in 30 years, while the costs of dental care certainly have! If you need more than a few fillings, chances are really good your coverage will be maxed out, even if you have it.”
“I had very expensive dental work done last year that included 2 cavities and 6 veneers. I had to get the veneers for more than just cosmetic reasons, there was no avoiding it but I was also not expecting to have to get it done so soon. That’s when I found out my dental insurance would only pay $1200 to cover my cleanings, X-rays, cavities and veneers. I was out of pocket over $6800 for the year. It really sucked. I had the money to pay for it outright, and I got a discount from my dentist but I had no idea my insurance sucked so bad.”
Should you drop your dental insurance today?
I choose to forgo dental insurance not because I’m broke or an idiot, but because I realized that I will save money in the long run.
Before you follow me off of that proverbial cliff, my main point in writing this post is to help you understand that having dental insurance isn’t always the way to go. There are lots of instances when it’s probably an awesome idea, and other times when the answer to the question I started with, “Is dental insurance worth it for me?” a big fat “no.”
Take some time to look at your plan if you have one, think about how you could cover a major dental expense if it came up, and go from there.
About Millennial Money Man
Bobby Hoyt is a former band director who paid off $40,000 of student loan debt in 18 months on his teaching salary and then left his job to run Millennial Money Man full-time. He helps other Millennials earn more through side hustles, save more through budgeting tools and apps, and pay off debt. He is a personal finance expert who has been seen on Forbes, Reuters, MarketWatch, CNBC, International Business Times, Business Insider, US News, Yahoo Finance, and many other personal finance and entrepreneurship media outlets.
Comments
Making Your Money Matter
Anyone that does things differently is questioned a million times in our society it seems… Plus I can see how the poor are often penalized in our society if they weren’t able to afford dental insurance and then needed a payment plan. That’s a 250% markup from $800 to $2,000!
I’m fortunate to have good dental insurance, and we pay $650/yr plus a $75 deductible. A cleaning with x-rays ran us $150 after insurance discounts so with 5 people, we are likely coming out ahead for the time being, especially if we end up needing any other dental work.
I have considered taking a year off every other year and staggering cleanings so that I could minimize it to one cleaning during the year without insurance (without X-rays). So basically, year 1 we would get dental insurance and go in June and then December and have them do X-rays then. The next year we would just go once and pay for cleanings. It might get tricky in subsequent years though!
Millennial Money Man
Oh yeah with 5 people it sounds like you’re getting a good deal!
Yes, I definitely know I’m not a normal person in society…but it was really surprising how surprised THEY were! Haha.
Michelle
Oh boy, this is close to my heart this week. I spend around $325 annually for my dental insurance premium. At this point I’m not even sure what’s being covered, but I’ve spent easily over $1200 out of pocket over the past 9 months for descaling, fillings, and cleanings. (Of course, I hadn’t gone to the dentist during my entire college career, so that didn’t help my situation) I know my plan is the most basic there is and doesn’t cover a whole heck of a lot, but I think whatever it saves me justifies the premium, especially while I’m in this period of going on a monthly basis. I’d be curious about other’s experience though, maybe I’ll cancel my insurance and open an HSA once I’m back on an annual cleaning schedule.
Millennial Money Man
This is a pretty interesting financial topic – I couldn’t really find much information out there that proved whether it was actually worth having the insurance. A LOT of the stats out there are from dental plan companies/exchanges. I’m just interested to see what other readers think.
Mrs. Picky Pincher
Many dental costs actually are negotiable, especially if you pay cash. It means the dentist gets his money upfront instead of dealing with insurance.:) For us, we do maintain insurance. Mr. Picky Pincher gets it through his employer. I think the insurance itself costs $17 or so each month. We actually do need/use the insurance. I’m a freak about keeping my teeth in tiptop shape; my parents were very strict about having healthy teeth. Once you lose ‘em, that’s it!
But we also need it because Mr. Picky Pincher has a litany of dental issues. Our out of pocket cost for his crown was just $400 (would have been $2,000-ish without insurance). So for us we actually save money with insurance. But if you don’t have dental complications, and especially if you’re self-employed, it probably makes more sense to forgo the insurance.
Also, your dentist is kind of annoying for asking you so many times for insurance!
Millennial Money Man
Haha yes, I wish I was exaggerating about the amount of times I was asked. It was enough to where I knew I had to write a post about it!
