Dental Insurance No Waiting Period
Getting Dental Insurance That’s Ready When You Need It
Contents
- The main reasons why insurance coverage is delayed
- Effective dates, waiting periods, and deductibles
- Immediate coverage
- A sample of dental plans with no waiting periods
Main Reasons for Delayed Insurance Coverage
One of the obstacles to getting dental care at the time it’s needed is the date on which a dental plan will begin to pay dentists. The two main reasons for delays in coverage are:
- The dental policy's effective date
- Attaching waiting periods to various benefits
- Deductibles
This article will educate you on the conditions delaying insurance coverage and then list examples of dental plans that lack waiting periods.
Different Types of Coverage Delays
Waiting periods are not the only condition that can delay coverage. A dental plan enrollee also has to consider the plan’s effective date and deductible.
Effective Date
The effective date is the day when a dental insurance policy begins its coverage, or is "in force." In other words, you cannot use your dental insurance before the effective date. Another explanation for an effective date is that it is a "start date" for the insurance policy, a day upon which dental coverage commences. The image below shows how this website displays the effective date for each insurance policy on a quote page. The effective date is the text in red at the bottom. It states, “Apply by the last day of the current month, effective 1st of the following month.
Effective Dates can vary by insurance company. Never apply for a dental plan until you know when the plan will become effective. If you don't see an effective date by the plan's name, you can look at a Plan Details page or plan brochure. On our Plan Details page, the effective date for a plan is displayed as follows.
Once a dental policy is effective, it will be active until the end of its term. A term is the length of time the insurance policy lasts, usually a year. A policy may be renewed or discontinued at the end of its term. Some enrollees may choose to end a policy earlier than the end of its term. A policy will also discontinue if an enrollee fails to pay his or her monthly premium obligations.
Dental Insurance Waiting Periods
A waiting period is the amount of time a consumer must be continuously enrolled in a dental plan before that plan will cover a specific benefit. Waiting periods are normally attached to specific services so a plan might have no waiting period for basic care such as fillings and x-rays but have a waiting period for crowns, root canals, and teeth whitening. For more detailed information, refer to our article “dental insurance waiting period.”
A dental plan with a waiting period for orthodontic benefits may still be classified as a dental plan without waiting periods because orthodontic benefits are not generally considered core dental benefits. In fact, most individual dental insurance plans do not cover braces and other orthodontic care.
Don't Forget Deductibles
Deductibles are not waiting periods but they do have an affect on when a dental plan begins to pay for care. A deductible is the amount of money a dental plan enrollee must pay for covered care before the insurance company will begin to pay its share of costs. For example, if a dental plan has a $100 deductible then the enrollee will pay the first $100 of covered care out-of-pocket. Once the deductible amount is reached by the enrollee, the dental plan's normal cost sharing (copayments or coinsurance fees) for covered services is in effect until the beginning of the next plan year. At the beginning of a new plan year, the deductible period begins again.
There are three points that should be remembered about deductibles. First, not all dental plans have a deductible. Second, dental plan deductibles are often small. Many dental plans have a deductible of $100 or less per enrollee on the plan. Third, even dental plans with deductibles may exclude some categories of care from the deductible requirement. For example, preventive care such as annual check-ups and teeth cleaning may not be subject to a deductible.
Immediate Coverage
Dental plans without waiting periods for preventive, basic, and major dental care are sometimes labeled dental insurance immediate. This label can be a bit misleading because dental plans without waiting periods still have effective dates (see discussion above). For more information, immediate coverage dental plans, see our article “Dental Insurance Immediate Coverage.”
Dental Plans with No Waiting Periods for Preventive, Basic, and Major Care
The below list includes dental plans in each state (and Washington D.C.) that do not have waiting periods for preventive, basic, and major dental care. Be certain to check the plan details page to make certain there have not been any plan updates that have changed their no waiting period status. You can also get price quotes for your age and zip code in a few clicks.
NOTE - Some of the below plans may not be available in all regions of the state for which it is listed.
| State | Insurance Company | Plan |
| Alabama | Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan |
| Renaissance Dental | Max Choice | |
| Alaska | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 1500 |
| Ameritas | Dallas Smile Plan | |
| Arizona | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Arkansas | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Ameritas | Dallas Smile Plan | |
| California | Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan |
| California Dental Network | Plan 595 | |
| Colorado | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier 2500 | |
| Connecticut | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Delaware | Dominion National | Select Plan Basic |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Florida | Humana | Dental Value Plan HI215 |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Georgia | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 1500 |
| Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive | |
| Hawaii | Renaissance Dental | Max Choice |
| Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus | |
| Idaho | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 2000 | |
| Illinois | Guardian Direct | Managed DentalGuard |
| Humana | Dental Value Plan C550 | |
| Indiana | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Iowa | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Careington | 500 Series Dental Savings (Discount Program, Not Insurance) | |
| Kansas | Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 1500 |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 2000 | |
| Kentucky | Delta Dental of Kentucky | Bright smiles |
| Delta Dental of Kentucky | Happy Smiles | |
| Louisiana | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Maine | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Maryland | Dominion National | Select Plan Basic |
| Renaissance Dental | Max Choice | |
| Massachusetts | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 1500 |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Michigan | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier 2500 | |
| Minnesota | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Renaissance Dental | Max Choice | |
| Mississippi | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 2000 |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Missouri | Humana | Dental Value Plan HI215 |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Montana | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 2000 |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Nebraska | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Nevada | Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier 1500 |
| Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive | |
| New Hampshire | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Ameritas | Dallas Smile Plan | |
| New Jersey | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Dominion National | Select Plan Premium | |
| New Mexico | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Careington | 500 Series Dental Savings (Discount Program, Not Insurance) | |
| New York | Guardian Direct | Managed DentalGuard |
| MetLife | TakeAlong Dental HMO-Managed Care 245 (High) | |
| North Carolina | Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier 2500 |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| North Dakota | Renaissance Dental | Max Choice |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 2000 | |
| Ohio | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Humana | Dental Value Plan HI215 | |
| Oklahoma | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Careington | 500 Series Dental Savings (Discount Program, Not Insurance) | |
| Oregon | Dental Health Services | Super SmartSmile |
| Dental Health Services | SmartSmile | |
| Pennsylvania | Dominion National | Select Plan Basic |
| Dominion National | Select Plan Premium | |
| Rhode Island | Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 1500 |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Mega Smile 2000 | |
| South Carolina | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| South Dakota | Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 2000 |
| Ameritas | Dallas Smile Plan | |
| Tennessee | Delta Dental of Tennessee | Essential Advantage |
| Humana | Dental Value Plan HI215 | |
| Texas | Guardian Direct | Managed DentalGuard |
| Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan | |
| Utah | Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan |
| Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus | |
| Vermont | Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier Plus 2000 |
| Renaissance Dental | Max Choice | |
| Virginia | Dominion National | Select Plan Premium |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| Washington State | We didn't find any Washington State dental plans in our inventory that had no waiting period | |
| Washington D.C. | Delta Dental | Immediate Coverage Plan |
| Humana | Loyalty Plus | |
| West Virginia | Renaissance Dental | MAX Choice Plus |
| Careington | 500 Series Dental Savings (Discount Program, Not Insurance) | |
| Wisconsin | Anthem | Essential Choice Incentive |
| Ameritas | Hollywood Smile Premier 2500 | |
| Wyoming | Humana | Loyalty Plus |
| Ameritas | Dallas Smile Plan | |