Pros Explained

• Sample plan has great coverage: This plan covers 80% of the cost of midlevel “basic” care the first year—the highest of any plan we looked at—and 50% of more expensive “major” care. 
• Very generous annual coverage cap: Our sample plan pays for up to $2,000 in benefits the first year—far more than most competitors.
• Relatively short waiting period for major care coverage: You’ll need to wait six months for major care coverage from the sample plan, which is shorter than the 12-month periods many competitors make you wait. 
• Good coverage options for specific procedures: Depending on your state, Delta Dental’s plan options may cover implants, orthodontics, teeth whitening, and other services at higher-than-competitor percentages.
• Large and broadly accepted: Delta Dental is a well-known company and it claims that three out of four dentists accept Delta Dental; while difficult to prove one way or another, this is likely accurate. For example, 84% of dentists in Ohio accept Delta Dental. 

Cons Explained

• Premiums may be high: Depending on the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:dental plan you choose, your monthly premium may be higher than those of other insurers’ more limited plans.
• Can be confusing: Because Delta Dental is made up of several dozen companies, plans have different names in different states. In addition, some shoppers may have difficulty distinguishing between the many plans available in some states.  

Types of Denta🦩l Inಞsurance Offered by Delta Dental

Delta Dental is offered in all 50 states but by different regional groups. For this reason, dental plan names, types, and costs can differ substantially based on where you live. Here’s a general overview of plans offered by different Delta Dental groups. 

PPOs

Delta Dental primarily offers PPO plans nationwide, as PPOs are more popular with shoppers seeking dental insurance. These PPOs ma♎y differ in many ways based on your location, including: 

• Plan name
• Service coverage available
• 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Deductible (lifetime or annual) 
• Plan dollar maximum (which may increase in future years)
• Percentage of coverage for care
• Length of waiting period for different care 
• Dentist network size 

Typically, plans offer two to three tiers of coverage, with lower-priced plans offering lower plan maximums, coverage limits, an꧒d fewer in-network providers. Full preventive coverage is fairly standard. Some Delta Dental plans, such as those in Illinois, may even cover tooth whitening. 

Wi🌄th a Delta Dental PPO individual plan, you can visit any licensed dentist, though you’ll generally pay more if the dentist is out-of-network.  

Managed Fee for Service

In most states, what’s known as Delta D🐭ental Premier is a fee-for-service plan. This plan offers a more extensive network of dentists who agree to Delta Dental’s contracted fees for covered dental services. You pay only your copay and deಌductible. 

You can see any dentist you wish for covered service𝓰s—you just won’t get theღ same savings as if you visit a Premier dentist. The premium costs are higher. 

For𒀰 the highest tier (and cost), combine PPO and Premier networks for the Delta Dental PPO Plus Premier.

HMOs

Delta Dental offers dental 澳洲幸运5官方𝓡开奖结果体彩网:HMOs (health♒ maintenance organization plans) under several names, but the most commonly known is DeltaCare USA. In some states, it🎶 may be known as the DeltaDental Clear plan or Delta ClearPlus. 

This copay-based plan emphasizes preventive care. You’ll pay a flat, low fee or nothing for most cleanings, exams, X-rays, and other office visits. You’ll pay more for more involved services, but you won’t pay a ꧃deductible, face waiting periods, or encounter annual maximum coverage limits.

To get coverage for HMO services, you must choose a dentisꦺt from a specified network, whether DeltaCare USA network, Delta Dental PPO, or Delta Dental Premier lists. There is no out-of-network coverage. However, Delta Dental HMOs may have the lowest costs of all plans, depending on your state. 

Discount Plan

Delta Dental Patient Direct is a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:discount plan, not insurance🅺, and is only available in some states. Patients can use this plan to visit someone i𝓰n the smaller (500-provider) Patient Direct network to receive a discount on preventive and other dental care. Your premiums will likely be much lower compared to other plans available.

Family Plans and ACA Plans

If you enroll via a federal or state 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:health insurance marketplace, the Delta Dental PPO network provides your coverage. Federal or state-defined plans may have lower premiums but do not cover as much as plans you buy directly from Delta Dental. Benefits for children under age 19 meet 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Affordable Care Act requirements. 

Other Types of Insurance Offered by 🐎Delta Dental

In 15 states, DeltaVision is offered to individuals, families, and/or small businesses. These plans operate in conjunction with the🎐 widely available VSP Vision Care. For a premium🐈, enrollees can get in-network eye exams for a low copay and a set allowance to spend on glasses, prescription sunglasses, or contact lenses.  

Delta Dental Plans

It’s impossible to show all Delta Dental plans offered due to state-by-state variation in nam🅺es and availability—in some states, only two or three💛 PPO plans are offered, while up to six plans are provided in others. Here’s a quick example of plans you might find available in New York, New York, for someone who is 36 years old.

How Much Does Delta Dental Insurance Cost?

