Evaluating Dental Plan Options

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Clear up the confusion: When choosing a dental plan, the network, cost management, service and dental expertise are 4 main areas to consider.

Purchasing dental insurance can be a daunting decision. It may not be easy to determine which plan and coverage options best meet your needs. At first glance, two plans may seem exactly alike. In actuality, they could be very different, especially if the two plans are offered by competing carriers.

Here are four areas you’ll want to review when evaluating dental plan options:

Network
Dentists who participate in networks agree to accept fees substantially lower than retail. Also, the larger the network, the more likely your dentist participates. With 145,000 dentists in its combined PPO and Premier networks, Delta Dental has the nation’s largest network.

Cost Management
Insurance premiums are only one measure of a dental plan’s true cost. You’ll also want to compare each plan’s annual maximum, deductibles and covered services. Look for a plan that encourages preventive care. Individuals who manage their oral health by seeking preventive care tend to have lower long-term dental costs, as they typically catch issues before they become too serious or expensive.

Service
Customers must have confidence that they’ll be taken care of after signing on with a certain plan. Look for service statistics, such as how quickly phones are answered, claims are paid, and any problems are resolved, to give you confidence that you will receive the service you expect. Curious how Delta Dental of Arizona measures up? You can view our latest performance results on our website.

Dental Expertise
Medical and dental coverage operate under very different models. While medical coverage focuses more on treatment, dental coverage concentrates on prevention. Furthermore, building and maintaining an effective dentist network is much different than building a network of medical care providers. Look for coverage from a dental expert – one with a commitment to your oral health.

Since 1972, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers and individuals. Founded by dentists, we offer dental coverage plans that are based on current research and designed to keep people their healthiest and most productive.

We hope this information will help you choose the best plan option for you and your family. However, if you have more questions, we’re happy to help. Give us a call at 602-938-3131 to review your specific plan options or visit deltadentalcoversme.com to learn about our Individual and Family Dental Plans.

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Corki Larsen
Corki Larsen serves as the vice president of sales and marketing for Delta Dental of Arizona. She knew of Delta Dental through her prior career as an employee benefits consultant and is delighted to have joined the local leadership team. Corki enjoys morning boot camp, tabata and high intensity endurance training as much as she does quiet time spent with close friends and family. To be clear, time spent with her 7½ and 2½-year-old “grandchildren” is anything but quiet. She is an avid sports fan – golf, football, baseball and basketball – and enjoys a round of golf (or two!) with her husband, Larry, or other golfing buddies. Her goal is to one day shoot her age on the golf course. She doesn’t expect it to happen anytime soon. Stay tuned! [Editor's Note: Corki is no longer a current DDAZ employee.]