DEAR SUN SPOTS: Where can a person get dental insurance and pick their own dentist? Thank you, Sun Spots, I read you every day. You are very helpful. — No Name, Auburn

ANSWER: Sun Spots found three insurers offering stand-alone coverage at Maine.gov (there may be others of which she is unaware):

* Anthem Dental, www.anthem.com/health-insurance/maine/dental-vision-plans, 800-547-4317

* Delta Dental, www.nedelta.com, 800-832-5700

* Renaissance Dental, www.renaissancedental.com, 888-791-5995

Anthem and Delta both offer plans as part of the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, while all the Renaissance plans are off-Marketplace.

According to the comparison chart at http://tinyurl.com/qccpqym, monthly premiums range from about $25 to $40.

Most of these plans cover 90 to 100 percent of preventive care (cleaning, X-rays), perhaps 50 to 80 percent of basic care (fillings) and about 30 to 50 percent of major care (e.g., crowns).

There may be limits to how much insurance care you can “spend” annually, as plans often have a “cap” (limit) for coverage. For example, one year Mr. Sun Spots needed three crowns, but he could only do two that year. The third had to wait for the following year.

Waiting periods also need to be considered. You cannot sign up for insurance and immediately have your major work done. You will probably have to wait six months or so.

There will also likely be a deductible.

As for picking your own dentist, many of the plans have different rules for participating vs. non-participating dentists. That means some dentists sign up to work for agreed rates under a plan. Work done by non-participating dentists may be covered but could possibly mean more out-of-pocket expenses for you.

All of these rules will be outlined in the company’s brochures, which you can read online at healthcare.gov. Or if you don’t do computers, you can call the individual companies (see the bullets above) and ask them to mail you the brochures.

Sun Spots does know of some other options for dental care that may help in addition to insurance.

Those who need work done immediately might look into the costs at one of Maine’s Centers for Community Dental Health, which are nonprofit dental clinics. They have three offices locally, in Farmington (779-2659), Rumford (369-3600) and Lewiston (777-7442), as well as in Portland (874-1028) and Biddeford (282-1305). 

At www.communitydentalme.org is this statement: “Community Dental provides access to dental health treatment, disease prevention and education to all people of Maine. Our dedicated staff and volunteers believe that every child, adult and senior deserves the opportunity to experience quality, affordable dental care throughout their lives.”

Sun Spots suggests you call the office closest to you and see what arrangements for payment would be acceptable. 

Also, a possible short-term option for care should be coming up shortly, when some very nice dentists in the region open their doors for a free day of dentistry. Dentistry with a Heart has sponsored such an event for the last couple of years in May, so watch the Sun Journal for a notice of the next free day.

And finally, the new dental school at the University of New England in Portland should soon be offering care by its students. The first class of dental students began in the fall of 2013, and on the website it says they hope to begin offering care in early 2014. Sun Spots will try to update readers on the clinic option when more information becomes available.

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