The Facts

• We may be a nation of dental delinquents. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 12 percent of adults ages 20-64 have not been to a dentist in the past five years. 23 percent of children ages 2 to 11 and 3 percent of 12 to 19 year olds have never been to a dentist. Seniors ages 50-64 have an average of just over 22 permanent teeth remaining and 10 percent of those in the same age bracket have no remaining natural teeth. Among adults ages 35 to 49, 3 percent have lost all of their teeth.
  
  

Benefits

• Having a dental insurance policy provides the insured the coverage to seek dental care when it is needed. The high cost of dental care, including frequent cleanings, will be minimized, giving you more incentive to keep your appointments in the future. Parents with dental insurance will be more inclined to bring their children in for regular visits to cut down on oral health problems, which are costing students 52 million hours of school annually.
  
  

Types

• There are different types of dental insurance plans that are modeled after health insurance plans. You can opt for an HMO dental plan, which requires a member to choose a primary dentist. A PPO dental plan, permits the insurer to use any doctor from within the network for care.
  
  Indemnity dental insurance plans are not as common as they used to be. They allow the insured to receive his care from a dentist regardless of location. These plans have higher out of pocket costs.
  
  

Considerations

• If you want to avoid dealing directly with an insurance company, another option you can choose is to participate in a dental discount plan. These plans do not require normal insurance obligations such as filling out claims, paying deductibles or premiums, and lengthy medical applications and exams. Instead, members pay an annual membership fee to join the plan. Members seek dental care from a list of dentists that are provided to them. The dentist will perform dental care at a discounted rate to members and receive the payments directly and not through the company that manages the plan. There are no exclusions, annual limits on benefits, set coinsurance and co-pay amounts associated with this plan.
  
  

Warning

• Not having a dental insurance plan can have several consequences. The cost of preventive care that is recommended by dental professionals in order to maintain a healthy smile will have to come out of pocket and depending on how many visits you make a year, the costs will add up. If you skip your preventive care visits, you run the risk of bacteria and plaque damaging your gums and teeth causing tooth decay, cavities and gum disease. Major dental work such as a root canal, extraction and oral surgery may be necessary because of poor maintenance. All of these problemscan leave you with missing teeth, a bad smile and bad breath.