California Dental Network - HMO Dental Insurance in the Golden State

A Plan by Californians and for Californians

People moving into the state may not be familiar with California Dental Network, but the insurance company covers over 85,000 people. The company was started in 1998 and currently has over 6,000 dentists with whom the company contracts in the state of California. California Dental Network is also known by its acronym, CDN. The insurer is now a DentaQuest company, having been acquired back in 2014. The parent company, DentaQuest, administers both dental & vision benefits for 28 million members living in over two dozen states and has over 50 years of benefit experience.

Aside from selling directly to consumers and through insurance brokers, California Dental Network also is marketed on California’s health insurance exchange “Covered California.” Covered California not only sells Affordable Care Act health insurance plans but also stand-alone dental plans like the ones offered by CDN. The California Dental Network has emphasized its commitment to quality dental practices in its press release regarding its acceptance within Covered California exchange:

Each CDN provider is screened through the industry’s highest credentialing process, and overall, the network earns high marks in customer satisfaction. Ninety percent of CDN members would recommend their dental office to others, and 94 percent say they were seen at the office within 30 minutes.

Individual Dental Plan 595

A core offering of California Dental Network is the Individual Dental Plan 595. The plan has coverage of many preventive, minor, and major dental procedures. Most notably, the 595 plan has generous coverage of preventive dental care with respect to out-of-pocket expenses.

Preventive Care Service	Copayment
Office visit	$0
Oral examination	$0
Intraoral x-rays (complete series)	$0
Bitewing x-rays (single film)	$0
Panoramic x-ray	$0
Routine prophylaxis (teeth cleaning)	$0
Topical fluoride (child)	$0
Oral hygiene instruction	$0

Major dental services, while not free of charge, still have affordable out-of-pocket costs for 595 Plan enrollees. For example, below is a selection of major dental services and their respective copayments.

Major Dental Procedure	Copayment
Crowns
Porcelain fused to high noble metal (not for molars)*	$156
Porcelain fused to high noble metal (for molars)*	$236
Full cast high noble metal*	$142
Prefabricated stainless steel, permanent tooth	$17
Dentures & Prosthodontics
Complete upper or lower denture	$160
Upper or lower partial denture with a resin base	$150
Upper or lower partial denture with a cast metal base and resin saddles	$175
* Plan enrollee is responsible for both the copayment as well as the lab charge for gold.

It should be noted that as a dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) plan, enrollees in the California Dental Network 595 must use participating in-network dentists in order to access the aforementioned rates.

Charitable Work

DentaQuest is the parent company of California Dental Network and has committed considerable financial resources to a variety of charities. The CareQuest Institute for Oral Health is a nonprofit promoting ideas and solutions that foster a more equitable, accessible, and integrated health system. The institute performs this work through grants, research, and advocacy. The CareQuest Institute champions the work of earlier DentaQuest organizations: the DentaQuest Foundation, DentaQuest Institute, and the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement. The DentaQuest Foundation had worked with California grantees and partners since 2011 and had invested more than $2 million in state and local oral health initiatives. Likewise, the DentaQuest Institute had invested more than $1.6 million since 2008 to improve the oral health of California’s youngest and most underserved residents.

It should be noted that as a dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) plan, enrollees in the California Dental Network 595 must use participating in-network dentists in order to access the aforementioned rates.

California Dental Network members rate their dentists ’ quality very high, a score of 3.5 on a scale of 4. Each California Dental Network dental care provider is screened through the NCQA, the dental industry ’s highest credentialing process, to ensure members are given quality care.