A Guide to the Best Values in 2023
Finding the right plan for your needs
The South Carolina dental insurance market has a variety of different coverage options for dental care. We reviewed 27 plans offered in 2024 ranging from indemnity and discount dental program plans to PPO dental insurance. Below we have the results of that analysis so you can compare plans available in your area to the state trends we observed and find the best value for your needs.
Our best-selling plans in South Carolina
Price Trends
The average premium for dental coverage was $44.53 across the more than two dozen plans we researched. More than half the plans had premiums below this average. The lowest cost PPO dental plan in the group was the Hollywood Smile Premier 1500. A discount dental plan, the Careington 500 Series Dental Savings Plan was less expensive, but this is a cost-reduction plan as opposed to traditional insurance. The one indemnity dental plan in the group was Nationwide Classic 2000 + VSP Premium, that combined dental and vision benefits in a single plan. This was also the most expensive plan at $92.78 a month.
92.6 percent of the South Carolina dental plans surveyed covered preventive, basic, and major treatments. Most of the plans reviewed paid for a percentage of a dentist service bill, as opposed to charging the enrollee a flat fee copayment. For example, on average these plans covered 61.5 percent of the cost of fillings and 51.5 percent of the cost of teeth extractions.
Every dental plan other than the dental discount program had an annual limit on what the insurer would paid for covered dental care. The limits ranged from $500 to $10,000 a year, with the average being $1,940. Within the details of these plans, this annual limit is often referred to as the “maximum benefit.”
Another financial consideration for these dental plans is the deductible. The deductible is the amount of money the enrollee must pay for his or her own dental care before the plan begins contributing to the cost of treatment. All but one plan had a deductible. The lowest deductible was $25 a year per enrollee and the highest was $150. In the case of the $150 deductible, the deductible was paid one-time for as long as the enrollee stayed enrolled in the plan. Most deductibles reset every year. For the 27 plans with deductibles, the average was $64.81.
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Finding the Best Value for You
Dental insurance rates can vary across a state. To see how dental plan costs compare in your region, use our tool to get dental insurance quotes for the available plans. You can also see what plans are popular in the state by reviewing the below list of the bestselling South Carolina plans on DentalInsurance.com.
Chart of SC Dental Plan Details for this Study
Oral health resources for South Carolina Residents
We've pulled together information to help you find resources in your state to help you maintain your oral health.
South Carolina Dental Association (SCDA)
Established in 1869, the SCDA is a non-profit association that currently represents and serves2,000 Member Dentists in South Carolina.It is a leader in the promotion of oral health care excellence in South Carolina.
South Carolina Dental Resources
This page at the SCDA site provides oral health news and information, a dentist locator, links to dental clinics, and information about donated services and fluoridation.
Low Cost Dental Clinics in South Carolina
This resource lists free and low cost dental services available in South Carolina, including free dental clinics, sliding fee scale dental clinics, and non profit dental clinics.
