Dental insurance isn't the only option when it comes to affordable dental care. Dental insurance companies win when you don't use the plan. They have to make more money than they pay out.
Dental savings plans are an alternative dental insurance option to consider. With a 1Dental dental savings plan, our dentists have agreed to lower rates for members. You pay a small fee to join and save big at every dental visit.
We want you to use your plan as often as you need, so you won't find any limits, waiting periods or exclusions with our plans! Here's how dental insurance plans and dental savings plans compare.
Below is a dental plans comparison of dental savings plans (also known as discount dental plans) vs. dental insurance:
| Dental Savings Plan | Dental Insurance |
|---|---|
| Often marketed on an individual basis | Typically marketed through employers |
| As little as $99 per year for 1 person | Typically $30 – 60 per month for 1 person |
| Can use as needed throughout the year with no yearly limits | Typically has a yearly limit of $1,000 - $1,500, which means once your dental treatment costs reach this, everything else is out of pocket |
| Can be used right away for any dental services | Typically required to wait 6-12 months for any minor or major dental work |
| Dental savings begins right away | Typically has a deductible that must be paid before dental savings begins |
Some dental insurance plans require an enrollment fee upfront to being the policy, as well as a monthly premium. Premiums can vary based on:
Your premium may be higher if you have a pre-existing dental condition that requires dental work upfront, or if you have a previous oral health history of needing a lot of dental work. This also determines what percentage of your treatment the policy will cover.
Dental plans do not collect premiums. Instead, members are charged a steady monthly or yearly rate regardless of pre-existing conditions. Savings plans can charge such low monthly rates because they are not responsible for reimbursing the patient or the dentist. They simply provide members with access to significant discounts at the dentist office, lowering the patient’s out-of-pocket costs from the start.
Most dental insurance plans require you to wait six months to a year before receiving benefits, though sometimes this is reduced for preventive or diagnostic work. If there was no waiting period, policyholders could sign up for insurance, receive treatment immediately, get financially reimbursed and then cancel shortly thereafter at little expense to themselves. They typically require you to wait until you have paid enough money in premiums to cover any damage that might occur, and this comes in the form of a waiting period.
Most dental savings plans allow members to begin using dental discounts within a few days, because you pay the dentist directly, and not the plan provider. Patients can take advantage of the discount on their own without pulling money from the dental plan company.
Most individual dental insurance requires you to pay at least a portion of your treatment cost directly to the dentist at the time of service. Insurance does not reimburse this co-pay – it is fully out-of-pocket. Reimbursement for further costs usually happens one of two ways:
With these savings plans, the patient receiving treatment pays a significantly discounted price directly to the dentist at the time of service. It requires no middle-man or lengthy paperwork hassle. Dentists in the network use
Since they are contracted into those prices, they cannot arbitrarily decide whether to offer the discount to members. Any questions or concerns regarding pricing for members should be directed to customercare@1dental.com so we can help ensure discounts are being honored at all times.
The term “full-coverage” dental insurance isn’t fully accurate, because it still doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be reimbursed for every procedure.
Members of dental savings plans have found that they can receive discounts on a wide range of treatment, including most cosmetic procedures. Some plans discount nearly everything except lab fees. The simple process has few restrictions.
The discount can be applied at any time regardless of the patient’s oral health status.
Dental is part of the broken healthcare system and can just be plain expensive and confusing. We provide a simple, affordable way to save at dentists all over the country, without the "gotchas" and high costs of dental insurance. It's the fastest, smartest way to take back control of your dental AND financial health.
Insurance companies typically reimburse you for costs they have deemed usual, customary and reasonable (UCR). If the insurance company has decided that a UCR teeth cleaning costs $65 and your dentist charges $80, they will calculate their percentage of reimbursement based on the price they have determined rather than on the price you were actually charged.
Members typically pay a fixed, predetermined price for treatment with a savings plan (see our Care 500 plan list of discounts). In the case of specialist treatments such as orthodontics, often a fixed discount is applied to the provider’s fee, reducing the cost of treatment by up to 15% or more.
Policyholders typically must reach a deductible before the dental insurance plan will financially contribute anything. For the patient, this means:
Most insurance companies set limitations on how much money they will put toward the cost of your treatment - your yearly maximum. Once your dental insurance provider has contributed a certain amount of money, you are responsible for all treatment costs for the rest of the year. This number usually resets annually.
Dental plans require no deductible. Members do not have to meet a price quota before they begin receiving discounts, nor do they have to wait for the plan to become effective. This can occur because patients pay the dentist directly at a discounted price without reimbursement.
Members get the discount every time they visit the dentist with no limit regarding usage. Since it has no maximum, some people use this plan after their regular dental insurance plan has reached its yearly limit. Find out more about how you can use a dental savings plan and a dental insurance plan together.
Don't get stuck with a solution that doesn't work and keeps you stressed and frustrated. Try a dental savings plan for confident savings each time you see the dentist, and say hello to taking control of your health (a new dental experience).
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