Hi,

I need help in finding a dental plan. I am disabled and the insurance I have does not cover any dental. I have search over the internet and found some plans but they are discount plans so I really dont know the difference in them vs dental insurance. I need alot of work done to my mouth and need to find something that can work into my fixed budget.

I most likely will have to get my entire top extracted...and at $400 a pop a tooth that can be expensive!!!!!

Thanks Seattle

I hope you find what you are looking for and need. There are two basic types of plans: typical dental insurance and pre-paid plans. The pre-paid plans, such as DentiCare and American Dental Plan give you a substantial discount on dental fees. There are no deductibles or maximums. You do pay a monthly premium and the discounts are substantial. The downside is that the fees you pay are the total fees that dentist will receive. He gets no additional fees other than a monthly capitation fee for belonging to the plan as a provider. The fee you would pay for the procedure is often less than what it actually costs the dentist. He is in effect wotking at a loss. Some dentists take the loss and make up for it in the fees they receive from other patients. Others will use cheaper materials and laboratories to reduct costs. You will find that the vast majority of dentists taking these plans are large offices that employ dentists right out of school. Most of the more experienced dentists do not take these plans. You cannot go the a dentist of your choice, you must go to a participating provider.

Traditinal insurance plans have gone the route of PPOs. They get dentists to agree to take a lower fee in order to be listed as a preferred provider. Even though they encourage (and often mislead) their subscribers to see a preferred provider, you have the freedom of choice to see any dentist of your choosing. The downside to dental insurance is that the insurance companies usually will limit the amount of money they pay to $1,000 - $2,000. This is the same maximum amount that they paid 15+ years ago. Have costs increased in the last 15 years? Of course. Then why hasn't the insurance company increased their maximum payment? The insurance company loses money by paying claims, therefore, they do their best not to pay. They are not on your side.

So where does that leave you? Unfortunately, this is a problem that needs addressing. Everyone wants the best treatment - for any medical procedure - available. The best costs money. There are many more options available to medical procedures than there are for dental procedures.

I wish you the best, but I don't have the answer you are looking for.

Have you thought about going to a community dental clinic or school?
There are several schools in the Seattle area that offer affordable dentistry--University of Washington and some dental hygiene/dental assisting colleges.
I do not know of any community clinics in town but am sure they are some availible also.

Good suggestion. Most community dental clinics have income criteria before accepting someone as a patient. You could check with the one in your area. Dental schools are different and will usually accept patients depending upon the needs of the school. Schools do charge for services and it can take much longer to finish treatment. But fees are generally lower and you do get acceptable quality work.

Hi,

Thx for replies. I did try the University of WA but unfortunatley they did not have any avialable appointments till mid June. I need to have this tooth taken care of asap. I will bite the bullet and pay the $400 and get it taken care of. Until then I will look into making an appointment with the U of WA ot where ever to get the rest of my top extracted.

Seattle

I have written congress to let them know the extent of the problems w/ dental. In america dental is more of a luxury for the rich. It is so sad that i have to suffer in pain because i am unable to come up w/ the 900.00 need for a root canal. I am tired of hurting. I pay my taxes and it is time that America veiws dental as a neccesatiy, and not a luxury. I encourage everyone in my situation to do the same. Just go to keyword congress. Let them know that we need a dental plan for low income families that is affordable.

Holy kadoodles $400 a tooth?

Good statement Angltin2005:)

I wish I could help but I live in BC Canada. It is so different between the USA and us, I really didn't realize how much till coming to this site. I thank god everyday.
I hope one day your people in power get around to offering more financial/dental/medical assistance!