As dental health awareness in the US increases, people are becoming more and more conscious of their visits to their dentists and investing in preventative dental care so as not to develop more serious dental conditions later. Even cosmetic dental procedures have taken a rise, with people rushing to get teeth whitening treatments and alignments done.
Over the last few decades, dentist fees in the US have gone up at twice the rate of inflation, making even basic dental care difficult to afford for a large chunk of the society. While their enthusiasm for dental care remained, regular visits have become completely out of question for some. These people now only bother to go to the dentist when they deem it absolutely necessary.
Dentists are worried because people are skipping out on their appointments and follow-ups, and avoid getting treatments unless it becomes serious. It’s understandable; dental care is expensive work, and not everybody has that kind of money.
The larger middle-class section of the society was left uncovered and unprotected when it comes to dental care. Fortunately, there are now national health insurance plans that cover dental works for people with low-incomes as well. To qualify for these, you need to be below a certain level of poverty.
Thankfully, there are also a lot of private companies that offer dental plans to make up for the gap. These dental plan providers offer various plans and have different coverage. You can buy dental plans according to what dentists are in the plan’s in-network, what services the plan’s covering, and most importantly, how much the plans cost.
- Some dental plans that offer basic dental work at discounted prices are very affordable. If you don’t have any important dental works coming up, and only want a dental plan to cover regular checkups and basic, preventative works, then these types of plans could be perfect for you.
- Some of the more expensive plans include major restorative works at discounted rates too. If you have a root canal procedure that’s long overdue or have some periodontal work lined up, you can buy a plan that includes discounts on these procedures and ultimately save quite a substantial amount on the procedures.
- There are thousands of plans on offer; all you have to do is look. Various dental plan providers in the US can help you look for the plan you need. It can, however, be quite difficult to decide on which one to buy because of the plethora of options to choose from.
Some of the most popular dental plan providers with the widest in-networks and a broad array of plan providers are as follows:
Aetna
Aetna is a US-based healthcare insurance provider which covers extensive dental insurances and dental plans too. Headquartered in Connecticut, Aetna claims to have over 339,000 dentists in its networks, making it one of the biggest and most prolific dental plan providers. However, Aetna doesn’t provide a large range of options in certain regions such as the Rocky Mountains, the East or the Northeast.
Aetna focuses more on user experience in providing the easiest route to finding the best dental plans in your area. It has a user-friendly mobile app that you can use to look up your desired plans and compare them.
Cigna
Headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cigna’s coverage is global! You need not worry even if you’re travelling abroad because you’ll find a doctor among the 70,000 dentists in Cigna’s in-network who would willingly attend to your needs.
Its preventative care coverage is 100% and discounted prices apply when you use a dentist from its in-network. Cigna is available in all states and cities, except Washington and New York.
Cigna offers three types of dental plans:
- myCigna Dental Preventive, which provides 100% off on preventative dental works
- myCigna Dental 1000, which has an annual maximum of $1000 and includes preventative and restorative dental works
- myCigna Dental 1500, which offers preventative and restorative treatments worth up to $1500 to patients.
Denvantage
Denventage has hundreds of dental plans on offer for people who aren’t covered by insurance or are tired of paying premiums and co-payments.
With Denvantage, you only have to pay a modest monthly membership fee and all of your regular preventive care would be made available to you at no further cost. Cleaning or periodontal maintenance, x-rays, fluoride treatments and doctor's examinations are covered 100% under Denvantage’s dental plan. If you require any further dental work done, it would be accommodated with a little extra payment from your side.
Denvantage’s dental plan even provides a grant for cosmetic surgeries and you’d have to pay the rest of the cost out of your own pocket.
Humana
Humana is headquartered in Louisiana, Kentucky and is among the largest dental plan providers in the US and typically offers four types of plans that include dental insurance, dental preventative plus and dental discount plans. Humana charges $15 as a registration fee and gives you access to its in-network dentists that will provide discounted dental care.
What’s more is that Humana gives you additional discounts for pairing up dental and vision coverage, and you can even get discounts at Humana’s in-network pharmacies for all your medicines.
Which is the best dental provider in the US?
The answer depends largely on your preferences.
- You can judge providers on convenience, in-networks, coverage and pricing.
- The provider which is best for one might not be well-suited for your requirements.
- Thus, do your research before selecting a provider and a plan – this website is a great place to start.
