DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD DENTAL PLAN IN TEXAS?
I’m looking fοr a grеаt dental рlаn here іn texas..I live іn dallas tx.I hаνе bееn looking online comparing plans bυt I wουld lіkе tο know frοm anyone thаt hаѕ a gοοd dental рlаn bесаυѕе one thing іѕ whаt thе insurances ѕау аnd another іѕ whаt thе real deal іѕ..ѕο pls іf anyone know οf gοοd dentap insurance lеt mе know I really need ѕοmе dental work..thanks 
“Great” dental insurance is non-existant unless you work for a company with great benefits that will foot the bill for it. From a Dentist’s standpoint I will tell you this: You will find a big difference in providers across what you may think is great insurance and what really is. For instance, Metlife is generally a good insurance plan, but I wouldn’t send my worst enemy to their providers, because I know what they allow dentists to charge. Good work cannot be done for the low reimbursement, so the patient suffers by getting low quality or low service. On the other hand if you go to an out of network provider and choose them through friend referral (meaning someone you know has used them and was happy), they pay very well and allow for quality work and service. Another is Delta Dental…it is hard for dentists to take this plan and Metlife as in-network unless they are cutting corners (cheap materials, cheap labs) or giving you bad service (over diagnosing make up for the poor reimbursement, seeing lots of patients at once so you have to wait).
I am a dentist in Texas, and I have patients come into my office every day that have either been told they need work they don’t, or had poor work done that is having to be re-done from some of these in-network providers. The insurance will tell you they are screened…that is a load of garbage…and will throw around terms like “usual and customary” which is all made up. Bottom line, insurance is a business to take in more money than they pay out…plain and simple. They don’t care about you, or the dentist. Most dental insurances are worthless, as the maximum is only like $1000-1500/year. You need to weigh this with your premiums, and how much dental work you have needed in the past. Also they have waiting periods, missing tooth clauses, and some don’t pay for crowns or implants…so be careful!
I would advise you to be sure you can pick your own dentist first and foremost, and do it! If you have a dentist you like stay with them, maybe they are on your plan. Do not let an insurance company send you where they want you to go…it benefits them and may harm you in the long run. In dentistry you get what you pay for, period!
In my office we are in network with 3 plans. We have middle of the range fee’s, not the highest, not the lowest. We offer cash discounts and care credit (no interest financing). AND we stand behind our work…in most cases we will repair or replace dental work if there is a problem in the first year, and some of our crowns are warrantied by the lab or manufacturer for up to 5 years. We use the best materials and are skeptical of new technology so we don’t inflate our fees to buy the new fad equipment until it is proven. We have interviewed and talked with all of the companies, some won’t even talk to us, and some will not provide you the care that is the standard.
From a dentist standpoint the plans that are the most fair to in-network dentists and patients are Cigna, Humana, and the Connection Dental group of plans.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about above. I had a patient a couple of months ago that came from another “in-network” office that was on Delta Dental, come in for a 2nd opinion. It was a corporate office which I will not name. I examined the patient and determined that she needed 3 crowns, 1 buildup (filling under a crown) and two fillings. She then presented me with a treatment plan from the other office that called for 11 crowns and build-ups. I was blown away! SHE was blown away! Though our fees were a little higher than the in-network dentist insurance based fees (the insurance still payed the same percentage) the patient paid about $1500 out of pocket instead of almost $5000, and got crowns from the best lab in the area, from a dentist who will stand behind the work. She also got to watch TV and relax while she got her work done, and she had our full attention since she was the only patient scheduled at that time. So you see how this can be deceiving. Hope this perspective will help you get the best dental care for your money.
This may not be what you were looking for in an answer, but I wanted to give you another perspective. It may not be worth paying for dental insurance, as it is only a helper and is very limited. It unfortunately also causes some offices to stretch things, like your diagnosis, to make it. Dentist have a very high overhead. If you have no insurance ask if they have a cash discount.