If you are able to get dental insurance through your employer, that is probably the best deal you are going to get. Normally your employer will pay part of the plan and you will pay the rest. The insurance company will give your employer a discount because they are buying insurance for a group of people. In the US, as in most other countries, you will not have to pay income tax on the part of the insurance which is paid by your employer(up to a certain limit).
In some countries there are dental plans, which are run by the state. If your employer doesn't have a dental insurance group plan. The state run plan may be the best value for your money.
Types of Dental plans
Dental indemnity plan: This is a traditional dental plan. In it you can go to any dentist you want. You go to the dentist and then you claim a percentage of the dentist's fee back from the insurance company afterwards.
Direct Reimbursement Plan: This plan is the same as a indemnity plan, but instead of claiming the money from the insurance company, you claim it from your employer. They then claim the money back from the insurer. This is better for many because then you get your money back faster.
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): With PPO plans you are limited to using a list of approved dentists. The insurance company will have arranged low fees for procedures with these dentists. With PPO plans if you go outside the lists of approved dentists, you will be reimbursed a smaller percentage of the cost.
Health Maintenance Organization(HMO): HMO and PPO insurance is very similar. The difference being that if you go outside the HMO approved dentist list, you will have to pay the full fee yourself.
With HMO dentists, the dentist has to charge set fee for a procedure. Where with PPO dentist, the dentist can charge what they like.
Self-Insurance Plan: With Self-insurance plans your don't pick a dentist, the insurance company assigns a dentist to you.
Important terms
Usual Custom Reasonable(UCR): The insurance company will have a list of procedures with the UCR rate for those procedures. Depending on your policy the insurance company may only cover a percentage of the UCR for any given procedure.
Cosmetic Dentistry: These are procedures such as orthodontics, veneers and teeth whitening. These procedures are not covered under most policies.
Supplementary dental insurance: This means you buy your insurance directly from the insurer and not through a group or employer.
If you are looking for a good dental plan, I suggest you read dental insurance companies.
