Three types of dental insurance plans are: dental preferred provider organization (DPPO), dental health maintenance organization (DHMO) and fee-for-service plans. Here is how they vary.

Dental Preferred Provider Organization (DPPO)

A DPPO is a plan with a provider network, but you’re able to get care outside of the dental network at a higher cost.

Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO)

A DHMO requires you to stay within the plan’s provider network to get help paying for that dental care. Your insurance likely won’t cover it if you go outside of the provider network.

Fee-for-Service Plans

Fee-for-service dental insurance plans, also called indemnity plans, don’t have provider networks and they let you see any dentist. These plans pay a percentage of the service and you pick up the rest of the costs.

A fourth option is a discount plan, which isn’t dental insurance but offers reduced fees at participating dentists. You pay all the costs without help from an insurance company, but you fork over less money for dental care at providers that accept the dental discount plan than if you didn’t have a discount plan.