According to the National Association of Dental Plans (NADP), based in Dallas, about 89% of large employers offer some type of dental plans to their employees as part of their employee benefit scheme. While one may consider it unnecessary to go for a dental plan if there is no history of problems, it is advisable to secure a plan for requirements in the future.

Dental discount programs are basically membership-based policies. In exchange for the prescribed fee, the patients get a discount on different dental services such as fillings, braces, routine examinations and cleaning. Patients are typically provided a 30% discount off the regular charges. In some cases, it may even be as high as 70%. However, for the discount program to be activated, the patients need to approach a dentist who is a member of a network of dentists providing discounts on their services.

Some aspects of these plans are:

a) An initial down payment towards enrollment in the program

b) Monthly installments to the dental-discount company

c) Discounts on cosmetic procedures that are not normally covered by insurance plans.

These plans are quite different from dental insurance plans, in that they do not have a monthly deduction from the paycheck. This plan also does not place a constraint on the holder by limiting the patient to a dentist, as do insurance schemes. Under a discount plan the patient can visit a member dentist anywhere and still avail the discount benefits. Therefore, these plans do not come under the purview of the state insurance department.

Due to their ease of operation and availability, they are by far the most preferred dental benefit options. Consequently, a lot of companies have this as their main scheme. Like most of the other dental plans they can be purchased online; however, it is always wise to approach the exchange of confidential details with caution.