Stay on top of your family’s oral health with a dental insurance plan. No need to wait around for open enrollment — you can purchase a policy at any time and start receiving care right away.
There are dental insurance plan options for every lifestyle and budget, and Benzinga is here to help you find the best coverage.
Keep reading to learn how family dental insurance works, what it covers, expected costs and how to evaluate providers. We’ve also provided a list of top options to help jumpstart your search.
Best Family Dental Insurance:
- Best Overall for Family Dental Insurance: Delta Dental
- Best for Low Premiums: Humana
- Best for No Waiting Periods: Spirit Dental
- Best for Provider Network: Cigna
- Best for Discounts: Dentalplans.com
What is Family Dental Insurance?
Family dental insurance offers coverage to members of your immediate family. You can save a bundle on dental treatment with a policy from the right provider.
There are 2 ways to get family dental insurance — through your employer or a private plan.
Employer-sponsored group dental coverage is relatively affordable since a portion of the cost is paid for you. You pay what remains through an automatic deduction from your paycheck. Plan options are limited to those offered by select providers contracted with your policy. And you can only sign up for a plan during open enrollment unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.
If you don’t have access to dental coverage through an employer, you can purchase a private plan from the provider of your choice. There are no special enrollment periods for private dental plans — you can buy coverage at any time.
Types of Dental Coverage
Family dental policies offer coverage for preventive care, basic procedures and major procedures. Here’s how the coverage works:
- Preventive care: 100% coverage including checkups, oral exams, cleanings, diagnostic services and X-rays
- Basic procedures: 80% coverage including fillings, extractions, periodontal work and any other medically-necessary services
- Major procedures: 50% coverage including emergency surgeries, root canals, implants, dentures, crowns and bridges
Select services are covered at different levels. It’s best to inquire with the provider to learn more about its coverage tiers.
Average Cost of Family Dental Insurance
Expect to pay between $25 to $50 per month for family dental insurance. Your premiums could be much higher or lower, depending on the plan type, covered services, deductible and annual maximum.
Be sure to submit timely premium payments each month to keep your coverage intact. As with any insurance policy, other out-of-pocket costs include your:
- Deductible: You must pay this amount before the plan pays for treatment related to services not covered at 100%.
- Copayments: A copayment is the flat-fee you pay to receive select services.
- Coinsurance: Coinsurance is the amount you must remit to receive treatment. It’s a percentage of the fee for services. So, if it costs $800 to receive a major service and the coinsurance is 80:20, you will pay $160, and the insurance provider will cover the remaining $640.
What to Look for in a Dental Insurance Provider
With so many options to choose from, how do you know which are worthwhile? The best dental insurance providers possess these characteristics:
Exceptional Customer Service
You want a dental insurance provider that offers outstanding customer service. Read reviews from past and current policyholders to gain greater insight into how a provider does business.
Minimal Waiting Periods
Be mindful of waiting periods for select services. If you need a specific type of treatment soon, it’s not sensible to sign up for a plan that requires you to wait for 6 months to a year. You can find more details on waiting periods in the plan description or policy documents.
Limited List of Exclusions
Dental insurance plans with premiums that are too good to be true could also mean limited coverage. Also check the description to see if treatments for preexisting conditions are also excluded. In most cases, you should avoid these plans.
Affordable Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs
No need to break the bank for proper oral care. Choose a provider that offers flexible, affordable dental insurance plans with low out-of-pocket costs.
Best Family Dental Insurance Providers
We spent several hours researching options to bring you the best options on the market. Check out our list of the top family dental insurance providers.
- Cleaning + exams
1. Best Overall: Delta Dental
Delta Dental is a leading provider of dental plans. They boast a network of more than 150,000 dentists in 330,000 locations.
Choose from 2 affordable plans to meet your family’s dental needs:
- DeltaCare® USA is an HMO plan that features no deductibles or annual maximums. Copayments for preventive, basic and major services are fixed, and there are no waiting periods for covered services.
- Delta Dental PPO™ is a fee-for-service plan that offers preventive care at a rate you can afford. Coinsurance applies for basic and major procedures, and a deductible and annual maximum apply.
