Thursday, March 27th
2025 Dental Insurance Plan Reviews
Stride Health
- Prices from $16.67 to $46.66 per month
- Individual and family plans
- 4 plans total
- Add-on vision coverage
- 4.6-star average rating
Stride Health is an insurance broker that focuses on providing plans tailored for those who are independent workers or own their own businesses. Their slogan states, "In a world built for W-2s, we're here for the 1099s”. The company brokers health insurance as well as other protections like vision, life insurance, and dental insurance. Open since 2019, this is one of the newer companies in our review. However, based on the feedback and BBB scores, it looks like it may still be having some growing pains.
Getting started can feel redundant
To get started on Stride Health, you just need to enter your zip code and your email and click the "Get Started” button. After that, Stride Health will tell you which underwriter offers plans in your area. For our test customer, who is located in Central Florida, the dental insurance plans offered were underwritten by Ameritas. However, after this, the site is a little clunky. You'll be taken to another window where you need to put in your zip code again. This appears to be a portal that connects to the underwriter, but it still feels redundant. You will be asked if you also need vision coverage during the first few questions and how many individuals will need to be part of the Stride Health plan.
Around 4 plans to choose from
Once we completed the questions using a test persona of a single individual looking for dental insurance in the Central Florida area (ideally including basic appointments and potential orthodontia), we were offered four different plans through Stride Health (all underwritten by Ameritas). Three out of the four plans offer child orthodontia, and all but one plan includes 100% coverage for your preventative care right away. The least costly plan only covers 90% of your preventative care in the first year of using the insurance policy. Keep in mind that the number of plans may change, depending on the type of policy you ask for and where you are located.
Prices from $13.21 to $42.22 per month
The prices at Stride Health are reasonable, but they're not the lowest. The basic plan offered to us, Stride Starter, costs $13.21 per month. It included preventative care and basic care (for fillings and other small procedures). You only get 90% of your preventative visits covered in the first year. It does go up to 100% after you've held the policy for 1 year, though. The most costly plan with Stride Health is $42.22, which includes preventative care, basic care, major care, and child orthodontia. There are no enrollment fees for any of the plans offered at Stride Health.
Difficult to cancel
There is another drawback to choosing Stride Health, and that's the difficulties with cancellations. You will need to call Ameritas directly to cancel your subscription to dental insurance. You are unable to cancel your plan online, and there was no mention of a price match guarantee or any kind of refund policy for the plans. Since you're being directed to the underwriter from Stride Health, you'll need to use the policies for the specific insurer you select.
Add vision as an extra
Stride Health does offer vision coverage (along with life insurance and health insurance). You can get vision coverage bundled with your dental, but you'll have to sign up for each type of insurance separately through Ameritas (or the suggested provider for your area). We were quoted between $8.78 to $10.62 per month for vision on top of the cost of dental.
Mixed feedback with concerns about cancellation
There is some serious back and forth with Stride Health's reputation. Let's start with the good news. On Trustpilot, customers say that their experience was extremely positive. With a 4.6-star average rating, the feedback on Stride Health's customer support is full of rave reviews. However, on the Better Business Bureau, it's a completely different story. Stride Health currently holds an "F” rating from the BBB. This is partly due to Stride Health's lack of response to complaints. These complaints had to do with cancellations, where customers were frustrated at how hard it was to get out of Stride Health when they didn't want it any longer.
Needs more time to work out the kinks
While you might want to see what Stride Health has to offer depending on the dental insurance provided in your area, we recommend some caution. The "F” rating from the BBB and concerns about being able to cancel your policy are some red flags we don't like to ignore with insurance. Since the site doesn't have the best prices or the best benefits, it may not be ideal for those looking to save a little on their premiums either. We hope as this company continues to grow, we'll see more positivity (especially from the BBB), but for now, you might be safer to find your dental insurance with one of our top picks instead.
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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.
Dental Insurance Plan FAQ
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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