Before diving into how to get dental insurance, it’s important to understand which kind of dental insurance will work best for your unique situation. Determining how much coverage you need, deciding on the right type of plan and choosing an insurer that listens to your needs are top priorities.
Aflac offers full coverage dental insurance, with PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and MAC (Maximum Allowable Charge) options. Don’t worry – we'll dive into all the details within each type of dental insurance plan. We also offer supplemental dental insurance to help cover treatments and procedures that aren’t covered by your primary dental insurance policy.
Every dental insurance plan is different, but each one is designed to help prevent and care for your teeth and gum issues.1 Usually, you pay a monthly premium to keep the dental insurance policy active.2 In some cases, you may need to pay a deductible – or minimum amount of money toward your dental work before benefits kick in.3
In other cases, there may be a cap on the amount of coverage you can receive for dental services.4 You may also face waiting periods for specific treatments before you can receive benefits.
When you shop for dental insurance, you may want to consider which treatments and procedures you think you’ll need in the future. For example, if you know you will need to get dentures, you can explore the coverage and waiting periods within each specific dental insurance plan and see which option fits your needs best.
At Aflac, we provide a variety of dental services. Depending on the plan you choose, you can expect some coverage for:
Some of these dental services will require waiting periods, and others will not. We suggest taking a close look at the details in each policy before you get dental insurance.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Help cover yourself and your family with affordable coverage from Aflac.
Now, we’ll break down what’s required in every step to determine how to get dental insurance:
First, we recommend considering which dental treatments and procedures you may need in the future. Next, you may want to consider if you’ll need to provide coverage for dependents too.
If you need dental coverage for your children and spouse, it may be a good idea to get dental insurance that includes family coverage.
With some dental insurance plans, only certain dentists are considered "in-network" and you'll want to ensure you select a dentist within your network to help bring the costs of treatments down.5
PPO stands for preferred provider organization and facilitates a relationship between dental providers and insurance companies. If you choose an in-network provider, you can receive dental services at a reduced cost. You can also still get some coverage with out-of-network dentists, but you may not get the same benefits.6
HMO stands for health maintenance organization and is like a PPO dental plan, but the policyholder can only get services from in-network providers. Due to less accessibility to outside dentists, these insurance plans are usually less expensive.7 Additionally, you aren’t able to see an out-of-network provider, even if you are willing to pay out-of-network fees.8
MAC stands for maximum allowable charge and refers to the maximum amount of money a plan will allow in dental service costs. Once the maximum allowable charge is met by your insurance company, they may stop providing coverage.
If you decide to shop for dental insurance, there are many companies and plans to consider. We recommend exploring all your options before making a choice.
Now that you know how to buy dental insurance, you can decide if it’s the right fit for you. We believe dental insurance is worth it because taking care of your oral health early on may prevent the need for serious dental treatments and procedures later.
At Aflac, we offer full coverage dental insurance to help you get the services you need. You can also add on our supplemental dental insurance plan if your primary dental plan doesn’t quite meet your coverage goals.
1-5 Investopedia - How Does Dental Insurance Work. Updated Oct 19, 2021. Accessed Nov 16, 2021. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/111715/how-does-dental-insurance-work.asp.
6 Investopedia - Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). Updated Jul 7, 2020. Accessed Nov 17, 2021. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/preferred-provider-organization.asp.
7-8 Investopedia - Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Updated Jul 5, 2021. Accessed Nov 17, 2021. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hmo.asp.
Aflac dental insurance coverage from the 2020 pilot launch is underwritten by National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL). National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not a member of the Aflac family of insurers. National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life. Aflac dental products may not be available in all states. National Guardian Life Insurance Company | Madison, WI.
For all states that have approved the Aflac dental insurance products, coverage will be underwritten by Aflac. In New York, coverage will be underwritten by Aflac New York.
For Aflac Network Dental, applies to Policy Series QN81000. In Idaho, QN81100MID. In Oklahoma, policy form QN81100MOK.
For NGL Network Dental, applies to Policy Series NDNGRP 04/06 and NDNGRP 2010, et al.
Please see coverage documentation applicable to your situs state for further details.
Notice to Consumer: This is a limited benefit plan and provides dental and vision benefits only. Aflac’s contracts of insurance, including Aflac’s network dental and vision plans, provide limited-scope and/or supplemental benefits only and do not constitute comprehensive health insurance coverage. Aflac’s contracts of insurance do not satisfy the requirement of minimum essential coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are not designed to meet any of the essential health benefit requirements mandated by the ACA or federal law, including pediatric oral or vision care services. Aflac’s contracts of insurance are not an alternative to, or a substitute for, comprehensive health insurance coverage and should only be used to supplement comprehensive health insurance coverage.
Individual coverage is underwritten by Aflac. Group coverage is underwritten by Continental American Insurance Company (CAIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aflac Incorporated. CAIC is not licensed to solicit business in New York, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands. For groups sitused in California, group coverage is underwritten by Continental American Life Insurance Company. For individual coverage in New York or coverage for groups sitused in New York, coverage is underwritten by Aflac of New York. Coverage may not be available in all states. Benefits/premium rates may vary based on plan selected. Optional riders may be available at an additional cost. Policies and riders may also contain a waiting period. Refer to the exact policies and riders for benefit details, definitions, limitations and exclusions. For availability and costs, please contact your local Aflac agent/producer. Individual Supplemental Dental Policies - In Arkansas, Policies A82100RAR–A82400RAR. In Idaho, Policies A82100RID–A82400RID. In New York, Policies NY82100–NY82400. In Oklahoma, Policies A82100ROK–A82400ROK. In Oregon, Policies A82100ROR–A82400ROR. In Pennsylvania, Policies A82100RPA–A82400RPAR. In Texas, Policies A82100RTX–A82400RTX. In Virginia, Policies A82100RVA–A82400RVA. Group Dental Plans - Series CAI1100. In Idaho, policy CAI1101ID. In Oklahoma, policy CAI1100OK.
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