Dental Savings Plan?

[dresden]

I signed up through Obamacare for a plan that included dental and vision.  Since none of the plans included our dentist I decided to give another dentist a try.  To make a long story short we had this dentist for nearly 25 years except a few years when we relocated out of state.  I have a few teeth that have been on a watch list for 10 years without ever having work done and I am confident our dentist only recommends treatments that are necessary.

The new dentist wanted to redo 6 fillings and a tooth cap - 2 months after our dentist said everything was fine.  It smells like an upselling model to me.  So I am stuck with this insurance for 2020 - a lesson learned.  So we are looking at options - insurance seems crazy - comparing premiums to max coverage it seems like a bad deal.  After the fact I realized I missed a PPO option under obamacare that covers cleanings, checkup, xray only @ 100% and nothing extra.

I checked with my dentist if they offered discounts for uninsured and they do not.  Aetna sells a discount card for 120 for the family which would give us the normal Aetna discounted rates- (acts effectively like an insurance card but we pay 100%).  Still, seems like our best option to stick with our dentist and keep our costs down.  Does anyone have experience with dental discount cards?

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

[Peach]

I've had a Cigna plan (Preferred Network Access) bought online at dentalplans.com for many years.  Dentists who allow these plans give you a discount according to your chosen plan.  The site lets you check to see if your dentist honors the card and gives you examples of savings.  Cost savings are usually anywhere between one third and one half of the normal charge.  I pay on average $100 yearly for the plan, and a good bit of that gets made up by two regular cleanings and one checkup.  They always seem to be running specials, so make sure you check for discount codes should you buy through them.  I've had great luck with them and always recommend them to anyone who doesn't have dental insurance.

[DadJokes]

I use a discount program called Careington. It works just like you described with that Aetna plan. I pay $99/year and have guaranteed prices for various procedures. It pays for itself just by getting two checkups/cleanings per year. The downside with the plan is the limited number of dentists that accept it, but if your current dentist accepts the plan, then it's probably a good deal.

[frugaliknowit]

Having had thousands and thousands of dollars of reconstructive work done due to an accident (trauma) I had as a kid, I confidently make the following statement about Dental plans/dental "insurance" (insurance, what are you "insuring", $1,000 per year max, minus copays, yada, yada...)/Dental Maintenance Organizations (DMOs):

A bunch of "Smoke and Mirrors"

[LifeHappens]

The new dentist wanted to redo 6 fillings and a tooth cap - 2 months after our dentist said everything was fine.  It smells like an upselling model to me. 

I would seriously consider finding another dentist. I've moved a few times in the past 10 years and had to find new dentists. There are some who definitely practice the "Drill, baby, drill!" model of dentistry while others are more conservative and will watch for things to really deteriorate before intervening. Save yourself a lot of money and discomfort by searching for the second type.

[dresden]

Thanks all - we went with the Aetna dental savings card which is accepted by our dentist.  $125/year for the family - will pay for itself with just cleanings.  Seems like the way to go.