Mrs. Mad Money Monster
Ooh, Ooh, I have something to say about this! I have been fortunate enough to have a great W-2 with great benefits, pretty much my entire life. I’ve always kept the dental coverage set to basic, which is pennies each check, and haven’t had any major issues.
The issue comes in when your parents saved absolutely nothing – a big fat $0 – for retirement. Now my father has passed away and my mother tries to live on his social security check which amounts to a whopping $1200/mo. Needless to say she has Medicare/Medicaid, basically the government health coverage for that age /low-income group. Fast forward to this year. My mom has been complaining about her gums being sore. Mr. MMM and I decided to get her to the dentist to see what was going on. Turns out, she needed almost all of her teeth extracted because they were brittle, cracking, and 72 years old. She also had a small infection that was starting. This small infection, if left go, would’ve turned into sepsis in about 6 months. Yeah.
Interestingly, Medicare/Medicaid comes with NO dental coverage. My mom also has NO money. So, we had to foot the bill with cash. The dentist also “gave us a deal” (I truly think he did) and charged us about $2k for all extractions and dentures. Before we scheduled the work, I started to look into dental insurance. It is crap. At least that’s what I found. There are high deductibles and the insurance only kicks in after having paid for a full year of coverage. On top of that, it only pays 50% of a maximum lifetime amount of only a few thousands dollars.
Anyway, that’s what I found when I tried to get private dental coverage for my aging mother. Thankfully we have the cash to pay it out-of-pocket. Blah.
Mrs. Mad Money Monster
Millennial Money Man
Ah that’s such a bummer! That’s one reason I’m really trying to take care of my teeth – I’ve seen too many older people have major issues later on. Sometimes it’s not avoidable because of medications/health, but I really want to keep mine for as long as I can!!!!
$2k honestly sounds pretty reasonable for that much work. I’m no expert though haha.
Bobby Kombuch
First time reader and I just wanted to say that I love your blog.
Awesome voice with awesome advice.
I pay about $700 a year for dental insurance. And I agree with you…. we can’t forget about our teeth!
Millennial Money Man
Thanks Bobby! Always appreciated.
Colin @ rebelwithaplan
Back at my old job, I didn’t get the dental insurance and didn’t really worry about it. I took good care of my teeth and got cleanings once or twice a year and paid out of pocket. As with your experience, they were always weirded out whenever I would say I was just going to pay up front.
Right now, being in Thailand, dental work is A LOT cheaper here than back in America. I got a dental cleaning for $28, having no insurance. Then I got some crowns put in and it cost $1,430. If I had gotten the same dental work in the U.S., it would have cost around $5,000. Yikes! Dental tourism at it’s finest, haha.
Millennial Money Man
Ha that’s awesome! When I was researching for this post I saw a lot about dental tourism. I had no idea how big that industry is!
Mrs. COD
I had similar experiences with my dentist when I had no dental insurance. I don’t remember exact costs, but the premiums looked like more than two cleanings a year, so I opted out. My dentist was great and gave me frequent discounts for years because of my lack of insurance ????. However, a couple of years ago, when I decided to finally get insurance, the coverage was terrible. I paid way more out of pocket than seemed reasonable even with insurance. Ugh. I don’t like the whole system.
Millennial Money Man
Yeah that’s why I decided not to do the insurance. I didn’t really see the crown coming this year, but if I just did cleanings I would probably save money over an insurance policy.
Jorge Quezada
I think it’s normal that they asked you so many times because it’s different from what they see daily. Also, they charge insurance companies more for procedures than they would a person directly, so the “favor” was simply to charge you normal rates.
I had a dental plan through my employer the last 7 years, but I decided to drop it this year. I live in Arizona, a couple of hours from the border with Mexico, where I have lots of family I visit often. Dental work is much cheaper there and since I visit often, I plan am visit to the dentist for my wife and Iduring those trips. It saves me a ton of money.
Millennial Money Man
I agree to both points – I think the “favor” was a bit of a sell job haha. I definitely read that dental work was much cheaper in Mexico! You can get complete travel packages to get dental work done…pretty interesting.
The Savvy Coupl
Brittany is a teacher in NYS I think we pay $8 a month for 10 months and have full coverage. Since we go every six months and feel that dental hygiene is important it’s a no brainer.
Same thing with health care. She has a great program through her school that is very affordable and covers almost everything. We even get an $800 reimbursement every year for anything out of our pocket such as deductibles.
Since I am planning on going 100% self-employed this year her keeping that job is super important for the benefits alone. Not to mention the 50%-60% pension she will receive down the road.
