Is individual dental insurance really your best option or is a dental discount plan the way to go? This is a question that is driving some consumers crazy because they don't know which way to go and want to make the correct choice the first time. After all, dental, like most insurance, is not cheap. It's about time that someone actually took the time to compare these two plans, so I'll take the time and compare these two for you.

Dental insurance is the traditional choice because discount plans didn't even exist until the early 1990's. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that they're better. If that were the case, then why have dental discount plans been able to stick around for 15 years now?

The big problem with these plans is that they ARE insurance. Think about it for a moment. If you wreck your car and only have liability coverage, do you think that you'll be able to go and get full coverage and have it repaired? Of course not! The insurance companies aren't dumb. Well, dental insurance works the same, individual and family. If you have pre-existing conditions you'll have to wait at least a year before your policy will help you at all. Even then the help you get will be very small. Individual dental insurance is only designed to provide preventive dentistry, like cleanings, ect., not major dental. This means that if you are in pain right now an individual dental insurance policy won't pay for one thing.

Dental discount plans are honestly your best choice because they are designed to save you money on both preventive AND major dental and you can see a participating dentist or specialist within one to three days after you join the plan. Since they're not insurance, existing problems are fine and there's no claim paperwork to process. Simply pay for your discounted fee at the time of your visit and you're finished. Most plans offer savings of between ten & sixty percent.

Summary

Individual dental insurance is outdated and doesn't provide the care that you need. If you're thinking of buying an individual dental plan, then dental discount plans are by far your best option.