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In most reading I've done on this topic I've found that the big thing you have to be aware of is that most dental plans -- both group or individual -- have a line somewhere in the policy entitled "maximum annual benefit" or something to that effect. This is the overriding cap on the total annual payout, regardless of what percentage is paid for what procedure. In most plans it is a surprisingly low amount -- somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 per year. It is $1,250 in the group plan I used to be a part of. As another poster alluded to, dental insurance might be a good deal, especially if paid with pretax premiums, if all you need is a couple of routine cleanings per year -- basically a prepaid plan as routine checkups are supposedly "free". For the rest of us, it's a more dubious proposition. My experience has been if you have a big dental bills in a given year, you're still paying most of it out of pocket regardless of your insurance.
My wife and I last year decided to discontinue my group dental. It was just a budgeting issue, as the premiums on our regular health insurance increased. It was an interesting experience. Although it stings some to pay for routine checkups out of pocket, it seems that all the urgent recommendations for "deep scaling" and other assorted "treatment plans" are no longer forthcoming. This reinforces a suspicion I've always had that many dental practices have a person in the office whose job it is to determine how to get the maximum amount out of each patient's insurance benefits -- which means a lot of out of pocket expense as well.
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