Dental Insurance - I have several major procedures I need done ASAP !!!!!?

I have sevaral teeth that are giving me a fit and I recently just had an xray done and the dentist told me they have got to come out A-SAP! Two of them are my wisdom teeth and one is completly hollow and the root is exposed! It Hurts and they all look pretty nasty! Anyway, I have a $200 bill as of right now that I must pay before the dentist will even see me again ,but now to prevent from running up a ridiculous bill (cause I know it's gonna get expensive) I'm hoping I can get some insurance that will kick into effect right away and start to cover all this stuff that I'm about to have done. Atleast half the cost anyway.





Has anyone been in this situation before and can tell me what to do? Any Advice at all? Thanks.

Dental Insurance - I have several major procedures I need done ASAP !!!!!?
Most of the time, the only way to get really good dental coverage is through your employer. When you buy dental insurance as an individual, there are deductibles and co-pays and annual maximums that you need to analyze in order to figure out when and if you will actually save money by having insurance coverage. Some of the premiums I have seen make it almost impossible to realize any positive cash flow from the related policy. I mean, at $60 a month with $100 deductible and $1,000 annual maximum, you will have to take $820 out of your own pocket before you realize one penny of "profit" or net gain from your dental insurance.





Then you have to calculate the effect of co-payements. Check the figures and do the math yourself.





Be cautious about buying or choosing a plan where you do not have any choice about the dentist you can see, because you just might not like the dentist(s) listed on the plan and then you are stuck for a year until you can get out of it.





Be cautious about buying a so-called "dental discount plan," often mentioned on Yahoo!, since they also have restrictive lists and they really are not dental insurance at all. Just be careful and understand what you are buying.





For many people who just can't get good dental insurance, a regular savings plan sort of like a Christmas Club with $20-25 a month deposited into a dedicated account will pay off when you examine the return over a lifetime. You may run way over your savings at first, but once you get your mouth straightened out, your annual expenses should not be more than a couple hundred dollars most of the time.





For major treatment, dental insurance is no great deal anyhow. They limit you to $1,000-1,500 per year, subject you to deductibles, co-pays, etc. Imagine if you were in a car accident and your carrier said, "Yep, it's a total loss. Here's a check for $1,500. Good luck coming up with enough money to buy a new car." Dental "insurance" should usually be considered a payment arrangement where you give your dollars to a large company who holds onto them until you say the secret word and manage to get a few of them back.
Reply:Is there a dental school in your area? They will often do work for free.
Reply:Nothing that will kick in right away, and nothing that covers 50%! Dental insurance is hardly worth it....they just don't pay very much. They cover the preventative, such as cleanings and offer discounts on cavity fillings, but nothing major like you need. Sorry!
Reply:Dental Schools can offer you deals.





Insurance won't help you. There are pre-existing condition clauses, and once you're diagnosed, you won't have coverage for that particular problem for 6 months.
Reply:I'm sorry to hear about your problems. I know exactly how it is because I was in a similar situation last year. Dentists are outrageously expensive and dental insurance doesn't seem to cover anything. They take your premiums but don't want to pay much for the expensive procedures like extractions. I suggest you do what I did and check into discount dental plans. They are much cheaper than insurance (less than $100 per year) and they take effect immediately. The plan that I signed up for pays between 50% and 75% of my bills. The plans that are available depend on where you live. I used this site: http://dental-ppo.com to search by zip code and found several where I live in Florida. I recommend you check out that site and see what is available in your area. I hope everything works out okay for you.
Reply:Find a dental office that takes carecredit. It's like a credit card for medical/dental stuff. You can apply online and if you pay the balance off in 18 mo. there is no interest.


-Dental Assistant
Reply:All the answers are definitely right. You have many options such as the discount plans- some are Ameriplan (which I would recommend) or Unicare. Ameriplan seems to be cheaper and the fees are discounted a lot, which is very helpful!





Carecredit is a line of credit (that doesnt have a major credit logo on it i.e. visa mastercard etc.) So in that case, you can only use it for healthcare purposes and the office has to have the carecredit card machine. It is helpful because you can use it for offices such as: medical, vet, vision, dental, cosmetic etc. Anywhere that accepts it! They also have 0% interest for whatever you charge out for 12 months or 18. Which means you have a whole year to pay it off before they start tacking interest on your bills!





Dental schools are also an option, but I would make that your last resort!!





Good luck!!
Reply:Delta Dental and Blue Cross Blue Shield both have some decent plans that you might want to consider. Be sure to read over the plan provisions very carefuly. Alot of plans require 12-24 month wait periods on certain procedures. Check with your dentist and find out if he is a participating provider with any insurance companies and if so see if those companies can set you up with a good plan. As a participating provider he will be required to write-off certain charges. This will cut your cost. He will accept what insurance pays then bill you for a percentage of the remainer and not get paid for the other percentage. Also, you might want to consider checking into getting some work done at a local College of Dentistry if there is one nearby. They will usually do the work at a significantly reduced price. And don't worry about having students work on you they are well trained and very well supervised you will be in good hands. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
Reply:I have a dental discount plan and the savings are great and the plan is very affordable. Most times I save 50% or more on my dental services. Once you get the plan you can use it right away! For more information about the plan visit:





http://www.wehavebenefits.com





On this same website you look up the dental providers in your area that accept this plan.
Reply:The truth about dental insurance is that it would not help you with big dental bills that much. You can try finding something good on dentalplans.com
Reply:Um, good luck finding 50% off. Try out your local hospital, they may mend your teeth for free (they do sometimes).
Reply:Lots of good advice here. Check out every option..you never know. But you need immediate help because you are in pain. I would either look for another dentist in your area and ask if they will make a payment plan with you...or go to your local hospital to check for a dental clinic. Many hospitals do have them on the premises. Any clinic will go on a sliding payment scale. Go to the ER as a last resort..they will bill you and give you something for pain. They can refer you somewhere you can afford! Best wishes.