Indemnity (fee_for_service) plans
Dental indemnity insurance is often favored by patients who want more choice about where to seek dental care. While managed care dental plans usually require you to get dental care from specific professionals, with indemnity dental coverage, you will be able to select which dental professional you want to see. With these plans, you may have more paperwork to fill out, as with these insurance plans you will pay for dental care yourself and then submit claims forms to your dental insurance provider. Your provider will reimburse you for part or all of your dental care, depending on your agreement. In some cases, you may only have to pay a deductible. Your insurance provider will pay for up to 100% of “usual” costs associated with dental care.

Managed care plans (PPOs, POSs, and Dental HMOs (DHMOs))
Many patients like managed care plans because these plans have very low costs. Although with these dental insurance programs you need to select your insurance provider out of list of providers, you will not have to pay your dental fees up front. Your insurance provider will pay for some fees and the dentist will offer special discounts to you as part of your insurance coverage.