The cost of any dental insurance plan encompasses not just your premium payments but also any out-of-pocket spending, such as the deductible, copays, and any di🔜fference betwe🧜en what the plan pays and the dentist’s fees. 

For example, if Delta Dental doesn’t cover a service, you’൩ll pay the entire cost out of pocket. Ensuring your insurance company covers your dentist and any planned services is essentia🍌l. 

Delta Dental’s deductibles range f🧸rom $50 to $100, but some may be lifetime-based vs. annual limits. Some plans, ♔such as HMOs, charge no deductible at all.  

Here a🔜re Del♕ta Dental cost comparisons across several states. 

How Does Delta Den🅷tal Compare 𝓀to Other Dental Insurance Companies?

Here’s 𓆏how the lowest-premium PPO plans from Delta, Phys🃏icians Mutual, and MetLife stack up in two ZIP codes in California and Texas. Each covers preventive, basic, and major dental care; however, services, waiting periods, and percentages of coverage differ dramatically between insurers’ plans. 

While a dental plan may look less expensive monthly, you could pay far more out-of-pocket expenses when you visit the dentist. Of these three PPO plans, Delta Dental offers the highest coverage percentage for basic de𓄧ntal s♛ervices and comparative coverage for major services versus MetLife, with a shorter waiting period (six months versus 12) than the other two. 

Customer Service

In general, ꦰif you rece♔ive a plan through an employer, you’ll contact the Delta Dental company in the state where you live or where your employer is headquartered. 

Customer Satisfaction

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index measures how many complaints a company gets compared to other providers of the same size. Delta Dental’s three-year average complaint index from the NAIC is 0.35,ꦦ meaning it has fewer complaints than expected for its size. (A complaint index of 1.00 means a company has exactly as many complaints as are proportional to its size). Delta Dent♎al’s NAIC index score is the second-best among all the insurers we surveyed. 

The Bottom Line

Delta Dental offers dental insurance that approx๊imates the well-rounded coverage you expect from an employer. That coverage can come at a higher premium and with waiting periods, both of which may pay off due to the robust selection of plans and dental types of care covered.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Does Dental Insurance Cover?

Higher-quality dental insurance covers various dental procedures, including preventive cleanings, implants, braces, cleanings, fillings, and crowns, up to a specified annual limit. Like many insurance companies, Delta Dental offers a range of plans so customers can purchase what they need—whether a basic, preventive-care-only plan, a plan that covers braces for teens, or a dental plan that covers implants.

What Happens If You Don’t Have Dent♌al Insurance?

If you 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:don’t have dental insurance, you’re responsible for the total cost of any procedure. At its best, dental insurance can help you manage expenses by negotiating a set price in advance with an in-network dentist and contrib🐬uting an amount toward the procedure.𝔍 While you’ll likely still pay some costs for a dental procedure, it won’t be as expensive as if you didn’t have insurance. 

Who Accepts Delta Dental Insurance?

Accurate network size can be difficult to determine. Delta Dental contracts with at least three different networks: Delta PPO, Delta Premier, and DeltaCare USA. However, at least one past study found that Delta Dental makes up around 40% of the California dental insurance market, with the next-largest insurer making up only 8% and dozens of other insurers 🎀adding up to the rest. Delta Dental’s website can compare network coverage and who offers care near you. 

Is Delta Dental Insurance Worth It?

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Whether to buy dental insurance depends on which services you need, the total service costs, whether your dentist is in-network, and how soon you need dental treatment. If you🐓 only need inexpensive preventive services like a cleaning once or twice yearly, your premiums may not outweigh your annual costs. However, if you need retreatment of a prior root canal, that costs around $1,250 or more. Your insurance may be helpful—even though you’ll likely need to wait up to 12 months before you get services, and Delta Dental will only cover a percentage of the root canal’s costs. 

How We Chose the Best Dental Insurance Companiꦕes

To determine which dental insurance companies to review, we tapped into both marꦉket data and public sentiment. We used business and industry databases to get insights into market share, and user-generated d෴ata from Google to understand trends and public interest in stand-alone dental plans. This analysis narrowed our focus to 17 key companies offering dental coverage to individuals, regardless of whether their health insurance was purchased through state or federal marketplaces or independently.

We collected data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), a standard-setting and regulatory support organization that maintai🐓ns a database of customer complaints. We also gathered data directly from companies via websites, media contacts, and existing partnerships. The data collection process took place between Oct. 9, 2023, and Dec. 23, 2023. 

We then develop🐟ed a quantitative model that scored each dental insurance provider based on 35 criteria that🐎 fall into five major categories and are crucial in evaluating the company’s offerings and benefits. We weighted the five categories as follows for this article:

• State Availability: 5%
• Customer Satisfaction: 15%
• Cost: 36%
• Coverage: 42%
• Customer Service: 2%

To learn more about our process for finding the best dental insurance companies, read our 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:full methodology.