Looking for a good dental insurance carrier...?

The time period for re-enrollment for my health and dental benefits has approached at my job. I am desperately in need of braces, but my current insurance carrier barely covers any of my orthodontic expenses at all. Does anyone know of a good dental insurance carrier that I can purchase independently (not through my employer)? If you know of any good dental insurance carriers please let me know. Thanks in advance.

Looking for a good dental insurance carrier...?
If you have dental insurance available through your employer, it is most likely the best offer you will get.





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.