Affordable Dental Care for the Elderly

Caring for your teeth doesn’t become any less important as you get older. Regular checkups and cleanings will help to reduce the risk of serious detail problems at any age. Being able to afford it though shouldn’t be what prevents you from getting what you need. There are dental plans for seniors to help make it possible and affordable.

The number of elderly who haven’t been to a dentist in years is upsetting. When asked, most of them will tell you they don’t have the money to get to see a provider. There are too many other priorities they must spend their money on including housing, food, and medications. A low premium for great dental care can change many things for you.

Compare Plans

Take the time to compare dental plans for seniors as there can be many differences. The prices often vary based on what is included. Some have a lengthy waiting period which means you can’t use the benefits immediately. Others allow you to schedule an appointment and to get the care as soon as you sign up and pay your premium.

Find out about the payments to the dental providers too. Some dental plans for seniors require you to pay it all out of pocket. Then a claim is processed and they will send you a check. It can take a long time to get reimbursed. Realistically, many seniors don’t have the funds to go this route.

The better plans pay the dental provider directly. You will know what your out of pocket costs are going to be in advance. You can budget to pay for them and the insurance coverage will take care of the rest once the dental office has submitted the claim.

Selecting a Provider

If you already have a dentist, find out about the dental plans for seniors they accept. You don’t want to have to change providers due to the coverage you have in place. While you may not have a choice sometimes, check with your current dental office. They will often try to do all they can to get that program approved so they can accept it. They want to keep you as a customer!

If you don’t have a dentist, you can select one of the dental plans for seniors and then find a provider. Before you buy though, make sure they have a long list of great providers you can pick from. Always find out the reputation of any dentist before you schedule an appointment with them. Find out about the types of procedures and methods they offer at that office.

Routine Needs

There are dental plans for seniors that only cover the routine needs. This includes annual exams, x-ray, and a cleaning every six months. These are the most affordable plans. However, you aren’t going to have coverage should you need something more advanced. It is a good idea to have that coverage in place. At some point, most people will need to access those services.

Regular checkups can help you to avoid pain in the mouth and gums. It can help the dentist to recognize signs of problems before they are able to progress. Getting help early on is going to save you money on those more extensive procedures too.

Advanced Dental Care

Coverage for advanced dental care will help you to keep your smile looking great. It will help you to avoid dental problems that will only continue to get worse without successful dental care by a professional. You should look for a plan that will help you to save at least 50% on all of the advanced dental care needs.

Your overall dental care is important for your health and your self-confidence. Yet many people don’t get regular checkups or cleanings due to the cost. They don’t have dental coverage and they may end up with serious dental needs, loose, or missing teeth. Preventative care is very important. We offer a variety of plans to help ensure everyone has the opportuni

Benefits Of Having A Good Dental Care

Discount Dental Plans and Affordable Dental Care

Healthy teeth and gums play a fundamental role in our overall health. Regrettably, rising dental insurance premiums and treatment costs have made dental care inaccessible to many people across the nation. Today, there are more than 108 million children and adults without dental insurance in the U.S. As the need for affordable dental care continues to grow, more and more people turn toward discount dental plans as a cost-effective and easy-to-use alternative to dental insurance.

Current research shows a clear shift in the dental benefits marketplace attributed, in part, to concerns with cost, choice and service. Many consumers and employers are moving away from the inflated premiums, strict restrictions, poor service and other limitations often associated with traditional dental insurance and are looking toward the savings and benefits offered by discount dental plans. “With an estimated 45% of Americans not having any type of dental coverage, and the dental insurance marketplace offering few, affordable dental products for individuals, discount dental plans are an attractive answer to the need to reduce consumer out-of-pocket costs and increase access to care.”

Discount dental plans provide consumers with the value they desire by offering access to affordable, quality dental care at a low price and with an emphasis on choice and service. Plan members pay a low annual membership fee and are granted access to a network of participating providers offering discounts of 10% to 60% on most dental procedures, including braces, root canals, crowns, dentures, cosmetic dentistry and more on select plans. Certain plans even include discounts on additional benefits, including prescription, vision, hearing and chiropractic care.

