Traditional insurance coverage is often not affordable for many small business owners.
Dental insurance is one type of coverage that is really difficult for many people who do not have an employer to help pay for it, to afford.
There are ways to reduce the cost of traditional dental insurance for small business owners, but premiums will still be expensive no matter how many discounts you qualify for.
There are other options open to small business owners.
The discount dental plan is one that is gaining in popularity.
Here's how these plans work.
You pay an annual fee that is usually less than a hundred bucks.
Once you are a member, you now have access to the plan's list of dentists who are participating.
These dentists provide dental work at discounted rates for all members of the group.
Of course, the rates of the discounts vary.
However, you can expect discounts from between 40% and 70% for most plans.
The type of dental work that you're having done will dictate the discount rate.
(The more expensive the procedure, the bigger the discount.
) There are two main advantages that these plans have over traditional dental coverage.
First, you save a lot of money by not having to pay expensive premiums.
Second, you don't have to wait to qualify for coverage for preexisting dental conditions, as you do with many dental policies.
There are two main negatives to these plans as well.
First, you will pay much more out of pocket when you have the dental work done, even with the discounted rates.
Second, you have to have all your dental needs covered by only dentists on the list.
These plans are great for business owners who don't go to the dentist very often and who don't have dental health conditions that require extensive work.
They many not be great for people who have children, as they tend to need more dental work than adults.