Are you going crazy trying to find good quality low cost dental? Don’t let your frustration wear you down. Low cost dental does exist. Finding low cost dental today is more difficult than in the past but it can be done—though it probably will not be dental insurance.

One of the disappointing limits of dental insurance is the yearly spending cap (some group plans even have a lifetime cap). An average dental insurance policy will run anywhere from $30 per month to as much as $60 per month. Here is where the magic begins for the insurance company. First, they are betting that you won't use your benefits. In that case they have a resulting profit of $360 ($30 x 12 mo) up to $720 ($60 x 12 mo) for the year. But then there is a cap or spending limit placed on your policy for the calendar year. The cap is usually around $1000.

Now here is a more little calculating. If your cap is $1000 and you are paying $30 per month or $360 per year then you are subsidizing your dental plan to the amount of your premium--$360. Subtract the $360 from the $1000 and you actually have a $640 amount available to you for the calendar year. Now what if your premium is $720 per year? That would mean that you had subsidized all but $280 of your dental work for the year.

What if you need several crowns or root canals? Sorry, you have that cap to think about. You can certainly exceed the limit, but then you are on your own. Now you are paying the full price-that can be very scary. Your reserve cash, if you have any, can be siphoned off very quickly.

So how much do dental procedures cost today? They vary with the area of the United States that you live in. According to the National Dental Advisory Service you can expect to pay $1192 for a crown in the Dallas area. For a root canal the investment, depending on the type of tooth, anterior or bicuspid, is between $788 and $901. Of course if you have children or you need Orthodontic treatment yourself you can expect to pay between $4,500 and $5,000. Now those are some hefty investments that reduce your spendable income at a dizzying rate.

Are options available to save you money on your dental needs? Of course there are. One of the options that some people take advantage of, if they have major work being done, is to go out of the country. Mexico is certainly an option. India is another option. That may sound ridiculous, but consider that major dental work may be needed. The can easily exceed $10,000. If your vacation was $2000 and your dental work another $3000, then you have gone on a vacation and saved money. Although I must admit that going to the dentist while I'm on vacation is certainly not my idea of having fun. But it is an option.

Another option is sitting down with your dentist and explaining that you don't have insurance or your insurance will not cover all of the work that is needed. It is always a good plan to discuss large outlays with your dentist. So you will know exactly what the charges will be for each procedure. During this discussion, get the plan written down and insure that it includes your dental codes. It will make it easier to track later and should the need arise you will be able to compare apples to apples. Quite often, your dentist will be able to discount some of the procedure costs. But this won't happen unless you ask.

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