Yes, I tried that a number of years ago and learned a whole lot about the dental business. The problem is partly Delta Dental (DD) and partly the dentist you end up choosing. The one I tried had terrific reviews, impressive credentials, a very nice office (and was charming and very easy on the eyes, to boot!) BUT...
I learned that different dentists have different ways of dealing with the very, very low fees that Delta Dental is willing to pay dentists. (Sound familiar?) I learned from my current dentist that some just limit the number of DD patients they take. (She doesn't accept DD at all.)
Others, however, will just cut corners with what they do. This guy rushed through the work he did for me, which ended up being pretty shoddy. I believe my first visit was to have a chipped a tooth fixed. Later, after having my teeth cleaned, I had several old fillings fall out over a period of weeks. (And his office manager kept finding 'extras' to charge me with that weren't covered by DD.) Needless to say, I didn't go back to him - and I didn't renew my DD insurance. I also had to replace the fix on the chipped tooth in less than two years. That all was at least 3 or 4 years ago and the 2nd fix is just fine...
My current dentist gives me a 10% discount. I'm not sure if it's because I don't have insurance, if I'm a 'senior' or, as she said, because she likes me. (I'm betting it's one of the first two...  ) But that's something to ask about when choosing a dentist. Some also may offer a cash discount. (I pay with plastic which makes it easier for me to track.)
The biggest 'catch' with dental insurance - especially in the independent market, where we pay the whole premium, unlike a company policy - I think is that they all say they 'help' pay for blah, blah, blah. So it gives you some kind of a discount, but you're still paying something significant for nearly every service, plus the cost of the premiums. So you want to be sure to factor that all in before signing up. Are the premiums more than what you'd end up saving? Tough to know...
Good luck! (It's enough to give anyone a headache!) |
