A year ago we made the drastic decision to drop our dental insurance.
{gasp, the horror}
And frankly, we’ve come out well ahead. It was well thought out, and in retrospect I would do it again.
Here were our reasons for dropping it:
1. Our dental insurance was crap. It paid, I think, maybe, up to a whole 600 dollars for braces. When we went to get sealants on Mr Middle’s teeth, we had to pay our deductible. It ended-up being almost entirely us paying for it. When Drew had a crown replaced I quickly realized it probably would have been cheaper to just negotiate a cash price with our dentist, rather than pay the price with insurance. We didn’t end-up saving much. For BIG stuff they only paid like 25%. It was just sad when I really read through their information!
2. Look for a discount dental chain. We have had some luck with chains with low pricing. I have also had some really poor service lately. I’m not sure where I stand with #2….
3. Take a look at your costs. I called a discount chain and asked for their prices for cleanings/x-rays/fillings. I figured out how much we’d be paying with our insurance for those things and I figured out we’d still be saving money. It really was a win-win.
4. We are able to put the money we’re not using on dental into an HSA. We then just withdraw it for our dental needs. That allows us to have that cushion when something DOES go wrong. We are saving an extra 1200/year with this option (since dental insruance was 100/month for us) and we were NOT saving even CLOSE to 1200/year with our dental insurance.
5. In general {kocking on wood} we have pretty good teeth. I think if our teeth were crumbling out of our mouths we may think differently.
What’s happened:
1. We dropped dental right after they made their first payment for El Presidante’s braces. We also ALL went in for cleanings before it was up so we got the full use of it.
My ❤️ hotels for your 2024 trip:
– Best Western Park Place — it’s the CLOSEST hotel, has a breakfast and if it’s available for your dates, BOOK IT. If not, check out the Tropicana.
– Cambria – this is my favorite one with a great price point for larger groups – has a water park and free breakfast (not walkable though) – but if you want a walkable suite check out Castle Inn
2. I have never had a cavity. Every dentist tells me my teeth are like rocks. I am only going to get cleanings/check-ups once a year. I’ve actually heard that twice a year is overkill unless you’ve had issues. However, my kids are horrible teeth brushers, so I’ll still be hauling them.
3. Some dental chains gives you a discount when you pay in cash all at once, so we’ve used our HSA to do that. We paid in full for the braces, saving us over 500 dollars.
4. So far, so good!
Before you go dental-commando:
1. Check you dental insurance. Is it great, do you have braces coming up? Maybe it will save you big? Make SURE you know what you have before you leave it. Also, if your employer already pays a sizeable amount, maybe just stick with it! {ours, does not}
2. See if you can find discount dental nearby you. Or, talk to your regular dentist, and see if they have a list of regular cash prices that you could look at before making the change.
3. If you are tied to a pediatric dentist, consider going to a regular family dentist. They are all dentists, one just costs a WHOLE lot more. And by a whole lot I mean a WHOLE. LOT. So, if pediatric dental is key for you — maybe don’t drop. Or, check their cash prices, maybe it will surprise you {and me!}.
4. Obviously, get everything done that you can while you’re still on dental. But, realize that even if you do need a filling or something you are saving enough to cover it.
5. Make a dental savings account. If you don’t have an HSA, somehow set-aside money to cover your dental needs. You don’t want to be caught off guard.
I really think dropping dental was a great plan for us. Has anyone else dropped it, or is considering it? Tell us below!
Havok says
When I had health insurance that also covered dental it was horrible. I was paying for just about everything, even though the initial numbers (from the dentist after seeing all that I needed) said I would be paying next to nothing.
I paid 100$ out of pocket for a cleaning, while on insurance, and paid about 380$ for an emergency extraction without insurance. Pretty sure all dental plans are a rip off, ha!
Hilary says
Well, if it CAME with our health insurance, that would be another bag of pickles…. insurance. Lame.
Manuela@A Cultivated Nest says
Nope! We have ok dental insurance. They do cover braces now (2 years after we paid for them out of pocket). Routine cleaning is free everything else is at 50%. I cracked the back part of a tooth off last summer and had to have a crown put on a few months ago and I was really happy to have my insurance. Plus it took me years to find a dentist that I felt comfortable with and that stays on top of new developments in the field. My husband and I both have fillings so we don’t have “strong” teeth. We also have vision and I could drop that if I felt we needed the funds elsewhere. But not dental!
