Having good dental plan insurance can mean the difference between a mouth full of pearly whites and a mouth full of problems. But, if you’re like most people, you need a low cost dental plan that doesn’t put a strain on your wallet.

Luckily, finding affordable dental coverage doesn’t have to be hard – as long as you take advantage of these 3 tips:

1. Consider a discount plan

You’ll be hard-pressed to find low cost dental coverage that’s cheaper than a discount dental plan. With a discount plan, you pay an annual fee for access to a special discount card. The card will entitle you to deals like 50% off on cleanings or 20% off on x-rays. Then, you’ll pay the discounted bill all by yourself – unlike traditional dental plan insurance that just has you pay a copay.

Since you’ll be footing the bills for the services you need, discount plans are generally best for people who don’t need a whole lot of dental work. If the only time you head to the dentist is once or twice a year for a check-up, then one of these plans might be ideal for you. However, if you know you’re going to need a root canal soon, or you have a ton of bridge work that needs to be done, it might be more cost-effective to opt for traditional coverage.

2. Bundle your dental and vision insurance

Chances are you need to buy both dental and vision insurance anyways, so why not save some money on them? By purchasing your dental and vision insurance from the same company, you can save a little bit of money on your monthly premium payments. That way, you can either tuck some extra money away in savings, or you can afford to bump up to a better plan.

3. Look beyond the monthly premium payments

Most people think that affordable dental insurance equals low premiums. However, that’s not always the case. Sure, you want to pay as little per month as you can, but you don’t want dental plan insurance that costs you a ton of money down the road. For example, if your low premiums come with a huge deductible, you’re not really saving any money in the end. In fact, you might even spend more out of pocket than you would by paying slightly higher premiums and getting a much lower deductible!

If you’re looking for truly low cost dental coverage, you’ll need to look at all of your possible expenses – not just the premium payments!