Explore the perks of being a Delta Dental subscriber. Get a free quote today!
- Medicare Advantage Plans
2. Best for Low Premiums: Humana
Want a family dental plan that lets you keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket? Consider Humana to meet your needs. They offer PPO, DHMO, discount and value plans to fit every budget.
Family coverage starts at $20 per month. Most plans feature:
- Low deductibles (some plans are deductible-free)
- Free routine cleaning and x-rays
- Zero waiting periods for preventive services (some basic and major services also qualify)
As a subscriber, you’ll have access to a provider network of over 270,000 dentists. Request a free quote to see how much you can save by switching to Humana.
- Dental + Vision Plans
3. Best for No Waiting Periods: Spirit Dental
There’s a lot to love about Spirit Dental plans, but the most enticing benefit is that you won’t have to wait to get the treatment you need.
You can receive preventive, basic and major services right away. Children’s orthodontics services and up to three cleanings for each subscriber are covered each year.
Learn more about Spirit Dental’s family plans by requesting a free quote today.
- Easy access to benefits
4. Best for Provider Network: Cigna
Ranked number 65 on the Fortune 500 list, Cigna is another top provider of affordable, flexible dental plans. They feature low deductibles, and preventive services are covered at 100%.
Even better, you can select from more than 90,000 dentists in its provider network. And you can access customer support 24/7 to get answers to your more pressing questions.
Join the over 17 million Cigna subscribers — get a fast, free quote today.
- Saving money on dental expenses
5. Best for Discounts: Dentalplans.com
Dentalplans.com isn’t a provider of dental insurance. The site offers savings plans for purchase to offset the costs of dental services, even if you have preexisting conditions.
Just show your savings plan card to save up to 60% on dental care. To get started:
- Visit the website and explore the savings plans. Options are available from the top providers in the industry, including Dental Dental, Cigna, Aetna and Humana.
- Narrow down your options, and select a plan to suit your needs.
- Find a participating provider, and make an appointment.
- Pay at the time of service.
Worried you won’t find a provider? Don’t be. More than 100,000 dentists nationwide accept these savings plans.
Don’t let the cost of coverage scare you away from getting the oral care you need. Consider a discount plan from Dentalplans.com for you and your family.
Get Family Dental Insurance Today
Give your teeth the treatment they deserve. Get quotes for family dental insurance plans from our recommended providers to find the most suitable coverage.
You can get started in minutes and conveniently explore all your plan options online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does dental insurance work?
A dental insurance plan charges a premium in exchange for covered benefits. Unlike health insurance plans, dental insurance plans usually have a cap on benefits, which means your plan may stop providing coverage once you reach the annual cap, often between 1k and 3K. Like other types of healthcare insurance, dental insurance focuses coverage on essential services, like cleanings, fillings, etc. Many plans don’t cover braces or elective cosmetic procedures. Get the cheapest premium here.
Q: Is dental coverage part of health insurance?
Some health insurance plans bundle dental coverage as well but, in many cases, dental insurance is a separate plan. Healthcare plans that are ACA-compliant are required to offer dental coverage to children but there is no requirement that adults have dental insurance coverage. Choosing a separate dental insurance plan can be a cost-saving step and helps make dental health costs more predictable. Check out our best providers for the cheapest rate.
Q: What kinds of dental insurance are available?
Your choices for dental insurance plans are similar to health insurance choices. You can choose from a dental HMO, which helps to keep premium costs low by keeping services within controlled network. Dental PPOs give more freedom to choose your dentist and care but cost more than HMO plans. A third option is called a dental indemnity plan, which pays a fixed amount or percentage for covered services. Compare quotes from our top providers for the best price.
Dental Insurance Methodology
To determine the best dental insurance providers, we pored through all United States carriers. We winnowed the list by only including companies that have a wide coverage area and product offering. To further break down the list to the true best dental insurance providers, we gave weight to carriers that offer discounts, are available in all states and have multiple payment plan options.
Dental Plans Promo
Get 10% off any dental savings plan at DentalPlans.com. You can reduce your dental care costs by saving 10-60% off at the dentist!