Best Cheap Georgia Dental Insurance

The process of finding the best dental insurance in Georgia can be confusing. Let us help you unpack the details of dental plans and providers to get you the best plan for your family.

This guide explains the types of dental coverage and the cost of insurance in Georgia. Read on to see how you can get the best Georgia dental insurance at an affordable price.

Quick Look: The Best Georgia Dental Insurance

• Best Optional Out of Network Care: Renaissance
• Best for No Waiting Periods: Smart Health Dental
• Best for Humana Pharmacy: Humana
• Best for Submitting and Tracking Claims: Anthem BCBS
• Best for Large Suite of Products: UnitedHealthcare
• Best for Young Adults and Families With Children or Teens: Guardian

Best Dental Insurance Providers in Georgia

Georgia has a lot of options for dental insurance, which makes it difficult to choose the right provider. To make it trickier, many insurance companies offer plans in the same price range. Benzinga searched through the top dental providers in Georgia to help you get a better idea of what’s available. Check out this list of the top five Georgia dental insurance providers for reviews and pros and cons.

1. Best Overall: Renaissance Dental

Renaissance doesn’t have the least expensive plans in Georgia, but the extra cost may be worth it thanks to plans with no waiting periods. Without the need to wait, you can start using your dental benefits right away.

Coverage levels increase each year, so you may start with 50% coverage for a basic service and increase to 80% coverage after a few years.

2. Best for No Waiting Periods: Smart Health Dental

Smart Health Dental has over 200,000 providers in network that you can try after a free quote. There are several plans to choose from, and you can get up to 100% preventative care coverage, extra services and even non-insurance plans. You can call the firm to learn what your options are and how dental coverage can impact your overall health.

3. Cheapest Dental Insurance: Humana

Humana is often a leader in affordable dental insurance in Georgia, and its plans in Georgia are no exception. The least expensive plan is a dental health maintenance organization (DHMO) plan for $15 per month.

If you want the flexibility of a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan, it offers a value plan for $17.99 that covers 100% of preventive services and 50% of basic services. Both of these plans have no waiting period.

4. Best for Combined Dental and Vision: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of the largest insurance providers in the country. It offers special dental plans in Georgia that include vision benefits.

The vision coverage usually includes a credit toward the cost of lenses, frames or contact lenses. You also have the option to add a life insurance policy to your dental and vision insurance coverage.

5. Best for High Annual Maximums: UnitedHealthcare

Like Anthem, UnitedHealthcare is one of the most prominent health insurance providers in the nation. That makes it possible to offer a range of dental plans with reasonable prices and great benefits. Choose from basic plans with annual benefits in the $1,000 to $1,500 range.

UnitedHealthcare also has plans with annual maximums between $2,000 and $3,000, much higher than many other providers. Users can choose from three levels of coverage: preventative, basic or major. Preventative cover covers oral exams and cleaning. Basic covers basic fillings and extractions. Major covers root canals, oral surgery, bridges and crowns.

6. Best for Basic Coverage: Guardian

Guardian provides a few plans that are designed for basic coverage needs. This makes the plans affordable and gives you the coverage you need. A Guardian plan is a good choice if you don’t regularly need expensive dental procedures, such as root canals or crowns.

Choose from two basic plans that cover preventive services and some basic procedures, both under $25 per month.

Types of Dental Coverage in Georgia

There are two main types of dental insurance in Georgia. Both types of coverage help you pay for expensive dental procedures. Coverage options usually include:

• Dental health maintenance organization (DHMO)
• Dental preferred provider organization (PPO)

In addition, you may be able to get a discount dental savings plan for as low as $6.99 per month, which offers minimal coverage. Although the goal of each type is the same, you’ll see some distinct differences between a DHMO and a PPO. 

Dental Health Maintenance Organization

DHMO plans are usually less expensive than other types of dental coverage. This type of plan uses a dental network, which is a group of dentists who contract with the insurance company to offer discounts on services to plan members.

You choose a primary provider when you sign up for a DHMO plan in Georgia. You’ll visit that dentist or oral health facility each time you need dental work completed. You may have to get a referral from your primary dentist to see a specialist.

Most DHMO plans have a copayment system to pay for your services. A copay is a fixed price you pay for a specified dental service. For example, you go to your primary dentist for a procedure that costs $100. You have a $20 copay, and your insurance company covers the remaining $80.

If you visit an out-of-network dentist, your dental insurance in Georgia may not cover the visit. That means you’ll be responsible for the entire cost of your dental procedure.

Preferred Provider Organization

A PPO dental plan also uses a network of dentists to provide discounts on dental procedures. Unlike a DHMO plan, a PPO plan doesn’t require you to choose a primary provider. You’ll also be able to visit dentists outside of the dental network. Dental benefits are usually reduced if you visit an out-of-network dentist.

