Dental Insurance in NYC
June 16, 2011 2:38 PM   Subscribe

Wanted: individual dental insurance in NYC.

Can anyone recommend a good individual dental insurance plan in NYC? Is it better to go with dental insurance versus a dental discount plan?
posted by fingers_of_fire to Health & Fitness (6 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm in Chicago and recently had the same question. My cousin is a dentist and said insurance is a waste of money. You'd be better off setting aside the money each month and using it as needed - and no stupid restrictions. Some dentists might even cut a deal if you have cash.

I'm still looking into the discount plans, but went to the local dental school clinic recently. I cannot recommend it enough. I'm a pretty complicated case and the students were amazing. My regular doctors don't pay as much attention and show me the respect and care those people did.

Additionally, everything done was in consultation with other students and professors, which put my mind at ease about some big complications.

Best of all, it's very inexpensive and it's not for profit - so no worrying the dentist has a summer home to finance with gratuitous dental work.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 2:57 PM on June 16, 2011


I also have the same question and I am in NYC. I did try out a dental discount plan a few years ago, and I found it very disappointing - a lot of dentists don't take it, and then the one I tried that did take it was seriously the most awful and unprofessional dental office I've ever been to. That's probably not the discount plan's fault, but it was really disappointing and it left me desiring much more freedom when choosing a dentist.

Not only that, but what would seem to be a standard, basic cleaning as described by my discount dental plan did not translate to that in practice. Apparently the standard cleaning is basically nothing, and the cleaning you're used to getting at the dentist is some other more expensive thing (which is what they gave me when I went in, and I didn't find this out until I got the bill and it was way more than I thought it would cost - so much for a discount when I'm already paying a monthly fee on top of that).

Since then, I canceled the discount thing and just pay out of pocket. I am lucky enough to not have had any teeth problems in the last few years, and before that I only ever had a cavity here and there. My dentist, located in Astoria, doesn't take insurance, and I like him a lot. If you tend to have a lot of tooth problems you may still benefit from a discount plan, but if not I don't think it's worth it.
posted by wondermouse at 5:05 PM on June 16, 2011


And I know this wasn't part of your question, but in case you're worried about costs for basic dental care without insurance, my last cleaning was a little over $100. X-rays add onto that but are only done once every 18 months.
posted by wondermouse at 5:16 PM on June 16, 2011


Unless you can get your employer to pay for part of it, dental insurance really isn't worth it. The cost of the insurance for a year will pay for two cleanings and more. A lot of dentists don't even take insurance because, having seen how well that's worked out for physicians, they've collectively realized that they're smart people and don't need to put up with that kind of nonsense.
posted by valkyryn at 5:32 PM on June 16, 2011


Ditto to everything said until now. Just my 0.02c on saving $ when it comes to your teeth:

1. You can get your teeth cleaned at CUNY in Brooklyn on Jay St for about $10. Having your teeth cleaned regularly is an ounce of preventative medicine that will save you needing work done in the first place.

2. You can visit dental schools like NYU to get dental work done on the cheap and teaching hospitals like Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn offer discounted if oral surgery after you meet with a financial adviser.

In both cases, if your time is of a certain value it won't pay because the process can shlep out.
posted by seatofmypants at 6:43 PM on June 16, 2011


The best cleanings I ever got in NYC were at the dental hygiene clinic at NYC college of Technology and were free. Otherwise, insurance has been expensive and paid negligible portions of my dental bills.
posted by Obscure Reference at 8:12 PM on June 16, 2011


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