Krum invites the private sector to sign up for Island Smiles discount plan | Local News

At the general meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan on Oct. 17 at the Crowne Plaza, Donna Krum, president of Paradise Dental Spa and club treasurer, spoke about discount dental plans.

She said the companies began offering the plans about 30 years ago after employer-sponsored dental insurance became too expensive and was subsequently dropped from many health insurance companies’ plans.

She said discount dental plans are a type of agreement between a dentist’s office and a patient and are not insurance.

“(Individuals) pay a low annual fee and then every time you come in for services, or come in to buy something, you get a pretty deep discount,” she added.

Krum said there are four dental plans on the island.

Paradise Dental Spa offers a discount plan at Island Smiles. (See https://www.paradisedentalspa.com/insurance/)

For an individual, the plan costs a one-time annual payment of $104. There is also an option to pay the dental plan fee on a monthly basis.

Krum said cosmetic dental procedures are also covered by the Island Smiles Discount Plan.

Discount dental plans are a “game changer” for people, she added.

“Quality dentistry is not cheap,” she said. “So if (we) can’t help you come and make it affordable, you won’t go.”

She said Paradise Dental Spa can offer low rates because, unlike insurance companies, it is not tied to a large amount of staff.

“It’s just me and my assistant,” Krum said of the people operating the plan. “I don’t have five floors (accountants or lawyers).”

Krum invited her fellow Rotarians to ask their employers to enroll in a group discount dental plan.

Without dental care, people will lose teeth, she said. Although it’s “very easy” to take care of your teeth, only dental professionals can look at the bone beneath the teeth, which is below the gum line.