Hilary says
Yeah, having good teeth certainly made this easier. Also, having HORRIBLE dental insurance helped too. 🙂 Sounds like you like where you are at! 🙂
Patti says
We lost our health insurance when we lost our jobs this year. We were paying $800 a month for something we never used. 9 months later we still have not needed to go see a doctor. Even if we did we would have only spent $150 for a visit. We have dumped the Rx drugs for essential oils. I now sleep through the night without chemicals. My teeth are whiter and cleaner because we opted out of Crest and went natural without chemicals and flouride. Insurance is a scam.
Hilary says
I do think insurance is a scam, until you REALLY need it. I wish we’d go to a system where insurance only pays in TRUE emergencies, appendix, etc. Doctors visits aren’t what you have insurance for. 🙂 Tell me what you use for toothpaste. My nose always itches like CRAZY when I brush my teeth, I figure it’s because I’m allergic to something in it.
adrienne @ whole new mom says
Hi Hilary. Thought I’d jump in here about other options. I personally am trying out several natural brands that I like and one uber expensive one that a company sent me to try. But this post on my site shares a recipe that might interest you if you’re into DIY stuff. If not happy to tell you about the kinds I’ve tried. Pinned your post, by the way.
http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/why-i-stopped-using-toothpaste/ (this post is by a lady who used to contribute to my site. She has a very interesting story.)
Hilary says
Huh… I checked it out. I’m not sure I’m brave enough for a powder! I bet there is something horrible in my toothpaste though. It sounds nasty. I need to mull over my options! Thanks for posting your link!
Katelyn Fagan says
interesting! I have never had dental insurance. I really love the idea of setting aside that money in an HSA. Last time I went to the dentist, I paid with my husband’s HSA. Plus, we got a low-income customer discount, which helped as well. Right now, even with “bad” teeth in my mouth, I feel like it would be a joke to add on dental insurance.
Hilary says
Katelyn, you are a smart woman. 🙂
Judith W. says
The wisdom of this depends upon your age and your dental hygiene/health. In my mid-30s I suddenly needed many more root canal procedures, crowns and other more extensive treatments. Now I am 60, and though I enjoy general good health and dental hygiene, there is still laser cleaning, gum treatments and crowns to pay for.
Hilary says
I agree… Ithink it made sense for us because our insurance was SO bad! 🙁
Anne Meyer says
Oh,this is great information, especially for families where you have to cover someone without any major dental issues (the employee) in order to get coverage for insurance for someone else in the family with teeth problems who hasn’t had insurance for a while and needs work done
Also keep in mind your specific situation – if you’re a family with growing kids who don’t brush their teeth, you may have more ongoing issues than a couple without kids whose costs are fairly predicatble. If you have teeth that need work because you haven’t had insurance for years, you could get good but expensive coverage, get everything fixed in one year, and then droop it or go with something cheaper.
Hilary says
Yeah, there is lots to consider. I was so worried to go without it, but it has been good for us (probably, mainly, because our dental insurance was horrible)
Jan says
We are lucky enough to live near three dental schools. Our family goes to one of the schools for all of our dental work including cleanings, fillings, root canals, and even implants. It certainly takes longer for a visit with a student dentist since they need to get their professor’s approval on each step of the procedure, but I feel confident knowing that an expert instructor is supervising my care. Oh, and the price is at least 1/2 of what a regular dentist would charge–without insurance. It might be worth finding the nearest dental school (even if it is a few hours away) to see what kind of savings is available. If you only get check ups every year, traveling a bit might be worth it. In addition to dental schools, there are dental hygiene schools which would do cleanings for a very discounted price. In general, I love using the services of students, whether it is having my car fixed by our local vocational high school or getting a manicure, haircut, updo, etc. at our nearby beauty school. You can save a ton of money this way.
Hilary says
Yeah, I haven’t even looked into dental schools! We have a low cost dental place here where cleanings are less than 50 (I think they’re 40 for kids, including x-rays). That’s a great idea though!
Andrea Rivers says
I definitely think insurance has complicated EVERYTHING… It’s kinda like metric and imperial measurements. It’s better to just learn them both separately to see which one works best, than trying to use one and convert it to the other or use together. lol I know that’s a weird comparison. I envy those who know the metric system by heart. lol lol Unfortunately I have bad teeth… but thankfully have good dental insurance. But I totally get how paying out of pocket could save more than paying insurance, pending no issues. . I get that with my chiropractor. I think the cash paying patients definitely pay less in the long run. . And probably less or no surprises due to insurance billing mistakes.. I still comb over all my EOBs like a crazy woman, regardless.
Hilary says
Andrea, it’s so true. I hope to someday get dental coverage again — but I will be more cautious about buying. If it’s useless, I might as well save the money for out of pocket expenses. 🙁