Discount dental plans, designed to provide significant savings on members’ dental care needs, have quickly become an attractive alternative to costly dental insurance. Traditional dental insurance, once the only dental benefit option available, features many drawbacks including costly deductibles, tedious claim forms, long waiting periods and other limitations. On the other hand, discount dental plans are more cost-effective, easy-to-use and free of these hassles.

Additionally, discount dental plans – starting at $79.95 per year for individuals and $129.95 per year for families – are much more affordable than dental insurance. According to a 2005 report by the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP), a trusted representative of the dental benefits industry, the average monthly premium for individual dental HMO insurance is nearly $16 (about $192 per year), compared to nearly $24 (about $288 per year) for individual dental PPO insurance and nearly $31 (about $372 per year) for individual dental indemnity insurance. According to NADP, “Discount dental plans have become an economical and important alternative to combat the rising cost of health care. They are a cost-effective vehicle for millions of undeserved consumers to improve their access to dental care.”

Discount dental plans also provide businesses and other groups with dental benefits that are easy to implement and practically effortless to manage. Many businesses are using discount dental plans to offer dental benefits to people that are rarely covered by traditional dental insurance, including retirees, part-timers, seasonal workers and uninsured dependents. Businesses can protect their employees’ health and provide peace of mind by encouraging their team to join a money-saving discount dental plan

Tips For Affordable Dental Care For Children, Students, Families & Seniors

Staying current with dental care cleanings and treatments is important – regardless of your age.

In today’s economy, however, some look at preventive dental care treatments as an extra cost that can be cut. Unfortunately, doing this tends to only lead to more painful situations – for both your teeth and your pocket book.

First, we’ll explore the challenges of paying for dental care for each age group, including children, students, newlyweds and seniors. Then, we’ll provide a solution that can help make dental care more affordable at any age.

Dental Care Budgeting Challenges for Each Age Group

Children from Kindergarten to 12th Grade

For families on limited budgets, or families just temporarily hurting from the tough economy, preventive visits to the dentist may get lost in the budget cuts.

This is unfortunate, because dental disease currently accounts for 51 million lost school hours per year, and it is preventable in most cases.

Many parents share the misconception that dental care can be postponed until their children’s baby teeth are replaced by adult teeth. But on the contrary, dental health issues from childhood often transfer to adult teeth.

A simple way to reduce the chances of lifetime dental health issues for your children is to take them to the dentist twice a year for preventive checkups and cleanings – in order to catch and fix problems in early stages.

College Students

While many students operate on a shoe-string budget during these years, it’s still important to keep dental care cleanings and treatments current.

Doing this, however, becomes trickier as access to family dental insurance plans waivers based on age and student status limitations.

In situations where students do not have dental insurance, it’s easy to see treatments and checkups as auxiliary costs that can be temporarily dropped. With an already limited budget and no assistance with dental care costs, a root canal or other major dental procedure can become a very painful and expensive experience for a college student.

Just Married

For those who get married in their 20s or 30s, other major purchases may take away from the health care budget.

Buying a house, getting a new car or even making room in the budget for future additions to the family make it tempting to lengthen the time between dental checkups and cleanings.

However, just as with other age groups, postponing preventive checkups and cleanings can lead to much bigger problems down the road – especially when the dental care budget has already been reallocated for other expenses.

Golden Years

Many seniors find themselves on a fixed income and unfortunately, with age, the risk for dental problems increases.

A study conducted in New York showed that among seniors, 15% listed cost as the main barrier to accessing the dental care they need. For the other 85%, transportation was the leading barrier, which in many cases may tie indirectly to financial problems.

Seniors have a 300% greater chance to develop cavities than children and about 30% of all seniors lose their natural teeth. With statistics like these, it is easy to see why it’s so important for seniors to maintain regular dental checkups and cleanings.

A Dental Care Solution for Any Age Group

All too often, when people of any age group find themselves lacking either medical or dental insurance, they go into “wait until something happens” mode. And this can be a very costly mistake.

Whether insurance access or affordability is the problem, there is an alternative for people in any age bracket – a discount dental plan. These plans allow individuals and families to get the preventive or emergency care they need quickly, as most plans activate within three days.

DentalPlans.com members can choose from more than 30 discount dental plans and over 100,000 participating dentist listings in combined networks nationwide. Ready to start saving on your dental care today? A dis

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