It will be beyond the scope of this article to provide the origin of dental insurance in the United States. We can assume that as long as humanity has been eating, he or she has at one time or another experienced a painful problem with the teeth.

The way in which dental remedies were administered is subject to our collective imagination. Western lore would allow us to imagine the village doctor, or dentist if they specialize, administering half a bottle of whiskey to the patient and then proceeding to pull out a errant tooth by the roots with a tool designed by the village blacksmith.

Of course, some have seen the boy with a tooth tied to a doorknob with string and moments later, the door was slammed shut and the tooth was removed before a protest could be heard. One of those who read this could have been that child. Finally, if the history of dentistry wasn’t proven enough, we have the image of Tom Hanks in his role in the movie. Discard. In that scene we see an ice skate blade lodged against the affected tooth and then hit with a rock to dislodge it.

The advances in dentistry today should make us grateful for the advances that have occurred. From wellness visits with lime, cinnamon or strawberry flavored pastries. Painless root canals thanks to local anesthesia and digital X-rays, allowing the dentist precise and instant precision in assessing a problem, the field provides help and solutions to ordinary citizens who would have demanded the rescue of a king in the time of Cleopatra.

As the art form has risen and developed to make the practice of dentistry a modern marvel, so too have the means to pay for these 21st century services. On the western frontier, the doctor may have received a freshly killed chicken or game as payment for his service. Today, the compensation feature many of us use is our dental insurance plan.

The discussion we are in does not question the value of the dental services we receive. We are a lucky people living in the United States right now and we have the care available to us that we do. Remember, there are people in the world whose dental care is just like the one depicted by Mr. Hanks in his movie. What we are considering now is whether dental insurance is worth it.

There are two sources of dental coverage that we can access. The first, and most common, is a plan offered through or provided by an employer. If someone is going to pay for the coverage, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying goes. The second way to get coverage is to buy a plan outright by paying monthly premiums. Here the consideration of the value paid for the value received is questioned.

The estimated prices will generally be valid for most states with the exception of New York, California, Washington DC and a few others where the cost of services is above the national average.

There are two basic types of reimbursement for dental coverage. Defined benefit and compensation. In the first, the defined benefit formulary requires an exact dollar amount to be paid for a specific procedure. An example would be $80 for a cavity filling. The current reimbursement rate for the procedure is $80 and, if the policy is not changed, it will be $80 ten years from now.

The indemnity method will reimburse based on a percentage. The percentage may vary depending on the company but could range from 60% to 100%. These are general statements and coverage will vary by state and company. Both the Defined and Indemnity methods may also use a small deductible.

In the long run there are advantages to both plans. The defined benefit plan would probably have a fixed and stable premium over the years, since the payment for a service would stay the same. The Indemnity product would be expected to increase in cost because as service costs increase, the percentage payment would also increase and require a higher premium. A percentage of a larger number is a larger number.

By contrast, the defined benefit plan will pay a smaller percentage of the total cost over time if the costs of the service increase, and they are likely to. The Indemnity plan, as a percentage, will continue to pay higher benefits under the same conditions. The largest number theory again.

The remaining issue for value is the cost of coverage and benefit. On average, a 40-year-old person would pay around $400 per year. The benefit limit would be approximately $1,000 per year. Preventative wellness benefits, one cleaning or one cleaning plus X-rays would be allowed immediately upon enrollment. A six month waiting period would be expected before making available essential services, sealants, fillings and extractions. Generally, a one-year waiting period is required before important Services such as crowns, bridges, dentures, or root canals may be provided.

The $400 per year premium could easily pay for preventive wellness benefits twice a year. Remember, all service charges go toward the $1000 limit. The decision to pay $400 to recover an additional $600 would depend on the needs of each individual. Some people have a lot of dental problems, sometimes through inheritance, and the costs are justified because they know they will use the coverage. Others may like quiet. Speaking for myself, spending 40 cents to get a dollar back is not a ratio that translates to good insurance value.