Best Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period
Kirk P.
No waiting periods on preventive, basic, and major services
Guaranteed acceptance
PPO plans to choose your own dentist
Implants and major services covered
A+ BBB accredited
30-day money back guarantee
No price increase for age
Lifetime $100 deductible
Option to bundle vision
One of the key considerations when choosing insurance is the waiting period, or the time between when you purchase coverage and when you can start using it. There are certain situations where waiting periods are more likely. For example, some life insurance policies don't have a waiting period, but will typically require a medical exam before coverage starts. There are no-exam life insurance policies available, but you'll usually have to opt for a waiting period to get this benefit.
Similarly, if you're in need of dental care right away, you may be considering no-waiting-period dental insurance. Whether you find yourself between jobs or you've been without dental insurance for too long, a no-waiting-period plan can help provide a solution to bridge the gap.
When it comes to selecting the best dental insurance plan, it's important to consider several factors, including how much coverage you want, the plan’s affordability and what the provider's reputation is like.
This guide will help you make an informed decision to find a plan that's best suited to your situation. If you're looking for dental coverage for your whole family, you may also want to check out our recommendations for pet dental insurance.
Our Top Picks for Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period
A healthy mouth benefits the whole body, so it's important to find the right dental insurance plan.
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Best Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period Reviews
Why we chose it: Humana offers a range of plan options and discounts within a large network. What's more, the provider's customer satisfaction ratings are excellent.
Humana offers three dental plans without a waiting period. While orthodontic care coverage is limited and there is no coverage for implants, low deductibles and decent maximums for all other care make it one of the better choices for the majority of people who need no waiting period dental insurance. This includes the Preventative Value plan, which has a $50 deductible and no annual maximum.
Humana has a network of approximately 270,000 providers, so finding in-network coverage is easy. Humana also ranked first in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Dental Plan Satisfaction Study, which demonstrates that customers find significant value in the provider's plans and communication.
Why we chose it: Spirit Dental & Vision has many plans with no waiting period to choose from, which gives policyholders extensive options for customization to their needs.
The company has eight plans to choose from with no waiting periods for major services so you can find care based on your priorities — whether that's affordability or coverage. All plans also have $100 plan lifetime deductibles and relatively high coverage maximums.
One unusual benefit Spirit Dental offers is the ability to add vision insurance to your dental plan for $7 a month.
However, Spirit Dental doesn't operate in Washington State. Additionally, while Spirit Dental's plans have some of the highest annual maximums in the industry, you will also pay higher premiums than you would with some comparable providers.
Why we chose it: Delta Dental fully covers preventative services on all plans while offering reasonably high annual maximums and an online dental care cost calculator.
For Delta Dental's Preventative Plan, there is no waiting period. Preventative services, including cleanings, X-rays and sealants, are covered by Delta Dental at 100%, meaning you'll pay nothing for these services. However, you'll have to pay fully out of pocket for most restorative and major services such as fillings, crowns and bridges under this policy. If you're looking for an affordable plan that saves you money on basic dental services, this may be a good option for you.
If you choose a higher-tier plan, you'll receive better coverage for basic and major services. However, you'll have a one-year waiting period for in-network procedures.
Delta Dental has reasonably high annual maximums, even under its most affordable plan. You can also estimate the cost of your dental care with a free calculator on the Delta Dental website.
Delta Dental is not available in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Best for Discounts: Cigna
Why we chose it: Cigna offers access to a large nationwide network of dentists that provide discounts for certain services, plus 24/7 customer service.
Cigna provides access to a nationwide network of 93,000 dentists. Plans are affordable, and while you'll have to pay fully out-of-pocket for some services depending on your plan — for example, basic restorative services under the Dental Preventive plan or orthodontic services under the Dental 1000 plan — you may have access to discounts from in-network dentists.
While Cigna has plans with no deductible and pays 100% for preventative care, it also has limitations, such as waiting periods for specific procedures and various plan exclusions and rates depending on your state. Additionally, not all preventative services are covered in the Preventative Plan. While this may be confusing, Cigna's customer service representatives are available 24/7 to answer your questions.
$1,000 lifetime; applies to orthodontic care including braces
Why we chose it: UnitedHealthcare has some of the most varied plan options for different families and situations, no waiting period for preventative care and relatively high annual maximums.
UnitedHealthcare is ideal for those managing care for multiple people, as there are a number of family plans to choose from. Plus, each individual has their own relatively high annual coverage amount — for example, $1,000 per person on the most affordable plan.
Before you jump into a UnitedHealthcare plan, you should be aware of waiting periods on specific care. For instance, while you will have 100% preventative care under all plans from day one, you'll have to wait 12 months before any orthodontic care is covered. Even some basic care may have a waiting period under specific plans.