Great article thanks for sharing! BTW I had 2 cavities last time I went, how embarrassing!
Millennial Money Man
My wife was also a teacher when I left, and I thought I was going to jump on her plan. Unfortunately, our insurance would have been about $800/month with a high deductible. Pretty crazy. Now I have crappy insurance, but luckily make enough money now to at least afford basic stuff. Just on of the joys of being self-employed!
Lauren
We are self employed too and don’t have dental insurance. We looked at the numbers and it wasn’t worth it. We have two family members who are dentists; so worst case scenario we take a 6 hour drive to see them. We also have a friend who is a dentist who does our cleanings/X-rays for a great price. So far it’s been worth it!
Millennial Money Man
Thanks for sharing! Glad to know I’m not alone 🙂
Kraken
Next time you should wear a pin that says “I don’t have dental insurance” just to keep things simple for everyone.
Healthcare is one of the craziest concepts to me. It’s one of the few times you are expected to pay for something without knowing what it is going to cost. And it’s so variable your price went from $2k to $850 just to pay in cash! That smells fishy. I love the “showed me pictures of the crack in my tooth so I would know they weren’t ripping me off” because I don’t know about you but if you showed me an x-ray of my teeth I wouldn’t be able to know if they were mine or the last patient.
I have dental insurance because it doesn’t cost me any extra but if I had to pay for it, I would just go without it. It’s easier, in my opinion, to just take great care of my teeth.
Millennial Money Man
Yeah they were good about the pictures. I mean really you just have to take their word for it. They mentioned that my tooth could crack in half if I ate something the wrong way…probably need to get that taken care of!
Gabe
I am a dentist who owns an office (also a millennial and reader of your blog!), so I definitely have a few insights into this topic.
First, I think it is important to note that most dental “insurance” is really more of a discount plan. Most maximums on dental plants are not enough to cover a root canal and a crown (a very common combination even for the most meticulous patients). Depending on where you live, many maximums on dental plans have not appreciably changed in 30 years, while the costs of dental care certainly have! If you need more than a few fillings, chances are really good your coverage will be maxed out, even if you have it.
I practice in a rural community, and about half of my patients do not have dental coverage and pay for care out of pocket. In fact, growing up my family did not have dental coverage. It was simply a household expense my parents budgeted for each year. They were self-employed, and dental coverage was just not cost effective. My sisters both had braces, we all had our wisdom teeth extracted, we rent regularly for cleanings. This is how a good many of my patients handle dental care.
So now to the question of what we call “individual plans” (where you are buying your own dental coverage). It can often depend on what kind of services you require. If you only come in for your 6 month cleanings, and get the occasional filling (or crown, as the case is) paying out of pocket is probably your best bet. These services are really not THAT expensive, as compared to getting an MRI or a spending the night in the hospital. A great many of my patients handle their dental care in this manner. Farmers, merchants, retirees…these are all middle-class people who often don’t have dental coverage through their jobs and finance their care themselves.
In general, in my area, if your employer is not paying for most of your insurance, I would seriously push the pencil before automatically buying coverage.
And to the “my dentist gave me a deal” notion. This is probably very specific to your region. In my practice, many people don’t have insurance coverage, so my fees are set based on half of my patients paying “cash”, so I don’t give discounts if people walk in with a wad of $100’s. In many officers, the “cash” patients are more of a unicorn , so the fees are set as if everyone has insurance coverage (AKA “playing the insurance game”). I suspect what you are experiencing is an office that has almost all patients tied to some sort of plan, and the fees are set accordingly. This is not greed or corruption, its just the way the business is tailored to different markets. This issue is really complex (PPO, networks, geography, contracts) so it’s impossible to say fore sure what is going on, or course. In my office, the patient’s get asked once if they have insurance, maybe twice if they need something done, but it is certainly a normal thing in my world.
I’m happy to help answer any questions I can!
Millennial Money Man
Thanks Gabe, this is exactly what I wanted to know!!!!! It’s honestly not as easy as I thought it would be to get a non-biased set of current stats for dental costs (unless I just didn’t look long enough). Very very good info.
Gabe
I am a dentist and I only REALLY know what my own fees are, so I can imagine it is nearly impossible for consumers, short of a second opinion. There are many very good reasons for this, not the least of which is dental care is not a commodity, it is a professional service, and the services you need depend on the diagnosis of an individual provider. I know the averages for the nation and my region, but nothing more specific than that.
