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Dental Insurance vs Dental Plans

Monday, February 10th

2025 Dental Insurance Plan Reviews

Dental Insurance Review 5 Star Rating

Dental Insurance

5 Star Rating
  • $8.09 to $99.99 per month
  • 31 plans
  • 10+ providers
  • Orthodontics offered
  • Free vision coverage with some plans
  • Vision add-on for all plans
  • 4.5-star average rating
  • "A+” rating and accreditation from the BBB
Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

Dental Insurance is a platform that partners with well-known insurers to make it simple to compare different underwriters side by side. With costs starting as low as $8.09 per month, Dental Insurance's collection of PPO and HMO plans includes everything from orthodontia to bundles with vision coverage too. With rave reviews for its customer service and simple enrollment process, Dental Insurance stands out as a favorite with customers, earning it a perfect score here.

Dental Plans Review 4.5 Star Rating

Dental Plans

4.5 Star Rating
  • Prices around $131.21 to $157.46 per year
  • Individual and family plans
  • Discounts, not traditional insurance
  • Well-known providers
  • Orthodontics offered
  • Free vision and prescription coverage
  • 4.5-star average rating
  • "A+” rating and accreditation from the BBB

Dental Plans offers dental savings programs as an alternative to traditional insurance, with savings of 50% off your dental care on average. However, you aren't able to look at plans other than the one Dental Plans suggests for you, which could be a drawback for some. And yet, Dental Plans is backed by an "A+” rating from the BBB and has thousands of positive reviews online, showing that this is a reliable place to grab a dental savings plan, earning it a second-place finish in our review.

Where is the Best Place to Find Dental Insurance?

Taking care of your teeth is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. Dental appointments should be part of your normal routine and attended regularly, not just when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Whether you're looking for a hygiene checkup or cosmetic concerns like tooth whitening, visiting your dentist regularly can keep you happy, healthy, and smiling with all those pearly whites.

However, as with many medical and preventative care appointments, the cost of dental work can get pretty high. A recent study shows that the national average cost for a standard visit (dental exam, cleaning, and x-rays) is around $203 per visit. If you're not one of the lucky folks who get dental with their job benefits, grabbing your own dental insurance is a sure way to make sure you save money and keep your teeth healthy at the same time.

The Best Dental Insurance Plans Compare Dental Insurance Plans Compare Dental Insurance Plan Reviews What are the best Dental Insurance Plans Best Dental Insurance Plan Reviews

Dental Insurance Plan FAQ

If you already have dental insurance through your employer, you won't need to get coverage separately. But, if you're like the millions of Americans who don't have access to dental coverage through their job, it's worth it to consider buying a dental plan privately. Oral health is very important in your overall health, and twice-yearly checkups are recommended for everyone. Having dental insurance can make routine visits and services like root canals and cavity fillings much less expensive.
That will depend on the plan you choose, but most cover routine well visits like cleanings and X-rays. You'll also typically have coverage for fillings, crowns and other issues with your teeth; how much you'll pay out of pocket is based on your specific plan limits for each procedure and your total annual limit.
Many dental insurance plans don't cover removal of wisdom teeth or orthodontic treatments. However, coverage with higher premiums may include those procedures; if you've got multiple children in the family who might need them, it's worth finding a plan that pays for some or all of it.
You might be surprised at how affordable it is. Many individuals and families can get good coverage for less than $20/month.
You've got a lot of options. First, determine if you need individual or family coverage. Next, decide how quickly you want your dental insurance to start: some let you begin your plan on the same day, while others may have a delay of a few days or more. Then, choose what level of coverage you need and select the dental insurance plan that fits your needs and your budget!
Possibly. Most dentists accept insurance, but not necessarily all providers and plans. If you have a dentist you love, ask him or her which plans they take (and even which ones they like working with the most!); you can choose your insurance based on keeping your dentist.
As you might guess, dental insurance is traditional coverage that usually includes 100% of the cost of two preventative visits each year, lowers the cost of dental procedures, and often has an annual maximum dollar amount of coverage per year. Discount dental plans usually are lower in cost but give you less coverage: you may only save 10% on the standard cost for a filling or routine X-rays, and you will probably be limited to a single dentist instead of a network.
Absolutely. Most of today's most popular providers of dental insurance make it easy to pick a plan and pay for it online. If you don't have a specific dentist or insurer in mind, you might want to try using a referral site that gives you quotes from multiple companies and lets you compare your options side-by-side.
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Continued from above...

If you need other procedures like fillings, crowns, or root canals, your total cost at the dentist could be thousands of dollars (crowns can cost up to $1,800 per tooth). While you can't do much about the cost of the dentists themselves, there are some resources to help you find affordable dental insurance to keep costs down.

A recent study compared different monthly costs (including preventative visits) and found that those with insurance paid $800 less per year than those without. Plus, if you get insurance, many of the basics are free of charge, making it less likely that you will need more complicated or expensive trips to the dentist in the future.

Now, when you decide to grab dental insurance, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. Like health insurance, your dental insurance company will have a network of accepted providers. If you have a dentist you really love, you'll want to make sure you grab insurance that is taken by your current dentist. In-network insurance policies will usually cover 100% of preventative dental care, up to 80% of basic procedures (fillings, root canals, and extractions), and up to 50% of major procedures like crowns, implants, and treatment for gum disease. Keep in mind many plans do not include orthodontics (such as braces), but most insurers or brokers offer at least one plan that does include specialist care.

In general, you can find a few types of dental plans. First is the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). This is the common "network” approach where dentists join a PPO network and set up their fee schedule with the insurance provider. You can go out of network with PPO plans, but you may have higher out-of-pocket fees. The other main option is the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans which have a more restricted network requirement. For HMO (sometimes called DHMO in dental insurance), you are not able to go out of network and still use your insurance benefits.

If you're ready to support your dental health and enjoy the security of covered preventative care, but don't know which dental insurance service to choose, we've put together some factors to help you decide:

  • Cost. Different plans and providers have different costs, so make sure you find one with a deductible or monthly payment that makes sense for your situation. You may be able to find the same dental plan at a lower price, depending on which platform you shop through, so make sure to compare prices across insurance databases to make sure you get the best cost and value balance.
  • Features and coverage. Make sure your chosen provider offers a range of different features and coverage, so if you want to change your dental insurance plan, you can use the same insurance provider or database to get what you need. The more options there are, the easier it is to compare costs and benefits.
  • Reputation. Check out your chosen dental insurance provider or broker through third-party reviews. Sites like the Better Business Bureau and review platforms like Trustpilot and Sitejabber are particularly helpful so you can see what other customers think of the service, assistance, and sign-up process.

To help you find the best dental insurance for your sparkling smile, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked the top providers and brokers out there today. Whether you prefer total coverage for dental and orthodontics or a simpler option that focuses on preventative care, there's a dental insurance plan out there waiting for you. This way, you can enjoy your pearly whites and save some money in the process!

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