Getting good dental care can be expensive, and this is especially true if you need work that goes beyond basic cleaning and preventative care. Getting the best dental insurance in California at any age can help cover preventive care costs while mitigating more expensive dental procedures such as crowns, bridges, and fillings.
Even so, it’s important to shop around to find best dental insurance plans in California that have the coverage you need, with no low annual caps or exclusions that can prevent you from getting any value.
This writing will provide every single information you need about the best dental insurance in California and what it takes to get good dental insurance in California
According to a report by the American Dental Association, adults ages 19 to 34 spend an average of $492 on dental work over a year, while adults age 35 to 49 spend $598.
Annual spending for people ages 50 to 64 increases to an average of $785. This reflects the fact that older Americans tend to need more dental work.
Table of contents
What is Dental Insurance?
Dental insurance offers a range of coverage for various dental procedures, including preventive care and more comprehensive services such as fillings, crowns and root canals.
As with other types of insurance, dental insurance requires you to pay a monthly insurance premium. When you visit the dentist, you can also pay an annual or lifelong deductible and additional payments.
However, dental insurance works differently than health insurance in terms of the coverage that you can get. Dental insurance companies often have an annual limit of only $750 or $1,000 per person.
As soon as your annual maximum benefit amount has been reached, you will have to pay for dental care out of pocket.
What does Dental Insurance usually include?
Dental insurance plans can vary widely, and this includes what they include and what they don’t. For this reason, be sure to read through the terms and conditions of any plans you are considering to make sure your coverage includes basic supplies like fillings, as well as essential services like crowns and bridges.
For the most part, the majority of dental insurance plans cover 100% preventive care like cleaning and x-rays, although waiting times may apply.
Coverage for basic services like fillings, root canals, and tooth extractions is also included, although it is usually limited to a percentage of the cost (i.e., 50%).
You can also buy coverage that includes essential services like crowns, bridges, dental implants, and orthodontics, although plans that cover essential services cost more in most cases and cap the pay-out to 50%.
Dental insurance usually doesn’t cover cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening, and you may also have trouble finding coverage for pre-existing conditions such as missing teeth.
How Does Dental Insurance Work in California?
California dental insurance works similarly to health insurance. For a certain monthly rate (or “Premium”), you are entitled to certain dental services, including regular check-ups, cleanings, x-rays and certain services necessary to promote general dental health.
Some plans offer broader coverage than others, and others require a larger financial contribution on your part when services are provided.
Some plans may also cover certain types of oral surgery, dental implants, or orthodontics.
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What is the Average Cost of Dental Insurance in California?
The cost of dental insurance varies greatly depending on where you live, age and the tariff you choose. In California, basic insurance can range from $20 to $50 per month.
Having dental insurance can save you money on the dental care you need. Whether it’s for basic cleaning, x-rays, crowns or dentures, dental insurance in California can make a big difference to your budget.
With dental insurance in California, you can save up to 50% on most services. Here is some average cost of dental care with insurance in California:
- Routine Adult Cleaning: $69 with insurance, $124 without insurance
- Root canals: $765 with insurance, $1,270 without
- Dentures: $808 with insurance, $1,180 without
- Partial dentures: $902 with insurance, $1,401 without insurance
Is It Worth Paying for Dental Insurance?
Only you can decide whether it is worth paying for dental insurance. However, take the time to do a basic cost analysis to determine how much you would be paying for dental insurance premiums, co-payments, and deductibles per year versus how much you have actually paid for dental care in years past.
What is the Best Dental Insurance in California?
Here are the best dental insurance providers in California that can offer you a good and affordable dental insurance. You can take advantage of this opportunity and set up a quality dental insurance that will aid you take care of your teeth at your later years especially.
Not only did we look for plans with the broadest network of dentists available, but also plans with reasonable annual maximum benefits and the potential for low premiums.
Delta Dental
Delta Dental is the largest provider of dental services in the United States and has a network of over 155,000 practicing dentists nationwide.
It is part of one of the largest networks of dental providers in the country, making it easy to choose from more than 348,000 dentists in their Delta Dental PPO and Delta Dental Premier plans.
Delta Dental also has an AM Best A rating – a testament to the company’s financial strength. While the planning details vary from state to state, they offer different types of insurance, including options for orthodontic care.
Preventive measures such as cleanings and x-rays are 100% covered, and all basic and essential services, including root canals, implants and crowns, are 50% covered.
They don’t always have the cheapest prices in California, but the prices are quite affordable. The basic plan costs about $16.40 per month for individuals, $32.47 per month for couples, and $57.39 for a family.
Renaissance Dental
Renaissance Dental works with a network of 300,000 dental practices across the country. In-network dentists who take advantage of this insurance will file records and claims on your behalf.
This company’s customer service is known for its quality and they have various plans for individuals and families with varying levels of coverage and inclusions to meet consumer needs.
Renaissance Dental has an AM Best A rating so you can count on the financial strength of this company. They also make it easy to get a free quote online no matter where you live. So, shopping to compare plans is easy and convenient.
