Individual discount dental plans can be a great alternative to individual dental insurance. Here’s more about discount card programs and how they can help you.Who Should Consider a Discount Dental Plan?Discount programs can be a great solution to protect individuals from costly dental expenses. These plans are great if you have relatively healthy teeth. If, in a typical year, you go in for two dental cleanings and that’s it, these plans will likely save you money. Even if you have occasional dental work done, but not too often, you may save money by using a discount card.These plans don’t make sense for individuals who have more-than-average dental work done each year, and constantly find themselves having cavities filled or crowns put on. These individuals would likely be better off on a dental insurance plan.Here are the benefits of using a discount plan:AffordabilityDiscount companies pre-negotiate discounts of between 10% and 60% with networks of dentists for most services. When you need dental work done, or need to get a dental cleaning, you can take advantage of those discounts for most procedures. Because these plans don’t technically pay benefits, they are much less expensive than insurance plans.Dental ProtectionAlthough these plans don’t pay benefits, they still provide great protection (in the form of discounts) in case you need dental work. On top of that, you are eligible to take advantage of discounted (sometimes heavily discounted) cleanings and routine dental services.If you rarely have serious dental work done, an individual discount dental plan may save you quite a bit of money each month, as opposed to using a traditional dental insurance plan.