[Based on a quote for one individual, one spouse and one child in Michigan]
Why we chose it: With Denali Dental, you can choose your own dentist, offering you maximum flexibility. You'll also get immediate coverage for all services and benefit from high annual maximums.
Denali Dental has no waiting periods for any of its services. This applies to any dentist you choose, whether they are in Denali’s network or not. Preventative services are fully covered, but unlike many other providers, this doesn't include diagnostic services such as X-rays. There is some coverage for basic and major services on both available plans, and in the Summit plan, you'll also receive some coverage for orthodontic care. Denali covers a higher percentage of non-preventative services for each year you have the policy. However, you'll pay significantly more in premiums than other no-waiting-period dental plans on this list.
The greatest limitation of Denali Dental's no waiting period plans is that they are only available in 34 states.
Other companies we considered
Ameritas offers a number of different insurance and financial products. The company is also known for offering rewards when you use your dental plan benefits, which you can redeem on future dental procedures. For example, you can earn rewards if you visit your dentist once a year.
However, Ameritas doesn’t have 24/7 customer support and some dental insurance plans are not available in all states.
Aflac is well-known in the insurance industry. The company also offers regular dental plans that cover basic services with no waiting period. However, if you need full dental coverage, you may want to look at more comprehensive plans. Also, the company has a number of poor ratings across online review sites, including a 1.12 out of 5 score on the BBB's website.
Anthem is the third-largest insurance company in the U.S. and a common provider used by large organizations and companies. However, that reach is not reflected in its dental plans, which are only available in 14 states. That said, Anthem might be a good choice if you live in an eligible state and want to bundle no waiting period dental insurance with a health and vision plan for reduced premiums.
Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period Guide
Main things to know before choosing dental insurance plans with no waiting period
No-waiting-period dental insurance provides coverage, usually for preventative and basic dental services, from day one. Some insurance plans with no waiting period also cover non-preventative procedures such as fillings and crowns. Depending on the services that you want to access right away, you'll need to choose a provider and plan that has no waiting period for the right types of care.
When choosing between providers, consider the cost of monthly premiums, maximum annual coverage limits and the type of coverage you will receive. You should also make sure that you'll have access to your preferred dentist, if applicable. You may also need to receive care in multiple locations, so in that case, ensure that you can access a wide network of dentists.
What is the average cost of dental insurance plans with no waiting period?
The plans on this list cost around $30 a month per individual, but will cost more for more comprehensive plans, especially those covering orthodontic services.
What are the requirements of dental insurance plans with no waiting period?
A higher premium is the first expectation you should have when looking at insurance companies offering no-waiting-period plans. You'll also have to pay for your plan up front, as coverage will begin immediately. Be sure to read your policy's details so you're aware of any requirements related to eligible dentists you can choose from, waiting period exceptions for certain types of care and whether you'll be covered for any pre-existing conditions.
How do dental insurance plans with no waiting period work?
Dental insurance plans with no waiting period allow you to receive care as soon as you are enrolled instead of waiting a certain period of time — typically, six or 12 months — for coverage to begin. With more basic policies, you can only access preventative care right away, while higher-tier plans allow you to forego waiting periods for basic and major procedures.
How We Found the Best Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period
Finding the best dental insurance plans with no waiting period required weighing the varying benefits and downsides of different plans, including:
Annual maximums: Annual maximums are one of the biggest factors limiting the use you will get out of a dental insurance plan. Ultimately, if you reach your entire annual maximum in one procedure, it will not matter how much coverage you have for other needed procedures or how low the deductible is because everything after that will be out-of-pocket.
Premiums: Monthly premiums are one of the main factors to consider when assessing a plan's affordability. You'll pay premiums whether you use your policy or not, so we looked at plans that averaged around $30 per month or lower.
Basic and major care coverage and waiting periods: While all reviewed providers have no-waiting-period dental plans, the types of services with no waiting periods varied. We provided a range of options depending on the kind of dental care you might need immediately.
In-network and out-of-network coverage: In-network requirements may not be a big concern for people in populated areas with a lot of options. But if you have to travel a significant distance to see an in-network provider, the added costs and hassle can undermine the other benefits of a plan. We valued companies that had wide networks or that have good options for out-of-network coverage.
Availability of orthodontic care: While most no-waiting-period dental policies don't cover orthodontic services, we evaluated whether this was included in each insurer's offerings.
Summary of the Best Dental Insurance Plans With No Waiting Period in 2023
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Posted Sep 22, 2023
The best dental insurance plans with no waiting period of 2023 include Humana (best overall), Delta Dental Insurance (best for preventative care coverage) and …
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