#1. These cheap $8-10.00 per month plans are very maintenance driven. What I mean by this is that they are only designed to give you less expensive preventive care, such as x-rays, teeth cleanings, etc. and not designed to provide much assistance with major dental care. Do yourself a big favor and read every line of the policy exclusions. You'll be asking yourself "just what AM I paying for here?

#2. These plans, like all dental insurance, do not cover pre-existing conditions that were already there when you bought the policy. Try as you may, you can't hide a cavity or a broken tooth. If your dentist puts in a claim for it and it's considered to be pre-existing, you'll be denied and have to pay 100% of the cost to get the problem fixed.

#3. Even with the dental insurance plan, you'll still be responsible for paying your annual deductible and co-pay.

There is a better way that makes much more sense in today's economy. These are called discount dental plans. Discount plans are an excellent alternative to dental insurance because there are no exclusions, pre-existing conditions are no problem, there aren't any co-pays or deductibles and you'll get big discounts on both preventive dental care AND major dental work, such as braces, dentures and crowns.

All that you need to do is find a dentist near you that accepts the discount plan, pay the low cost annual fee to join, set up an appointment time, determine what you need to have done, get the dental care you need and pay them the discounted rate when you're finished. You will save as much as 60% off the average cost of care, whereas, with a dental insurance plan, you would have had to pay 100% for anything pre-existing. You tell me which is the better deal? Why not check out a discount dental plan today?