Children's Dental Health Month: Finding the Right Dentist

But how do you find the right dentist for your child if you're in a government health coverage program? Two programs, Healthy Kids and Healthy Families, offered through the country's largest public health plan, L.A. Care Health Plan, make it easy. 

"Families can choose a dentist from among more than 1,100 dental locations when they sign up for Healthy Kids, much like a primary care physician on the medical side," said Sharon Lee-Chi, manager of product operations at L.A. Care Health Plan. "Often, parents have a dentist in mind or look for someone in their area."

L.A. Care serves more than 800,000 Los Angeles County residents, with some 25,000 children enrolled in the First 5 LA and Children's Health Initiative of Greater Los Angeles-funded Healthy Kids program. In addition to no or low monthly premiums, there is a zero or $5 co-payment for comprehensive dental services, including twice-a-year cleanings under Healthy Kids, according to Lee-Chi.

Healthy Families, the state’s version of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is offered through several health plans in Los Angeles County, also has low monthly premiums, plus co-payments ranging from zero to $10 for dental care. It has about 225,300 members in the county who have access to thousands of dentists and specialists.

Whether a family has public or private health insurance, the goal for all parents is the same -- finding the right dentist for their child. Keep the following in mind to help ensure the right match for the children in your life: 

• Ask for recommendations from friends, family and other parents.

• Look in a directory of dentists, or click on "find a pediatric dentist" on the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry's Web site, www.aapd.org (a pediatric dentist may be considered a specialty under some plans).
• Call possible dentists and find out if they treat children. Set up a consultation. This will give you and your child a chance to meet the dentist, ask questions and see if they have a child-friendly office.

For information about Healthy Kids, visit www.lacare.org, or call (888) 4LA-Care. The Web site also has a link to free or low-cost clinics that provide dental services. To learn more about Healthy Families, call (800) 880-5305, or visit www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov.

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