As a now retired dentist, I am sure you had hundreds if not thousands of self-employed people come through your doors. I am looking for some guidance from you (and others) since you have insider knowledge.

I went and got my routine checkup today. This is the first time at the main office since they shut down their satellite office that I used to go too. When I checked in today, I learned that the discount plan through Aetna is no longer going to be accepted in 2026. The main office is even further away than before, so I may be looking for a new dentist as driving 45 minutes is less than ideal.

So in addition to looking for a new dentist, a new insurance or payment discount coverage may be in my future. Are there any insurance policies that cater more to self-employed folks than traditional employees? What path would you recommend oh mighty retired doctor.

(PS: Again no cavities this check up)

.

Don't use insurance and get a cash discount.

Human

Dental Preventive Value PPO

www.humanaonemembers.com

$269.88 year

@Ray - If you don't have any cavities and haven't for awhile and take reasonably good care of your teeth, I'd suggest going without. What's 2 cleanings and some x-rays a year? $500? If you want the safety of insurance in case you need a crown or root canal treatment then my recommendation is ask the lady who does the insurance at your office what policies do they take and what policies do they recommend.

Most dental insurance is now PPOs where the dentist has to be a provider so when you find a dentist you like, ask what insurance / PPO plans they take.

Just like asking "what car do you drive" and the person answers "A Ford" doesn't tell you anything. Same with Insurance.

If you say, "I have Aetna" That means nothing. They have a 1000 different plans. Some pay just cleanings. Some pay 80% on everything. Some pay on everything. All the insurance companies write different policies for different companies and individuals.

The key is talking to the insurance lady at the dental office and then talking to the insurance agent and making sure the policy covers what you want and allows you to go to the dentist you want.

If you are in-network you might have a procedure that pays 80% but only 60% out of network.

@6x6 - love you like a brother!

@Heartland- The best way to find a dentist is to ask all your friends who they like and if they are reasonable.

@Everyone else on this thread. Dentistry is going the way of medicine where you are the product. Aspen Dental, Heartland Dental, Dentalworks, etc are corporations where the goal is to make money off you. I can't tell you how many times someone went to Aspen dental for their "Free X-rays" and came out with a $20,000 treatment plan and I'd tell them they need a couple of fillings and maybe a crown.

Now I can do a $20,000 treatment plan but do you need it? Do you want it?

My job was to find out what the patient wanted and to do that I gave them choices. Do you want an extraction and nothing else. Do you want an extraction and a partial denture? Do you want an extraction and a bridge? Do you want an extraction and an implant? All these choices have different price points.

If you go to a dentist and the only choice is "That tooth is bad and we have to extract and do an implant" Then you are not really being given the option to make an informed decision.

It makes me sad when I see the profession that I loved be turned into a corporate money machine. I was in it to help people in my community. As long as I could pay the bills and the salaries of my employees I was happy.

If you can find an independent dentist who gives you options with regard to treatment, that would be best.

I hope that helps you.

And United Healthcare masticates on equine reproductive parts.

I had more trouble getting United Healthcare to pay for things that they should have obviously been paying for than any other insurance company.

I had MVP Part D which has a prepaid debit card which, ironically, I used today at my dental cleaning. I believe it is $39 a month. Anyway that plan is going bye bye so I signed up for Excellus.

I just spent 29K, yeah you read that right, out of pocket on dental work to roll back 30 plus years of bad dentistry. I now have a "movie star" smile which I've always wanted. This dentist specialist is almost an hour away from my house in the "big city" (west side of Rochester NY)

@Mapleleaf18 Hopefully that was your choice and not the dentist giving you only 1 option. I am not opposed to doing expensive dentistry. I am opposed to presenting it as the ONLY option. No one ever died from having a missing tooth. But some dentists might make you feel that way (and that is wrong).

Some of it is that dental students are coming out of school with lots of debt and a lack of desire to own their own business.

Back in my day, you either went into private practice or you joined the military for 4 years to erase your school debt.

the 2023 class of students at UNC Dental school - NO ONE chose private practice. They either went on to advanced training or became an associate in another dentist's practice or in a corporate dental office. Not one kid opened their own office or bought another dentists practice.

This feeds the corporate machine. Hire some dumb kid out of school and teach him how to do expensive treatment plans. Even if only 25% of the people accept them, they make a killing. The kid is on a salary, the staff files the insurance. He or she doesn't know any better.

Again - nothing wrong with profit. Nothing wrong with expensive dental treatment. The lack of choice and transparency is the issue. The patient's best interests are not primary. Maximizing the insurance and the fees are primary. It is very sad.

Our dental insurance covers the basic maintenance cleanings. If I needed anything more, I would look into dental savings plans also known as dental discount plans. Suze Orman has one and recommends them over standard dental plans. She explains that it is a membership plan you pay a small annual amount and what you get done is discounted. She paid $1200 for each root canal and $1000 for a crown. Some plans there is no wait time for services once you have a membership.

Is that good? I haven't needed any of that yet so I have no idea.

Bonanza, I am still waiting on you to open a satellite office close to me.

I know you are out of the biz, but you could cater only to people in the REI field.

My last dentist kept harping about pre-cavities. Took a large chunk of a tooth out, filled it and it fell out that night. I was in pain. It was a long weekend. I called their 24 hour emergency line, left word and never got a call back.

The kid that did it said he would fix it for no additional costs. Ugg. Then they started doing blood pressure tests before cleanings. They didn't follow procedure. One lady laughed at the number of times she sent people away because they had a high BP.

I left, my family left, anybody that would listen to me said they left.

I started with a new dentist last year and I found him by asking for recommendations on my local homesteading forum. Those are people who are careful with money and also expect to receive value for money. I ended up with a great dentist, in a great office with wonderful staff.

I don't have insurance but my dentist allows us to use this "care plan" that basically is like a Costco for dental. You pay a small annual fee (I think it's like $60/year) and then the dentist gives you exams at no charge, discounts on cleanings and other services. You'd have to see if your dentist accepts it...many do not.

As an alternative, I offered cash up front to a dentist and asked for 15% off and they agreed. Pay with check (no credit card).

oops...forgot the link...

p1careplan.com/

oops...forgot the link...

p1careplan.com

"....Aspen Dental, Heartland Dental, Dentalworks, etc are corporations where the goal is to make money off you. I can't tell you how many times someone went to Aspen dental for their "Free X-rays" and came out with a $20,000 treatment plan....."

"No one ever died from having a missing tooth."

Precisely.

[[[[...... "No one ever died from having a missing tooth.".....]]]]]

True about the missing teeth, but having dirty teeth can actually damage your heart, so at the very least go in and have those teeth cleaned on schedule.

@oregon - now you starting to talk like a dentist. LOL.

There does seem to be a correlation with poor oral hygiene and some heart / health issues.

But it could be just that people who don't take care of their teeth don't take care of the rest of the body.

And in case anyone cares, in my opinion, cavities and "bad teeth" are 1/3 genetics, 1/3 your parents bacteria, and 1/3 eating and cleaning habits.

You cant do anything about your genetics. You can't stop your parents and Aunt Ethel from smoothing all over you as a baby and giving you their bad bacteria. You can stop smoking, eating sugar and not brushing your teeth.

Suze Orman recommends Seniors check out dental saving plans, also known as dental discount plans. According to her there are plans that you pay to belong to and they offer discount on the services you need/want. She saved $1200 on each

root canal and $1000 on a crown. I don't know how good that is since I've not needed either of those. She notes that there are little to no waiting periods.

Hubby's insurance from work which we pay around $35/mo for only covers basic dental maintenance. My niece and husband own a dental practice. Haven't used either of those options for