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How to Get a Dental Insurance Plan

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. At Aflac, we offer primary dental insurance and supplemental dental insurance that can help cover procedures and give you peace of mind. Let’s dive deeper into how dental insurance works and what plans are available so you can make an informed decision on the type of plan and coverage amount you need.

3.5 Min Read

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

  • Aflac dental insurance helps cover preventative care, basic services, and major procedures, with the option to add on hearing and vision coverage.
  • There are different types of dental insurance plans, including PPOs, which offer flexibility with in- and out-of-network providers, and HMOs, which require in-network care for coverage.
  • When choosing a dental insurance plan, consider your future dental needs, coverage for dependents, and whether your preferred dentist is in-network.

How does dental insurance work?

Dental insurance is a plan 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.1 In some cases, you may need to pay a deductible – or minimum amount of money toward your dental work before benefits kick in.2

In other cases, there may be a cap on the amount of coverage you can receive for dental services.1 You may also face waiting periods for specific treatments before you can receive benefits.

What does dental insurance cover?

At Aflac, we provide a variety of dental insurance plans. Depending on the plans selected, coverage can help policyholders with:

  • Preventative care, such as routine exams and cleanings
  • Basic services, such as fillings and simple extractions
  • Major services, such as oral surgery and major restorative services

Aflac dental insurance also offers hearing and vision coverage options that can be added.

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How do I get dental insurance?

Now, we’ll break down what may be required when applying for dental insurance:

Figure out your dental coverage needs

First, we recommend considering which dental treatments and procedures you may need in the future. Next, you’ll want to consider if you need to provide coverage for dependents. If you need dental coverage for your children and spouse, it may be a good idea to get dental insurance that includes family coverage.

You may be able to get dental coverage for your spouse or dependents through Aflac's dental insurance plan. Chatting with an agent can help you clarify how much coverage you may need.

Figure out your dental coverage needs

With some dental insurance plans, only certain dentists are considered "in-network," and you'll want to ensure you select a dentist within that network to help bring the costs of treatments down.1 There are a few kinds of dental insurance you’ll want to understand before choosing a plan.

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 still get some coverage with out-of-network dentists, but you may not get the same benefits. Our dental plan is considered a passive PPO, so you can see providers in and out-of-network without the same penalties typically found in active PPOs.

HMO stands for health maintenance organization and is like a PPO dental plan, but the policyholder can only get services from in-network providers and must be referred by a primary care physician. Due to less accessibility to outside dentists, these insurance plans are usually less expensive.2 You can’t see an out-of-network provider, even if you are willing to pay out-of-network fees.2

Choose a dental insurer

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 so that you can get an affordable dental insurance plan that works for you.

What is the best dental insurance plan for me?

The best dental insurance plan is one that helps offer coverage suited for your needs at a price you can afford. If you currently have a preferred dentist, make sure they’re in your plan’s provider network before making a decision.

Keep in mind that the best plan for you may not necessarily have the lowest premiums, but will cover the treatments you may need. For instance, if you think you’ll need more complex dental treatments, a plan with higher premiums and a lower deductible may work best. But if you have good oral health and will mainly only need preventive care, then it may be smart to choose a plan with a higher deductible and lower premium.

Aflac dental insurance offers affordable coverage

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 with affordable premiums to help lower costs for a wide range of services. You can also add on our supplemental dental insurance plan if your primary dental plan doesn’t quite meet your coverage goals. Start chatting with an agent today to learn more.

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