As we age, it is even more vital to take good care of our overall health. While most individuals do maintain a regular check on their health, dental care often takes a backseat. However, since Medicare doesn’t typically provide dental coverage for seniors, and many employees neglect including dental insurance in their retirement package, you might be tempted to completely skip the regular dental checkups just to save some money.
Seniors are at a higher risk of experiencing dental issues, including tooth loss, gum disease, dry mouth, and tooth decay. There are many cognitive and physical conditions that may also cause oral health problems. Moreover, neglecting your dental care might also worsen your health problems.
Dental Plan Information for Seniors
Therefore, it is essential to opt for dental coverage to attain quality oral care. There are numerous affordable dental plans for seniors available today. However, we understand how overwhelming it can get when looking for the right dental plan.
Here is a list of some of the best dental plans for seniors to help you make the right decision based on your needs:
1. Humana
Humana provides good options for seniors’ dental plans. They also have loyalty rewards program that enhances the coverage over time. This makes their plan an ideal choice for the seniors. It is essential that you go through the premium, coverage details, and plans thoroughly as they tend to vary in different states.
This company also gives you the ability of purchasing the vision insurance along with their dental plan. When buying vision and dental plans together, your second enrollment fee gets waivered. They even offer special discount dental plans for senior veterans.
Humana has a network of more than 130,000 dentists. Other benefits include no waiting period, twice yearly cleanings free of charge, and increasing annual coverage.
2. Aetna
Aetna dental plans for seniors are another great option you should look at. While they offer various different plans, their Aetna Vital Dental Savings℠ Plus Rx plan is one of their most beneficial dental plans which includes savings on prescription, hearing, and vision medications.
Other benefits of Aetna include savings of around 15% to 50% on various dental procedures, coverage of general dentists and specialists, and no annual limits!
3. Delta Dental (AARP Dental Insurance Plan)
The AARP dental insurance plan is administered by Delta Dental. However, aside from AARP members, they also have dental plans for individuals. They offer both HMO and PPO plans so you can select the one that fits your needs.
They have a wide network of dentists and you can use their online portal to find the nearest one in your area. However, keep in mind that Delta plans don’t cover all the dental procedures. Different plans have varying exclusions and limitations. Moreover, the costs of the dental plans also vary accordingly.
4. United Healthcare
United Healthcare provides affordable dental plans for senior citizens with no waiting periods and deductibles on preventive procedures. They have an extensive network of dentists that you can easily find through their directory.
They offer 100% coverage of x-rays and cleanings. The best thing about United Healthcare is that they make payments to the dentists directly which saves you from the hassle of filing for a claim. While there isn’t any waiting period for preventive procedures, there is still waiting periods of up to 12 months for major dental procedures.
The costs of dental plans offered by United Healthcare also vary depending on the plan you select. Potential costs include co-insurance, deductibles, co-pays, and premiums.
5. Guardian
Guardian offers affordable dental plans for seniors covering 100% preventive care which includes x-rays, exams, and cleanings. They offer both HMO and PPO dental plans. You can easily find dentists in your area by adding your zip code on their website.
There is no need to file a claim, as long as you opt for a dentist from their network. Guardian offers a certain amount for specific dental procedures done by out-of-network dentists in their PPO plans. Their waiting periods range from none for preventive care to about 12 months for major dental procedures.
However, the dental plans don’t cover all the states, which mean you would have check whether your state is covered by them before making the purchase. The costs of their plans also vary as per the plan you select.
6. Cigna
Cigna dental insurance is one of the most affordable dental cover offered to seniors and individuals of all age groups. They offer no co-pays and deductibles for preventive care, including x-rays, checkups, and cleanings. Moreover, you can also compare the dentist scores for the treatment quality and affordability.
They have a network of more than 89,000 dentists you can select from depending on your needs. The restrictions for their plans include waiting period on majority of the dental services. The time can vary as per the service you need. There are certain time restrictions on selected dental services as well.
Proper dental care is crucial for your overall health, especially for seniors. Hence, regular oral checkups and treatments are a must to maintain your hygiene and health. Selecting the right dental plan can drastically reduce the overall cost of dental care.
These dental plans for senior citizens offer some of the best coverage to ensure you maintain your healthy bright smile for longer.
Before making the purchase, make sure you thoroughly read through the fine print to determine if the procedures you need or might need are covered in the plan. Read about a range of Dental Plans here.
Always ask as many questions as you need so you are aware of all the benefits and downsides of each plan. This will help you in selecting the right dental plan.
