Many consumers find that discount dental plans are an easy and affordable way to help defray the cost of good dental care. Some people who already have dental coverage find that they save even more by adding a dental discount plan too. These plans are cheap. They also tend to include many different types of procedures, like cosmetic work or braces, and they do not have waiting periods!

What about dental insurance?

Traditional dental insurance has some drawbacks too. With expensive premiums, high deductibles, and low yearly maximums, it may be hard to see how a dental insurance plan saves much money at all. Lots of times, your dental policy will be great if all you need is routine service like a checkup and cleaning twice a year. But what you find, if you actually research it, is that those types of dental services do not cost much.

When a family needs more coverage, they may find that their out of pocket costs surprise them. Complex fillings and crowns usually still require large copayments, and many dental insurance companies do not even cover orthodontics, cosmetic work, or dentures at all!

Some of the problems with many Dental Policies include the following.

Limitations, deductibles and annual maximums may cause you to have more out of pocket costs.

Waiting periods for major dental procedures can delay treatment.

Tedious and time-consuming written claims process could delay payments to dental service providers.

Some dental work may not even be covered because of benefit limits or exclusions.

Certain dental specialties, such as cosmetic dentistry, are rarely covered.

Consumers pay expensive monthly premiums for defined coverage and benefit limits.

Some of the characteristics of Discount Dental Plans include the following.

There are no annual limits and members enjoy their benefits all year long. In addition, most plans wil be activated right away, and they do not have waitin periods. The plan membership card is presented at the dental office, so there will not be a lot of paperwork.

Some plans include discount on dental specialties, like orthodontic or cosmetic detistry.

Many families who have dental insurance at work find that they have more flexibility, and save more money by adding a dental discount plan! The reason for this is that dental discount networks tend to be useful for many services that regular dental insurance policies leave out. The dental discount plans use a huge network of US dentists, and so some families find it easier to find a nearby dental provider too.

These plans can also make it very easy to find local discounts! They have simple online searches, by zip code or dentist name. You can find out if your current dentist accepts the plan or find a new dentist in your area.

Many families who do not have group dental coverage at work will put off routine dental care because they are concerned about the cost. However, this is never a good idea. If a person neglects regular checkups and cleanings, worse problems will develop in the future. Many discount dental plans even offer free, or very inexpensive, routine care like checkups, cleanings, and x-rays.

Some dental plans also offer other medical discounts. The plans are large enough to negotiate discounts with vision services, drugs stores, and more. With dental plans costing a few dollars a month, most will do more than pay for themselves!

Many health insurance plans provide optional dental benefits for their plan members. The optional dental health insurance benefits come with an additional monthly fee. Health insurance subscribers are not required to enroll in a dental health insurance coverage option even when they enroll in a health insurance plan. However, consumers should be aware that dental services and products are not covered under standard health insurance plans unless subscribers opt for dental coverage.

"Dental benefits are just as essential as medical benefits," said Robert Shechet, DDS, director of dental programs for Health Net of California. "Studies have shown that poor dental health can lead to heart attacks, strokes, premature or low-birthweight deliveries, diabetes complications and other serious medical conditions. Through this offering, Health Net is helping Medi-Cal beneficiaries be healthier."

The Medi-Cal program through Health Net provides comprehensive medical benefits to nearly 450,000 beneficiaries in Los Angeles County. Health Net of California provides Medi-Cal coverage in 10 counties across California, reaching more than 700,000 individuals. In addition to the Medi-Cal coverage that Health Net provides, it also provides Health Families coverage to about 150,000 consumers in 35 counties across California.

With specific regards to dental coverage, Health Net provides dental health care coverage to about 50,000 Medi-Cal participants in Sacramento and Los Angeles and to an additional 90,000 beneficiaries of the Health Families program.

Health Net has already been providing substitute dental coverage for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who lost coverage in the 2009 cutbacks. "Health Net is committed to helping Californians be healthy," said Dave Meadows, Health Net of California's vice president of State Health Programs. "We believe we are the only health plan in California extending dental benefits to adult beneficiaries, and providing substitute dental benefits to adults in the Medi-Cal program until the usual or similar benefits are restored is one more way we are working to preserve California's medical and dental safety net."

"Continued access to dental care is crucial for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and even more so for those with disabilities and other challenging medical conditions," said Irma Resendez, founder and president of Familia Unida, a non-profit organization serving thousands of individuals and families affected by multiple sclerosis and other conditions in Southern California. "Too often, we see people whose dental conditions deteriorate and become medical problems because they do not have coverage for dental care and cannot afford to visit a dentist."

California health insurance consumers should take time now to reexamine their health insurance plans to ensure that they have dental coverage. Unless they have specifically requested the optional dental coverage benefit, California health insurance plan members may not actually be covered.

Also, consumers should be aware of the importance of reviewing their health insurance plans annually to ensure that they have the right health insurance coverage for their specific needs. In some cases where dental health care coverage is too expensive for a consumer's budget, the individual may want to investigate Health Savings Account options. With the Health Savings Account option, the consumer may be able to get more affordable health insurance as well as a tax-deductible savings account that can help them save thousands of dollars a year.

Consumers should speak with an experience health insurance agent in order to be sure that they are getting accurate and comprehensive information about their health insurance and dental insurance plan options. Health insurance agents will learn about consumers' specific lifestyle and budgetary needs, and then find the most appropriate health insurance plans for those needs so that consumers get health and dental insurance plans that will truly meet their specific needs.