The best dental insurance plans of 2024
- Anthem: Best dental insurance for root canals and crowns
- Guardian: Best dental insurance for dentures
- Ameritas: Best dental insurance for seniors on Medicare
- Cigna: Best dental insurance for orthodontics
- Humana: Best cheap dental insurance
- Spirit Dental: Best dental insurance for preventive care
Top-rated dental insurance of 2024
Anthem insurance
Anthem has one of the largest networks of dentists nationwide. It is one of the few dental insurance companies that doesn’t have a higher coinsurance percentage if you go out-of-network. But there is a significant discount if you stay in-network.
Although there’s a six-month waiting period for major dental work, like crowns, root canals, implants and oral surgery, you’ll only pay 50% coinsurance after meeting your deductible. Crown, denture and bridge repair and adjustments are also covered at 50%.
If you don’t meet your $2,000 per-person annual maximum, you can carry over some of the unused portion into the following plan year.
Anthem’s standalone individual and family plans are only available in these states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Guardian
Guardian has a vast network of more than 120,000 dentists. The Guardian Diamond dental insurance plan offers 50% coverage for dentures and implants after a 12-month waiting period.
Although there’s a lifetime maximum of $1,000 for dental implants, you can use the full $1,500 annual maximum to help pay for your dentures. There’s no waiting period for preventive and basic care, which includes oral exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings and simple extractions.
Ameritas
The Ameritas PrimeStar Complete dental plan is available for people of all ages, but may be of particular interest to seniors on Medicare. With this dental plan, you also get benefits for hearing exams and hearing aids. Depending on your Medicare plan, you may have to pay for a hearing exam, so this coverage can help. Original Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, so you’d be out of pocket for the total cost without extra insurance.
The PrimeStar Complete plan offers a $75 hearing benefit. It will cover up to $200 for hearing aids from the start of the policy. Benefits increase to $300 in year two and $400 in year three.
Both plans offer PPO coverage, so you can see an in-network or out-of-network dental provider, though you’ll pay less if they’re in-network. There is no deductible for preventive services but there is a $50 per person per year deductible for basic and major dental work. Benefit coverage for basic and major services increases after the first year of coverage.
Cigna
Most dental insurance plans only cover orthodontics for children up to age 18 or 19, but the Cigna Dental 1500 plan doesn’t have an age limit. You can use the $1,000 orthodontia lifetime maximum to cover 50% of your in-network costs after a $50 lifetime deductible. Preventive care and diagnostics are covered in-network 100% and with no waiting period, while basic services like fillings, extractions and emergency treatment are covered in-network at 80% after a six-month waiting period.
Humana
The Humana Preventive Value plan is the cheapest option in our rating. There are no waiting periods to keep track of or an annual maximum to worry about hitting early in the year. And there’s one lifetime deductible to meet, from $50 as an individual to $150 for a family of three or more.
The Preventive Value policy covers preventive services at 100% for in-network and 80% for out-of-network providers. For basic care, like fillings, extractions and emergency pain relief care, Humana will cover 50% of expenses in-network or 30% out-of-network.
Spirit Dental
Spirit Dental covers preventive, basic and major dental services with no waiting period, so you can start using your benefits on the first day of your plan. Preventive services are covered at 100% and include two exams and three cleanings per year. Spirit Dental’s Core Network plan offers up to $1,200 annually after a $100 lifetime deductible. Your coinsurance amount for major services is 75% in the first year and 50% each year after that.