While most group health insurance plans offer dental coverage, many individual health insurance plans do not offer it. Instead, it would be up to the individual to purchase a separate dental insurance plan to cover their dentistry costs. But, is it worth it?

On average, dental insurance premiums will cost you between $15 and $50 a month, depending on your coverage. For people who only visit the dentist once a year for a check-up, dental insurance may not be worth it. They may actually spend less money by paying for the service out of pocket. However, for someone who has a lot of procedures done every year, dental insurance may save them quite a bit of money.

Carefully review what your dental insurance policy will actually cover. Many plans don’t cover all treatments, such as orthodontics. There are three main types of dental insurance coverage to choose from:

• Dental HMO - Although you have a limited selection of dentists to choose from, this type of plan is usually the least expensive. The insurance premiums and the out-of-pocket costs should both be quite affordable. The HMO plans usually encourage preventative care, and are willing to cover most preventative treatments.

• Dental PPO - You have a network of dentists to choose from. If you go to a dentist in the network, you pay one set of prices. If you visit a dentist outside of the network, you will have to pay the entire bill yourself, and then your insurance company will reimburse you for a certain percentage of the bill. Insurance premiums are usually a bit more expensive than they are with the HMO plans.

• Dental Indemnity (Traditional Dental Insurance) - This is a traditional fee-for-service insurance plan. Coverage will depend entirely on the type of treatment - while some services (such as preventative care) might be covered in full, other services may only be covered for 50-80 percent of the costs. The patient will then pay the difference. You can choose any dentist you want.

An important note: When shopping for dental health insurance, look beyond the initial premium quotes. Some insurance companies will offer a great rate for the first year - during your waiting period - then increase the rates after that.

Whether or not to purchase dental insurance is entirely up to you and your personal situation. Keep in mind that emergencies do happen. If you ever need major dental surgery, it will help you tremendously to have a dental insurance plan. You’ll still have to pay for some of the costs, but at least you’ll have some coverage.