Common Questions (FAQ)

You can think of a discount plan like a membership club with volume pricing. Discount dental plans negotiate discounted rates with participating providers. When a member receives care from a participating provider, they can save 15% to 60%* or more compared to that provider's regular fees. There is no waiting, no forms to file, and no limits on use.

Discount plans are not insurance and do not pay anything towards the cost of treatment. But they do generate substantial savings through discounts for their members. With Direct Access, it is not uncommon for members to save more than their annual membership fee on just one visit to the dentist.*

That depends on the plan you choose and the state in which you buy.

Dental-only pricing starts from $7.90/month for an individual and up to $15.90/month for a family. Dental, Vision, Hearing, & Rx bundled pricing starts from $9.25/month for a single and up to $17.25/month for a family. There is a one-time setup fee of $20 if you pay monthly. This fee is waived for annual payments.

Please note that pricing varies in certain states.

That depends. For most members, the decision comes down to their choice of dentists.

Direct Access (UT) and Direct Access Value (all other eligible states) generally offer lower prices on dental care. That means that if your dentist participates in these plans, you will generally save more with these plans (usually 15% to 60% or more*).

Direct Access Premier offers a larger selection of providers, but those providers charge a little bit more for their services. Members can save 15% to 50%* off their dental work and have more dentists to choose from.

"Plus" plans (or DA Savings Pass in UT) include vision, hearing, and Rx discounts.

Dental insurance can be a great benefit, especially when it is offered through an employer. However, just like with any product, it may not be the best fit for everyone. Dental insurance requires payment of monthly premiums to have a portion of your dental expenses paid by an insurance company according to the parameters in a policy certificate (i.e. insurance contract). That policy will have limits, maximums, restrictions, excluded services, and potentially waiting periods until certain services may be partially paid for. When consumers add up the total premiums they are paying for the year and compare that with what the insurance company paid on their behalf, they may or may not feel like they are getting a 'good deal.'

Discount plans are completely different. Discount plans negotiate discounted rates with participating dentists based on a large volume of members, and then allow members to purchase access to those discounted rates for a membership fee. There is no waiting, no forms to file, and no limits on use. The more you use a discount plan, the more you save.

We leave it to each individual person to determine which approach is best for them. But when comparing the real costs of an insurance plan (Annual premiums + deductibles + coinsurance + the cost of non-dental services) with the real costs of a discount plan (Membership fee + discounted rates for services received) we have found that many consumers prefer a discount plan for their dental care needs.

Anyone can join Direct Access. There is no pre-approval required and no waiting. As soon as your payment processes and you receive a membership ID, you can start saving on dental care at any participating provider.

Members only receive discounts at participating providers. Our agreement with the provider is what generates the discounted rates. If we don't have an agreement, we can't offer members any discounts.

If your dentist is not in any of our provider networks, feel free to ask them to consider joining. If they would like more information, they can call us at 1-866-696-6527 and we would be happy to discuss the participation requirements.

If your dentist doesn't want to join, don't be alarmed. Just like there are different prices at different stores for the same goods or services, not every dentist wants to offer discounts on their work. As a consumer, you need to choose what is most important to you. Just know there are thousands of quality dentists who are willing to offer you discounts on your dental care.

Great question! This shows that you are starting to think like a savvy consumer. Dentists only get paid when they can perform dental work. A consumer report survey found that 43% of respondents delayed dental care because of cost.** A dentist needs patients and needs those patients to accept the work that they recommend. Most people are far more likely to go to the dentist and accept treatment when they are getting a "deal." More patients and more work accepted are good for the dentist.

Also, there are no forms to file, no insurance company reimbursements, etc. so, the administrative work required by the dental office staff is minimal. Dentists simply charge the pre-negotiated rates and arrange payment directly with their patients, which requires less time and administrative expense for the dentist.

Direct Access is intended to be a win-win for both the member and the dentist.

You can use the membership as soon as your payment is processed and you receive a membership ID number. There is no waiting, so if you sign up today, you can begin using it right away.

Click the Enroll Now button above, contact your local sales representative, or call our office at 877-966-1010.

The value that a discount plan provides is in the discounts negotiated with participating providers. Giving an arbitrary percentage off may not really provide the savings that you expect since dentists can set their regular fees wherever they would like. There is no 'standard' price for dental work. By pre-negotiating actual prices on procedures, Direct Access can offer members prices that are generally lower than the average prices in their area.

Dentists have the flexibility to set their own prices and can charge different prices to different patients. Some dentists choose to offer their own in-office plan to promote loyalty and increase purchases (aka accepted treatments).

In-office plans do have some limitations. If the same person can set their 'regular' fee and their 'discounted' fee, how do you know you are really getting a value? If I raise my 'regular' fee and then claim a discount to get back to where I started, it may not truly be the value you think you are receiving.

In-office plans are usually limited to that single office or group of offices, and just the specialties that practice there. Direct Access offers discounts at particpating dentists nationwide. If you need work performed by a specialist in another office, or if you need care while traveling, the in-office plan can't help you. And, to make it worse, specialists and travel emergencies are often significantly more expensive than routine care from a General Dentist.

Direct Access members typically enjoy savings of 15% to 60%* or more. "Cash" prices are rarely, if ever this low. Ask yourself, why would a dentist give you the same discount that he gives a group of thousands of members? The more members that we can bring to a dental office, the lower the price we can negotiate for each member. Competition in dental care helps you as a consumer. Cutting a 'cash' discount between you and your dentist gives you very little power to negotiate. You have no information on whether that cash price is a "good deal" or whether a nearby dentist will perform the same service for less.

Our goal is to provide you with valuable discounts at as many provider locations as possible. We have performed detailed analysis on many dental networks nationwide and are offering both what we found to be the most significant (Dentist Direct in UT and Value plans in other states) and one of the largest available nationwide networks (Premier Plans). Our goal is to offer plans that facilitate affordable dental care for as many people as we can.

Discount dental plans are regulated in each state. There are a few states (Vermont and Washington) in which we have elected not to do business. However, this can certainly change so check back periodically for updates. Also, if you reside in an approved state and travel into a non-approved state, you can still receive discounts at participating providers in that state. We simply have elected not to sell new memberships in non-approved states.