So who claims to have the best dental plans anyway? That's a good question. There's been a lot of debate about this issue. Do I buy traditional dental insurance or do I go with one of these new dental discount plans? We'll take a look at both of these plans and you determine for yourself which was the best. Fair enough?

Dental insurance is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of getting some kind of dental plan. This is because you've been trained to think that way. This is what our parents had, probably through their employer, however, you're fortunate if you can get discount covers to your employer nowadays because most small businesses have had to drop dental plans from their list of benefits. It just became too expensive.

Dental insurance is basically designed for preventive maintenance, things such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride treatments, check ups, etc. and they do not cover pre-existing conditions. This means that if you have a problem with your teeth right now, and it's causing you pain or something that obviously needs to be worked on, buying a dental insurance plan today won't do your bit of good. The reason behind this is because dental insurance providers require waiting period of normally six to 12 months before they'll cover any pre-existing condition. This is really pretty normal for the insurance industry. Think about it. If you go to get your vehicle covered and you have a large dent on the passenger side door, eating the insurance company is going to pay for that? Of course not! It was already there before you about the policy. Dental insurance works the same way.

Dental discount plans are much easier to explain. A group of dentists have joined together to form a network. This network has buying power which benefits the dentists on purchases that they must make on a regular basis in order to run their practice. This makes offering discounts worthwhile for them. Also, it works out very well for them because they don't have to hassle with insurance paperwork or waiting to get paid for up to 45 days. This is how it works; you pay a small fee to become a member of the plan and within one to three business days you'll have all of the information that you need to be able to visit a dentist. You then find a participating dentist in your area and make an appointment. You go and get a complete exam and then determine what you'd like to have taken care of at that time. The Dentist takes care of your procedures and you pay them the discounted cost in full at the time of your visit. You're finished.

The advantage of dental discount plans, and since they are not insurance, there aren't any exclusions, waiting periods, age limitations, very little paperwork involved, etc. it's a win-win for both you and the participating dentist. You save anywhere from 10% to 60% on your dental costs and the dentist gets their money right away. At this time I suggest you get a little bit more information on both, after which, you can decide which is the best dental plan. Fair enough?