It's not just the stock market and the nation's job market feeling the sting of the recession — dental care is also feeling the painful decay of the economy.
"Hundreds of thousands of people are opting out of dental insurance, because they think it's not a necessary evil," said James Ekbatani, CEO of Winter Park-based CorporateDentalPlans.com. "So we said, 'Let's search for an alternative that makes sense.'"
CorporateDentalPlans.com and TheDentalCard.com are discount dental care programs that give individuals dental care coverage options.
The program is an alternative to insurance and offers over 30 different plans to suit the needs of individuals, families or companies. It can save consumers up to 60 percent on dental services, regardless of pre-existing conditions, and has enrolled more than 100,000 dentists nationwide.
"Even if you have insurance … you end up paying a premium for every month for dental insurance and it's limited to maybe a thousand dollars in benefits, but with the dental card … you're not paying for all these premiums and only getting a maximum of maybe a thousand dollars," he said.
Dino Soriano, a member of the plan, said he saved 600 dollars on a crown he recently received.
"It paid for itself five times over," he said. "And the service was great."
James Ekbatani said he is hoping more people take advantage of the low-cost dental plan because dental care is not something that should be neglected.
Lack of proper dental care can lead to serious health conditions, such as sight problems, strokes and heart attacks.
"Health care and dental care go hand-in-hand … and periodontal disease affects 75 percent of people over 35," Ekbatani said. "We focus a lot on prevention."
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