Leading Dental Insurance Companies in 2023
There are many dental insurance companies operating in the U.S., selling policies to individuals as well as groups (e.g. business employees, unions). Below are a list of dental insurance companies with whom DentalInsurance.com has positive customer service experience over a long-term period.
While not as well known as some of the other brands in this article, Ameritas has offered dental insurance since the late 1950s and vision insurance since the 1980s. Combined these lines of business produced $1 billion in revenue in 2020. Ameritas has one of the most largest dental networks in the country with approximately 557,000 access points. Learn more using our resource on Ameritas Dental.
Metlife is the single largest insurer of dental care in the U.S. Their network includes over 146,000 dentists and related dental care providers (e.g. oral surgeons) and their negotiated dental rates are 30-45% less than average retail prices. To review plans from MetLife and learn more about the company, visit our resource on MetLife Dental.
Guardian is a top-ten dental insurer in the United States, with over 120,000 dentists and related professionals in their network. Read more on our Guardian Dental page.
Cigna Healthcare's DPPO Advantage Network has more than 80,000 unique dental care providers who operate in over 300,000 different locations. Cigna Healthcare's DPPO Total Network, in comparison, has more than 132,000 unique dental providers serving at approximately 740,000 locations.* For more information, please visit our Cigna Dental page.
Anthem has a wide selection of insurance plans, offering differing levels of service coverage and maximum annual benefits. Anthem dental insurance enjoyed a total dental membership above six million people in 2020. Learn more on our Anthem Dental page.
While famous in the Medicare Advantage and health insurance markets, Humana also has a sizable dental insurance business. With a large variety of coverage options and 335,000 participating dentists, Humana is a major player in the American dental insurance market. Compare plans and learn more about the company by visiting our Humana Dental article.
Delta Dental has the distinction of being the single largest dental insurance provider in the United States with over 80 million people enrolled across the plans offered by Delta Dental entities. The company leverages this scale of enrollees to attract a large number of dentists to their networks. According to the company, 128,000 dentists and over 198,000 office locations accept one or more Delta Dental plans. Compare plans and learn, visit the Delta Dental main page.
NCD has made a name for itself in the dental market with a couple plans with extremely high maximum benefits. While many dental plans have annual spending caps below two thousand dollars, NCD has one product with a $5,000 maximum benefit and another with a $10,000 maximum benefit.
Additional Dental Insurance and Discount Plan Companies
California Dental Network (CDN) is a major in-state insurer whose plans have dentist options from Northern California all the way down to San Diego. The company was started in 1998 and currently has over 6,000 dentists with whom the company contracts in the state of California.
Careington distinguishes itself in dental benefits by offering an alternative to traditional insurance. Instead of paying a monthly premium for coverage as well as a deductible, Careington members only pay an inexpensive fee once a year that entitles them to access a provider network where the dentists have agreed to charge reduced rates for covered services.
A leader in the provision of dental care and benefits to individuals, families, trade unions, employers, and associations, Dental Health Services takes pride in delivering quality dental care at an affordable price. Plan members, groups, brokers, and dentists receive outstanding, personal service.
Dominion National is a leading provider of dental and vision benefits in the mid-Atlantic market. Dominion National has over 900,000 customers spanning individuals and employer groups to associations and municipalities.
While Nationwide’s beginnings were humble, a small mutual company providing auto insurance, the business has grown over the last century to become one of the world’s biggest insurance and financial services providers.
Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America and its sister company Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of New York offer ancillary benefits for employer groups and individuals nationwide. Renaissance is focused on providing its members and partners with outstanding products and service.
Which Dental Insurance Company is Best?
Wall Street ranks dental insurance companies according to financial health, profits, and growth. Consumers, on the other hand, have much more subjective criteria for rating dental insurers. For example, which insurance company:
- Has my dentist in-network
- Covers the dental treatments I am most likely to use
- Has coverage conditions that won't leave some of my dental care uncovered due to waiting periods or low limits on how much the insurance company will spend on annual dental care
The following are links to DentalInsurance.com resources covering plans with specific coverage considerations (e.g. no waiting periods, braces coverage, implant coverage, teeth whitening, etc.) that are popular with consumers.
Dental Insurance No Waiting Period
Waiting periods are insurance restrictions where a customer must be continuously enrolled in the plan for a given period (e.g. 6 months) before the insurance company will pay for a dental procedure restricted by the waiting period (e.g. a crown). Waiting periods are normally applied to high-priced dental treatments.Interested in a dental plan with no waiting periods? See our article on Dental Insurance No Waiting Period which includes a list of plans across the nation that lack waiting periods.
Dental Insurance that Covers Braces
Most dental plans lack coverage for orthodontic care (such as braces) but there are plans on the market covering these services. To explore which ones are available in your region, see Dental Insurance that Covers Braces.
Full Coverage Dental Insurance
Dental benefits are not standardized but there are plans with benefits covering preventive, minor, and major dental care. This coverage is sometimes called "Full coverage dental insurance." Read our Full Coverage Dental Insurance resource for a more detailed discussion of full coverage as well as examples of full coverage insurance.
Dental Insurance Covering Implants
A dental implant is a metal post surgically inserted into the upper or lower jaw. The post operates similarly to a tooth root. A crown (or other device such as a bridge) is attached this post. Dental implants are a common procedure for people missing a tooth. The treatment is a major dental procedure and costs thousands of dollars so quality dental insurance is a necessity if you are facing this procedure. For more information on implants as well as examples of plans with implant coverage, see Dental Insurance Covering Implants.
Dental Insurance Covering Teeth Whitening
Many procedures in cosmetic dentistry are uncovered by dental insurance. Consequently, services such as veneers are typically paid out-of-pocket by patients with no financial assistance from a dental plan. However, an increasing number of dental plans are adding coverage for teeth whitening, which is among the most common of cosmetic dental procedures. Our page on Dental Insurance for Teeth Whitening includes a list of plans that cover some form of teeth whitening.
