Ameritas dental plans and how it explains PPOs and plan terms

A group of dentists and specialists who agreed to join the insurer's network and offer services at lower than regular rates. Members can see any licensed dentist, including out of network, and save the most in network. Ameritas says network dentists file claims for you and that members pay a portion of the discounted price.

Ameritas says you can request that the insurance company invite the provider to join and see if the provider accepts. Nothing is guaranteed, and a dentist may decline. You can also see a dentist outside the network, where you get less savings. Search the online directory before you enroll to see who is in.

Ameritas describes it as a one-time spending limit, typically used for orthodontic treatment. When the plan reaches it, it will not cover more of those services for the member's lifetime. It is separate from the annual maximum, which resets each year. Ask your plan whether orthodontics has its own lifetime maximum.

Ameritas says some plans operate on a standard calendar year, while others start and end at different times. Knowing which applies tells you when your annual maximum and deductible reset, which matters when you are planning treatment near the end of a year. Ask your plan for the exact dates.

Yes. Ameritas says its individual dental and vision plans are for people without benefits through an employer, and lists three dental plans from basic to more comprehensive, with rates based on location and not age. The page is written for agents, so check the current plan documents for benefits, waiting periods and limits.

Ask the dentist what amount the plan covers before scheduling. Ameritas says dentists can submit a pretreatment estimate to the insurance company, and that it offers a dental cost estimator tool. Compare the estimate with the office's quote, and remember that final payment can differ once limits apply.

It depends on your needs. Ameritas says discount dental is not technically insurance and may be fine in the short term for healthy people who do not need much care. You pay the discounted fee yourself, so large treatment costs more than it would with insurance. See our dental discount plans guide.

Sometimes. Ameritas says PPO providers may offer discounted rates on non-covered dental services as approved by state law. Ask the office whether that applies to the service you want, and get the discounted fee in writing before you agree to treatment.

Ameritas says preventive checkups and cleanings are typically covered in full, basic procedures at a middle level and major procedures at the lowest of the three. The actual percentages come from your plan. Read the schedule of benefits, and use the insurance benefit estimator to see how the numbers combine.

Often, yes. Ameritas notes that dental plans have an annual renewal, so people can change plans or carriers to fit changing needs. Check when your plan renews, how a new plan's waiting periods would apply and whether treatment in progress would be affected before you switch.

Ameritas describes PPO plans, DHMOs, discount dental, indemnity plans, direct-reimbursement plans, point-of-service plans, limited-network plans and scheduled-benefit plans. Each has different rules about networks and maximums. Ask which one you are being offered and read the plan documents for the limits.

Ameritas's page says its plans come with a dental cost estimator tool. Use it to prepare, then ask the dental office for a written estimate and ask Ameritas for a pretreatment determination on large work, since the final payment can differ once limits apply.