Dee
We are a family of 4 and pay $110 a month for dental insurance through my husband’s employer. I added up our typical yearly cost, and we really need to rethink this. Two cleanings per year including x-rays for our family is $900. Last year we did use the $1,100 they pay for orthodontist care for our oldest. We currently max out our HSA so will look at other options during open enrollment. My employer offers coverage for less than $100 a year for full time employees. I’m part-time right now so something to consider if the offer is made. Thanks for the article.
Millennial Money Man
No problem Dee! Dental insurance is one of those weird things that most of us probably don’t pay enough attention to. When I was a band director, I just paid the monthly premium and didn’t even think twice about it.
Lynsey
I could go on and on about how much I spent in the last 2 yrs on dental. I went to a dentist and had 2 fillings done. Both of those teeth subsequently broke, resulting in two root canals. This was in the later part of the year. Found a new dentist to finish the work. He was very helpful. I waited for the new year to do the crowns so that I could use my insurance again. I am on my second crown and it will eat up my entire plan. Unfortunately in the mean time i broke yet another tooth and since it was a back molar decided to have it extracted. They gave me the insurance rate since I had insurance even though no coverage left already in Jan. So basically I will be paying insurance premiums all year and I have already used it all. Such a bummer. My beef with dental is you only get so much coverage each year and then you are done vs medical where you pay more at the beginning but once deductibles are met you get coverage. Anyway it is still beneficial for me to have it, and I made sure to have a healthy flex spending account this year because I knew I was going to be having dental work.
Financialbloke
That markup is crazy! The whole thing is rigged if you ask me.
I have an employer subsidized plan with a high deductible. Which is negotiated on purpose to favor the employers bottom line. The whole thing is crooked. Because of my high deductible I always inquire about the cost if I pay out of pocket vurses have my insurance pay.
I had a prescription last year that would have cost me $250 through my insurance. Instead, I went through goodrx.com, and with the coupon it cost me $46. We wonder why healthcare in America is so expensive. I’ve gone through the same mouse wheel with doctor and dentist visits.
Troy
I just don’t like that feeling that as soon as I remove my dental insurance, something will happen, and then I will wish I had never removed it in the first place! For that reason, I simply keep my dental insurance. Premium is 300 per year, so not too bad. Oh, and thanks for reminding me to set up an appointment for dental cleaning!
B Ellesse
Glad to see you talking about insurance I’ll be 26 in July and getting the big boot from my parent’s insurance. I just started my career and got health insurance but my company doesn’t offer dental insurance. I have been looking into it too. I will be sharing some light on this on my blog I want to launch soon, thanks to you! I am surprised you didn’t mention any specials like groupon or answering adds in response to having no insurance. You may have gotten an EVEN better deal on your crown. I am having some cosmetic work done soon and they are giving me a discount just for mentioning yelp! When my father lost his job years ago he still going to the dentist simply by going to groupon and getting specials like $60 dental cleanings etc. I find if you just get checked more regularly you can avoid the nonsense like your crown, or me needing 5 cavities after avoiding the dentist for 2 years. lol. At least getting regular examinations you may have gotten a heads up on that crown and saved money by purchasing insurance to prepare for it (even if temporary). Good topic! Looks like if I go the self-employed route dental insurance isn’t worth it.
Rachel
My dental insurance has mostly been paid by previous employers, but last year we started paying for it through my husbands employer when I quit my job and started a business. We pay $50 a month for me, but I have a $50 deductible two cleanings 100% paid with imaging once a year. If you need fillings they only pay 70% and more serious procedures like a crown or root canal they would only pay 50%. Technically you’re getting a better deal since I pay $50 per month, plus $50 one time yearly deductible and a crown would be $1000 out-of-pocket (in your scenario). Paying $850 in cash is not a bad deal.
Briana
I’m a dental hygienist. We ask people if they have insurance one time. Six is absurd lol and we have no preference whether people have insurance or not at my office… but as a dental hygienist I completely think for a lot of people, you’re better off without dental insurance. IF you have a basically healthy mouth, you’ll save tons and tons of money by skipping the insurance.
Joy
Decades ago I found a dentist I really liked and he stopped accepting the “dental insurance” I had through my employer that really was just a discount plan. I’ve never had an employer that actually offered me a true PPO-like dental insurance. Anyway, I tried going to the dentists that were on the plan and they kept wanting me to do all these special treatments, replace my existing fillings, etc. It really was a racquet. When the FSA and HSA plans came out – I started contributing to them and using them to go back to the dentist I loved to pay cash. (BTW, he says that most of these treatment plans are dictated by the insurance companies and are money makers for dentists – but he doesn’t operate that way) Initially, I participated in the FSA, later the HSA with my HD insurance plan and have “self-insured” my dental needs for nearly 20 years. I’m lucky that I have a dentist who is trustworthy and honest and isn’t looking to wring every penny out of his clients. He has a thriving and healthy practice and isn’t dictated to by the insurance companies.
