With all of the offers and sales pitches out there, looking for affordable dental coverage can be difficult.

However, you can make your search much easier by following these 3 tips:

1. Don’t be afraid to opt for a non-traditional dental insurance policy

If you think that all good dental insurance requires you to pay monthly premiums in exchange for coverage, think again. While this type of insurance – known in the industry as “dental indemnity insurance” – is the most common, it is not the only choice you have. And, in some cases, it isn’t the most affordable dental coverage you can find.

If you’re looking for an individual dental plan that’s cheap, skip over the dental indemnity insurance, and check out the various discount dental plans out there. With these, you just have to pay an annual fee, and, in exchange, you will get a discount card that entitles you to reduced rates for services and treatments. You might be able to get 75% off on your cleanings, or 50% off on your fillings.

You will still have to pay money out of your own pocket, but if you don’t go to the dentist very often, paying these reduced rates can be cheaper than paying monthly premiums.

2.Skip the individual dental coverage, and opt for a family plan

Individual dental coverage isn’t prohibitively expensive by any means. However, you can save yourself some extra money each month by signing everyone up for a family plan. After all, everyone in your family needs dental insurance – so you might as well get the most affordable dental insurance possible!

3. Remember that the best dental insurance doesn’t always have the cheapest monthly premium rates
Sure, it can be tempting to evaluate affordable dental coverage based on how much you have to pay in premiums each month, but that’s not the only measuring stick. After all, you could wind up with a policy that’s very cheap each month – but has a huge deductible that you have to meet before your insurance company starts paying for anything. Or, those cheap premiums may come with coverage that doesn’t cover everything you need – like braces, getting your wisdom teeth removed, or anything beyond routine check-ups and services.

The best dental insurance policy is the one that is the most affordable over the long run – so read all of the details carefully before you pick a policy!