The annual maximum benefits for all Renaissance Dental Insurance plans are capped at $1,000. All plans have a deductible of $50 for individuals or a deductible of $150 for families.
Humana Dental Insurance
Humana offers discount and value plans at different prices that can be useful for consumers with special dental care needs. The company currently has an A rating from AM Best, which means it’s pretty solid in terms of financial strength.
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You can choose from more than 270,000 dentists in the United States. Note, however, that the plans, coverage levels, and specifics of each policy can vary greatly depending on where you live.
Regardless of these differences, Humana is characterized by its favorable pricing and 100% coverage for the provision.
Some Humana dental insurance plans offer a lifetime deductible, typically $50 for individuals and $150 for families, while other plans require an annual deductible.
Also note that the maximum benefit amounts for this coverage can range from $1,000 to unlimited, depending on the policy you choose.
SmartSmile
If you need cheap dental insurance coverage, the DHMO SmartSmile beats every other provider at $6.95 per month. It offers low copays and no deductibles, application forms or registration waiting times.
The company discloses all prices in full. For example, you can have your teeth cleaned twice a year for $15, fillings for $44, a full set of dentures for $440, and a crown for $490.
You can return as often as you want, as SmartSmile has no annual coverage maxima.
UnitedHealthOne Dental Insurance
They offer dental insurance without age restrictions and provision without deductibles or waiting times. It is part of the UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 500 company.
Dental insurance plans, including coverage amounts and other details, can vary widely with UnitedHealthOne based on where you live. However, this company makes it easy to get a free quote online with no medical insurance.
Some UnitedHealthOne plans require a waiting period of four months or more for basic and essential services, although details may vary based on where you live.
Some high-level plans offer orthodontic coverage, although sub-level plans may not cover major services such as braces, crowns, and bridgework at all. Note that the annual maximum benefit for some of their plans may only be $1,000.
Physicians Mutual
Physicians Mutual Dental Insurance companies can count on their financial strength as the company received an AM Best A rating in 2017.
This provider also has plans that may be particularly suitable for seniors as they cover up to 350 procedures including crowns and dentures.
Physicians Mutual dental insurance has no deductibles, and coverage for preventive measures such as cleaning starts immediately.
However, there is a waiting period of three months for basic care such as fillings and extractions, and a waiting period of 12 months for important services such as crowns and root canals.
Interestingly, Physicians Mutual’s insurance policies don’t have annual or lifetime benefit limits on your coverage, and you can choose your dentist from their network of 470,000 providers.
MetLife TakeAlong Dental
If you need a good dental plan to keep your family insured, the MetLife TakeAlong Dental plan is a great option in California. Basic coverage for a family of four is $93.83 per month and total coverage is $124.25.
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That’s nearly $50 less than the average cost of full coverage for a family of four.
MetLife is financially strong and the plans are for orthodontic care which is ideal if your family needs braces. If you need a customized basic plan for cleanings, fillings, and other services, this company’s prices are among the most expensive.
Ameritas Dental Insurance
Ameritas is known in the insurance industry as a top provider of dental insurance. They also offer a Dental Rewards program that allows participants to increase their annual maximum benefit to fund more expensive procedures in the future by visiting a dentist and filing a claim each year.
The applicant must be below the annual dentist plan benefit threshold of $500 or less for total entitlements paid during the year.
Over time, the subscriber can earn up to a maximum of $2,000 in rewards and receive a $100 dental network bonus for every year they visit an Ameritas dental care network provider.
Aetna
Aetna has been in operation for more than 165 years and further expanded its insurance network through a merger with CVS Health in 2018.
When purchasing an online offer, we were immediately given the opportunity to have Aetna ask further questions in order to guide us through the selection process or to search further independently.
When you use the guided process of asking questions about your age range, general health status, and the types of coverage you are shopping for, this data will be used to assess how much your health care spending could be under each plan.
Spirit Dental
Spirit Dental offers no waiting dental insurance plans and top annual benefits that increase after a few years of your insurance plan.
They guarantee acceptance for everyone, and you can even cover essential services and dental implants.
Spirit Dental is owned by Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. which has an A + rating from Standard & Poor’s and an A rating from AM Best for financial strength. Spirit’s partnership with Ameritas also means that they work with one of the largest networks of dentists in the world.
Spirit Dental has no waiting times and charges a one-time deductible of $100, compared to the annual deductibles most insurance providers charge.
Spirit offers two dental insurance plans for individuals, including no waiting, preventative coverage, three cleanings per year, and even orthodontics for children. After three years as a customer, you can earn up to $5,000 per year.
Conclusion
Many dental diseases are preventable. But brushing and flossing alone are rare enough. Regular visits to the dentist will help you maintain good oral care, and dental insurance will help minimize the cost of required services.
Whether dental care is designed to protect young children from tooth decay or older adults from chronic diseases, having a dental plan minimizes costs.
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