When it comes to taking care of health, it is important to take into account all the aspects that make up a person’s well-being. The dental part is no exception, and that is why many people in the USA opt for different policies that can cover both prevention and the necessary care in case of inconvenience.

If this is your case, and you do not know how much dental insurance costs in the United States , we can give you a premise that, we are sure, you will like: the prices of these policies are not as high as, for example, life plans. However, we prefer that you discover for yourself —in this article— how much money you will need for these plans.

How to acquire a dental policy?

As you probably know, dental insurance works similar to health and life policies. Specifically, these are plans that can cover certain dental aspects (which will depend on the characteristics of each policy), thanks to payments made by the insured.

Now, if we focus on the ways in which you can connect with dental insurance providers, you should know that there are 2 ways : add special clauses to a basic medical plan or, on the contrary, contract a policy independently. We will explain them in more detail below.

• Medical policies with dental clauses : It does not matter if these plans were purchased through employers or individually in a private company, because in both contexts you could talk to the company representative to add dental coverage in the already established policies. Obviously, this will depend on what the stipulations specified in the contract allow, but, in general, the payments are usually made together.
• Plans contracted independently : as its title indicates, in this type of programs it will suffice to do a search among the most popular insurance companies. After that, it is important that you focus on studying the dental care programs offered by these companies to choose the one that suits your budget and your needs. In this context, health insurance payments are different and it is even possible that you can hire plans from different companies.

Types of dental plans

As it happens in all aspects that can be insured, dental policies also have their own divisions, and we want to talk about them in this section. In the first part, we will specify what are the different options that clients can choose for their dental care.

In the rest of this section we will also talk about the divisions of the plans according to what they cost . Clarified this premise, we will begin the explanation.

According to its operation

The dental insurance that we will detail in the first place have to do with the providers they use to attend to the dental cases of the insured. Obviously, the price of these will depend on the exclusivity and the alternatives offered by the policies, which, by the way, are the PPO, DHMO and discount plans.

Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)

The network of dentists that make up the Preferred Provider Organization is possibly the largest and most feasible option available to residents of the United States.

As its name indicates, this type of plan is supported by numerous professionals in this area who are willing to attend to all cases.

It is, then, an access that you will have if you choose this plan in the insurer that you have previously selected, the same one that will be in charge of contacting the nearest dentist for the specific medical attention. Of course, you should keep in mind that these professionals may not be so numerous in rural areas.

For this reason, it will be necessary for you to make sure that the network of dentists that will be available in your city of residence is large enough to serve you in any case. If there are no problems regarding this point, you can be sure that you will be able to choose a trusted dentist to always attend to you.

Now, regarding the costs, you should bear in mind that they may be a little higher than the other plans due to the number of dentists that provide their services within the PPO.

Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO)

For its part, the DHMO is an alternative that stands out because its prices are usually lower than the PPO that we have just explained. Although, yes, it is likely that the number of professionals who are willing to provide care are also limited.

In this sense, the operation of the dental health maintenance organization consists of choosing a general dentist who will be in charge of the processes of prevention, diagnosis and solution of any inconvenience , if necessary.

In turn, these professionals could redirect the patient to any other specialist that is essential according to their medical history (such as an orthodontist, for example).

However, it is essential that you take into account that not all companies cover this type of specialized attention, so it is something that you must clarify before contracting the service. In the event that the total dental care is not covered by insurance, you will have to make a copayment to complete the cost.

savings plans

Although it is likely that this alternative will not be considered an insurance policy in its entirety, what we are sure of is that it will not be the same as contracting the services of a dentist independently. Specifically, savings plans offer highly profitable discounts on your total fees.

Regarding its operation, you should know that it is a network of dental health professionals who work together with insurance providers. In turn, they agree to lower prices than paid care in clinics or hospitals, for example.

However, the most complex treatments will simply have a discount in their amount, since they will not be paid in full by dental insurance . Even so, we cannot fail to mention that consultations can be covered by the chosen plan, but it will depend on the dentist and the company.

According to your costs

In addition to the divisions that we explain, you can also choose between some types of plans with higher or lower costs or, to be exact, between high and medium-low range policies.

• High-end plans: as you can imagine, this type of insurance is characterized by having extremely complete coverage in almost all dental services, so much so that it is even likely that they pay the full cost of complex treatments. Of course, it is not a surprise that the premium amounts of the high-end policies are also high, but you can be sure that their benefits are worth it.
• Low-medium range plans: in this case, the prices of the policies are much easier for the client to cover and, therefore, their benefits may also be lower. Also, dental work may only be partially covered by insurance, which means you’ll have to pay co-pays or set deductible amounts.

dental insurance costs

Now, the first thing you should know about dental insurance prices is that their ranges can vary depending on multiple factors, but they are usually between $15 and $60 per month . Compared to the costs of health or life insurance, the difference is extremely noticeable.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the cheapest way to access the policies is through the employer. This is because the companies hired by the companies for their workers often offer lower rates and discounts on a recurring basis.

Of course, insurers usually have a limit of amounts that can be covered by their plans, which, generally, are not greater than $1,500 per year . Therefore, if the insured needs other dental treatments, she will have to cover them at her own expense.

What do dental policies cover?

Finally, we want you to know the 100/80/50 model that the different insurance companies follow to determine what your coverage will be like.

• 100% coverage in routine consultations whose main objective is cleaning, preventive habits, fluoride treatments and other similar ones.
• 80% coverage on other dental services that may be a little more complex than those already mentioned, such as extractions, root canals, and fillings.
• 50% coverage on other types of dental care such as crowns, bridges, tooth implants and other invasive procedures.