While you can use any dentist with a PPO plan, they usually have additional restrictions, such as:

• Deductibles: A deductible is the amount you have to pay before you can use insurance benefits. Most deductibles reset yearly, but some plans have lifetime deductibles that are only paid once for the entire time you have the plan.
• Waiting period: This is the time you must be enrolled in the dental plan before benefits are available. For example, you may have to wait six months before your dental insurance pays for a filling.
• Annual maximum benefit: PPO plans often have a maximum amount of benefits you can receive per year. Once you’ve hit your maximum, you have to pay out of pocket for additional dental procedures. Common annual maximums are between $1,000 and $1,500.
• Coinsurance: Coinsurance is similar to a copay. Instead of a fixed dollar amount, coinsurance is displayed as a percentage. Say your coinsurance coverage is 80% for a particular service. You pay 20% of the price, and your insurance covers the last 80% after your deductible is met.

Although PPO plans have more restrictions to use your dental benefits, they’re still the most popular type of dental coverage.

Should I Choose a PPO or DHMO?

The easiest way to help decide between a PPO plan or DHMO plan is to consider whether you’ll need to visit a different dentist than your primary dentist. Some reasons it may be a good idea to choose the flexibility of a PPO over the affordability of a DHMO plan include:

• You plan to move within the year.
• You travel a lot and may need to visit a dentist on the road.
• You regularly need specialty dental services.

What Does Dental Insurance in Georgia Cover?

Different Georgia dental insurance plans cover different procedures. The best way to know what a potential plan covers is to ask the insurance provider directly and read the plan's details.

Even though each plan has different levels of coverage, there are certain services that most dental plans in Georgia cover. Common dental coverage includes:

• Routine teeth cleaning
• Regular checkups
• X-rays
• Fillings
• Root canals
• Crowns
• Bridges

If you need a specific procedure or think you may need it in the future, be sure to ask Georgia dental insurance providers whether they have a plan that covers your needs. You may know you need a filling and a root canal in the future, for example. As you search for dental plans, read the plan details and look for coverage of these services.

What Does Dental Insurance Not Cover? 

A few common procedures are rarely covered by Georgia dental insurance. These include:

• Cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth whitening
• Major preexisting conditions
• Adult orthodontia, like braces to straighten teeth

Your plan may cover some of these services, but it may have restrictions to use those benefits.

Additionally, the level of coverage differs among procedures. Many plans follow a 100-80-50 scale for dental coverage. These numbers represent how much of a service is covered:

• 100%: Preventive services, such as routine teeth cleanings, are often covered at 100% of the cost. You pay nothing out of pocket for a certain amount of preventive services per year.
• 80%: Basic dental procedures, including fillings, are covered at 80%. You’ll only pay 20% of the cost of the service.
• 50%: The cost of major dental work such as crowns, bridges or oral surgery is split between you and your insurance company.

Your chosen plan can also affect what is and isn’t covered by your dental insurance in Georgia. Some plans cover basic procedures but do not have benefits for major dental work, such as a crown, bridge or dental surgery.

Average Cost of Dental Insurance in Georgia

The cost of dental insurance in Georgia ranges from $15 per month to around $102 per month, or between $180 and $1,224 per year. The average cost of dental insurance nationwide is about $564 per year.

The type of coverage you choose plays a big role in the cost of dental insurance in Georgia. Most of the time, a plan with a higher annual maximum benefit and lower deductible has a higher monthly cost. Comprehensive dental insurance will cost more, while a basic preventative plan will cost less.

You can save money on your Georgia dental insurance costs by looking for discounts on insurance or comparing providers. For example, you could choose a plan that combines vision and dental benefits to help save on the total insurance cost.

What to Look for in a Dental Provider

The best dental insurance for you depends on several factors. Most importantly, you want to find a plan that combines an affordable price with enough coverage for the services you need.

Your Georgia dental insurance provider can also help guide you to the right plan to meet your needs. Try to find an insurance company that meets these requirements:

• Financially stable
• Helpful customer service
• Easy access to customer service via phone, email, chat or social media
• Affordable plan options
• Plans that meet coverage needs
• Good third-party customer reviews

Are Georgia Dental Insurance Plans Worth It?

For many consumers, a dental insurance plan is worth it. It's important to understand the coverage and create an estimate of regular out-of-pocket dental costs to dental coverage costs.Before you purchase a plan, be sure to read the fine print and ask questions if you’re confused. Knowing what a plan does and doesn’t cover now can save you a lot of headaches in the future. Need other options? Find the best cheap PPO insurance or the best affordable full-coverage dental insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions