Question: I am thinking about buying a dental plan, but a few people say buying dental insurance is not worth it. Is that true? 

Answer: Our standard answer would be no; that is not true. After all, we sell dental insurance and dental discount plans. However, sometimes, when, why, and who can affect whether or not you think it is worth buying insurance. 

When: Buying dental insurance is essential because you may have to deal with plan waiting periods depending on the dental insurance plan type. You will want to keep that in mind. Plans such as PPO and Indemnity insurance plans will generally have waiting periods. Meanwhile, HMO and dental discount plans will typically not have plan waiting periods. 

Why: Why would you want dental insurance to deal with the necessary dental care? Again, waiting periods come into play.  If your current dental needs are just for preventive dental care such as X-ray office visits and cleaning, you could buy either dental plan and be okay with it. However, if you need fillings, crowns, extractions, etc., waiting periods will once again come into play with effectiveness. 

Who: Who refers to what dental office you wish to visit for your dental care? If you want to stay with a current dental office, buying dental insurance will depend on what that dental office accepts. Dental plan types such as HMO and Discount plans require you to stay in or choose a dentist within their plan network of providers. If the dentist you want to go to is not a provider of these types of plans, then it limits you to PPO or Indemnity dental insurance plans to stay with said provider. Go over what you want in an insurance plan and how it can best fit your needs to see if buying one is worth it. 

We offer many different plan types, and we are here to help. Please call our member service line at 310-534-3444 if you have questions about our dental insurance and plan options. We are always happy to help.