Buying individual dental insurance can seem like a real hassle. After all, every website in the world promises you the very best deal – then throws out a bunch of terms and abbreviations that you don’t understand. If all you want is affordable dental insurance that gives you the coverage you need, skip the cheesy sales copy and just follow these 4 money-saving tips:

1. Get family dental insurance if you can

If you have a spouse and kids, you’ll get a much better deal if you put everyone onto a family dental insurance plan, instead of getting coverage individually. That’s because insurance companies like to reward people for buying multiple policies with them. By signing up for a family dental insurance plan, the insurance company knows you’re going to be paying them more in premiums every month than you would have all by yourself – so they’re willing to cut you a deal.

2. Opt for traditional dental insurance over a
discount plan if you have dental issues
Discount dental plans can be great if you don’t go to the dentist much, and you want the benefit of having low premium payments every month. However, if you go to the dentist for more than just regular check-ups, x-rays, and cleanings, it’s more cost-effective to get a traditional dental insurance plan.

With a discount dental plan, you have to pay for your dental services and procedures without any help from your insurance company. Sure, you’ll get discounted rates, but if you need serious dental work – or just frequent dental work – you’re going to wind up spending more money than if you were to just pay the slightly higher premiums on a traditional plan.

3. Don’t just look at the premium payments; also look at deductibles and copays
The most affordable dental plan out there isn’t necessarily the one that offers the lowest monthly premium payments. Generally, having lower premiums tends to mean that you’ll wind up with a higher deductible or having higher copays. Finding a truly affordable dental plan means finding one that’s going to give you the most bang for your buck overall – not just finding dirt-cheap premiums. After all, you could wind up spending a whole lot more money later!

4. Read the fine print

Getting truly affordable dental coverage means no getting any surprises later. That’s why it’s so important to read the fine print before you sign up for any individual dental insurance policy. The fine print will tell you if anything’s excluded – so that you know, upfront, exactly what you’re getting into.