Before you click “apply” on that individual dental health insurance plan, it’s important to make sure that you’re really getting as good of a deal as the sales pitch says.

Great individual dental coverage will come with these 4 things:

1. Full coverage for routine services and procedures
The right dental health plan is focused on one thing – your oral health. Maintaining health teeth and gums starts with routine checkups, cleanings, and x-rays. When you head to the dentist once or twice a year, you’re keeping your mouth in tip-top shape – and your dentist has an opportunity to spot small issues before they turn into big problems.

Unfortunately, though, a routine trip to the dentist can cost a couple hundred dollars! If you’re already paying monthly dental insurance premiums, footing this bill can be more than you can afford. That’s why it’s so important to find individual dental coverage that will foot the entire bill – so that you can get the preventative care you need, without breaking your budget.

2. A long list of approved providers

Chances are your dental health plan will come with a list of general dentists and specialists. As long as you go to someone who’s on this list, you’ll get full access to your benefits. Go to someone who’s not on the list, and you could wind up paying the entire bill yourself!

If your dental health insurance plan doesn’t come with a long list, it could be tough to find a dentist that you like – or even a dentist that can fit you in for an appointment within a reasonable time frame. When you look at it that way, the wrong list can feel like having no dental coverage at all!

3. The option to turn your individual dental plan into family dental insurance
Since you never know when your single household is going to turn into a full one, it’s important to have an individual dental health plan that can easily expand into family dental insurance. After all, if your insurance company is a good one, they’ll be happy to help you add new family members into the mix!

Bottom line – if your insurance company makes it hard to add new family members onto your dental health insurance plan, you’ve got the wrong one!

4. An ability to add vision coverage

Sometimes, just adding a vision policy onto your individual dental health plan can save you a bunch of money in monthly premiums. The key, though, is to find a company that’s big enough to offer both dental and vision coverage.