I’m starting to have vision needs, and I’m doing the same. Using my HSA money (which I max out the contribution each year and have a large portion of it in mutual funds so that it grows), I just pay cash for exams and then I order glasses online.
It’s kind of like being debt free, I guess – being self-insured gives me a flexibility and choice in dental/vision providers and treatment options.
Andrea
We are a self employed family of 5, we dropped dental ins a few years ago, but this year added a “plan” through our dentist office. It costs just about them same as if we paid for the 10 cleanings/yr, but includes xrays/flouride and discounts on all other services.
Lara
I am not a fan of some dental insurance plans. They make no sense to me. Currently, I have a plan through work that costs about $31/month, with a $75 deductible. But it only pays out $1200 a year in claims.
I had very expensive dental work done last year that included 2 cavities and 6 veneers. I had to get the veneers for more than just cosmetic reasons, there was no avoiding it but I was also not expecting to have get it done so soon. That’s when I found out my dental insurance would only pay $1200 to cover my cleanings, X-rays, cavities and veneers. I was out of pocket over $6800 for the year. It really sucked. I had the money to pay for it out right, and I got a discount from my dentist but I had no idea my insurance sucked so bad.
My dental insurance is just barely feasible, otherwise I wouldn’t get it. I now put more money into my FSA account just in case. I wish I qualified for an HSA. I would take advantage of that too.
I don’t understand why dental insurance can be so inadequate. Dental health is vital to overall health.
Mike Holmes
We’ve had both dental insurance through my employers and also a dental discount plan when my wife was needing a lot of major dental work a few years ago. It seemed like we saved a lot more money with the dental discount plan…get cash rates and 50-80% discounts on services for only $120/yr with no annual limits or deductibles.
Sabrina Costain
With the ever rising cost of Dentist, it is best to check out what your plan will or will not cover before you get a dental plan, Some plans are a lot better then others, but the small price of being covered is usually seen with your first visit , Great article good advice
Bob
I agree with what some of the other people have said on the missing value of dental insurance. I was born missing my two front bottom molars. This was discovered when I got braces, at the time they suggested that they could last anywhere between 1 year and 20. They ended up lasting until I was in the middle of college. My dental insurance plan would only cover bridges, which is a more complicated and invasive procedure instead of implants. As a result, we had to pay out of pocket for the dental implants. Fortunately, I’m frugal and had been saving aggressively during school and working to be able to make student loan payments after graduation. I agree, it is difficult to find a true benefit of dental insurance. I think that finding a trustworthy dentist that you can set up your own payment plan might be the way to go
Laura
What’s weird to me is that most dentists don’t want people to use insurance. A cash dental practice is awesome since you can charge what you want and there’s no negotiated rates. I think it’s pretty normal to not have insurance (my husband is in dental school and we’ve been around the dental world a ton). That whole interaction was super strange. Most dentists have a cash discount even! Also depending on you’re area, $2000 for a crown is horrible. Most areas cost around $800-$1000.
Anne
I pay $30/week for the whole package. I get HMO, dental, and vision. Plus I think there’s some kind of life insurance bundled up in there. Of course this is from my employer and I know it’s a really good deal. Would not be worth it for me to separate those out and not pay dental.
Kellyann
I️ do not have dental insurance. My work doesn’t provide it. For a cleaning and X-rays,it was $190, so not bad. The office did ask when I️ scheduled the appointment about using insurance or not and that was it.
Chuck
I enjoyed the artical. Under normal circumstances I see every point you made. I can only guess on my next question. How would the coast be if someone in the family needed to use an orthodontist? For braces.
Is it still affordable?
Richard Inks
I don’t think it’s worth it. The ceiling on dental insurance is so low that once you hit that maximum you’re just paying out of pocket anyways. Often I see plans with maximums of. $1000 to $2500 that they will cover once you hit your deductible. After that, everything else is full price which ends up more costly because you then need a payment plan which adds on interest.
adam smith
Most dental insurance caps coverage to like $2,000 at the most, and only after you’ve been paying for a year or two, completely defeating the point of it. Plus, if you had a pre-existing condition, they often won’t pay for that.