Dental insurance worth it?

[nerdybynauture]

Hi Bogleheads!

Happy Friday!

I have a question for you.

I currently purchase dental insurance for about $100 per month from the health care exchange. This is for our family of four (myself, wife, 2 kids).

We currently do our 6 month visits but with deductibles we pretty much pay the full price anyway. None of us have dental issues.

Do you think dental insurance is worth buying?

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!

[deltaneutral83]

If the cost of your premiums and deductibles for the two cleanings/xrays is the same with insurance than without then it is a no brainer to keep the insurance., i.e. the insurance component would then be free, which is a nice price.

[Marmot]

We have not had dental insurance for about 6 years. Our dentist gives us a 10% discount providing we pay cash.

[JoeRetire]

We currently do our 6 month visits but with deductibles we pretty much pay the full price anyway. None of us have dental issues.

Do you think dental insurance is worth buying?

Apparently not in your case.

[kada]

In most cases, no. Dental "insurance" usually financially works in your favor if you do 4-5 fillings a year, every year, rotating around all teeth in your mouth. Otherwise it's a wash or a loss. Also know the insurance fee the office is paid for most procedures is ~50% vs the cash fee. So offices that take many insurances are required to see a huge volume of patients/procedures to be profitable. Some are able to operate this way and maintain a reasonable level of care, but it's a grind and quality tends to slip over the years.

[Jack FFR1846]

You really need to analyze and do the math. Cost of insurance. Deductible before they pay a dollar. Co-pay. Added cost because they only pay reasonable and customary (which no dentist in the US charges). My own dentist just called the other day to say that with our garbage Met Life policy, they have changed their coverage to most everything to only 2 cleanings a year and nothing else. Well, great thing to do mid year, where we can't stop paying for the dental coverage.

[GeMoney]

I have a minimal coverage plan from Delta Dental which only covers cleanings, checks ups, xrays, 50% off fillings and tooth removals. The regular non-contract price for the cleanings, checkups and x-rays is almost a wash with the premiums so the savings is when any additional work is done where at least getting the contract rate is easily 1/3 off.

[jebmke]

Never been able to make the numbers work for dental insurance so we pay our own way. Discount plan.

[Super Hans]

Dental insurance is a racket, but in my experience the dentists aren't transparent and don't help the cause. The "MSRP" for dental services tends to be such that it works out the same as my dental insurance premium, so I just buy the insurance. But the carrier reimburses about 40% of that sticker price. My gentle suggestions to dentists that we might work out a deal and cut out the insurer have never met with any interest.

I'm in the federal employees' FEHB/FEDVIP scheme presently, and my HDHP includes free dental cleanings. But my kid's pediatric dentist announced last year she wasn't going to participate any longer, because the reimbursement rate was too low. She suggested some other plans she would accept. I signed up for the supplement, again finding the marginal cost should be about equal to paying cash for the cleanings. Curiously, after the first cleaning under this new scheme, the HDHP paid most of the charges and the supplemental plan paid nothing extra. I still have to see if the dentist will want me to pay the difference. Regardless, it appears buying the supplemental plan was a waste.

If I'm unfortunate and have to pay for expensive orthodontics ahead, I don't think any of the reputable doctors take insurance and the amount of coverage looks minimal anyway. At least I have a lot of HSA money and also use a LCFSA. I don't know how I keep records to show that I didn't reimburse myself out of the LCFSA if I want to count a dental or vision expense against the HSA down the road.

[random_walker_77]

There's a 3rd option, which is to buy into a dental discount plan. This gives you access to pre-negotiated rates and nothing else, but it's also inexpensive. I use 1dental.com, under which you can purchase access to the aetna dental access network's rates, the careington network, or for a small premium, access to both networks. For a family of 4, it's $200/yr for one plan, or $270/yr for both networks. Pediatric dentists are considered specialists, so if you have kids, you're probably want access to the aetna network. They have sample price lists posted for the aetna, and exact price lists posted for careington. Before buying, I inquired about the cash discounts at my dentists, and with only routine cleanings, it was a wash. The discount plan, in my particular situation, would be a win if there are fillings, but I ended up buying into it anyways.

If you were to go with a discount plan, it's worth noting that you can sign up at anytime, since it's not insurance. There's often a sign-up fee though.

[Lee_WSP]

If you're fine with yearly cleanings buy the discount plan every other year.

[jebmke]

If you're fine with yearly cleanings buy the discount plan every other year.

Our discount plan also provides discounts on other services like restorative, crowns, implants .....

[Lee_WSP]

If you're fine with yearly cleanings buy the discount plan every other year.

Our discount plan also provides discounts on other services like restorative, crowns, implants .....

You can buy the discount plan at any time....

[Chuckles960]

In most cases, no. Dental "insurance" usually financially works in your favor if you do 4-5 fillings a year, every year, rotating around all teeth in your mouth. Otherwise it's a wash or a loss...

How about home insurance? Car insurance? Do these consistently "work in your favor"?

Which is to say, insurance is about protection from unanticipated expenses, not about making money each year.

The problem with dental insurance is that in addition to all the ifs and buts about what they will pay for, they cap the maximum they will pay at a low level. So a better analogy is car insurance where they will only pay $1000 even if you total the car. That's what makes it not worthwhile.

If one can afford to shell out whatever the maximum is on the dental insurance, if and when occasionally necessary, then one should self-insure.

[jebmke]

If you're fine with yearly cleanings buy the discount plan every other year.

Our discount plan also provides discounts on other services like restorative, crowns, implants .....

You can buy the discount plan at any time....

it is peanuts - not worth canceling and re-upping, especially if there is a dental emergency (which has happened twice).

[Lee_WSP]

If you're fine with yearly cleanings buy the discount plan every other year.

Our discount plan also provides discounts on other services like restorative, crowns, implants .....

You can buy the discount plan at any time....

it is peanuts - not worth canceling and re-upping, especially if there is a dental emergency (which has happened twice).

It’s a personal decision. Small children would indicate keeping it in place, whereas if you’re living alone and take great care of your teeth, once a year cleanings are fine.

Not sure why you’re trying to say your way is the only way.

[Jags4186]

I have insurance through work, so admittedly I am not paying full freight — my portion of the family premium for the year is $606. I don’t pay any copay or deductible for twice yearly preventative cleanings. The negotiated insurance rate pays my dentist roughly $90 towards a cleaning and maybe $40 for X-rays 1x a year. When I didn’t have dental insurance for a brief time I went to the dentist and was charged $230 for the same cleaning.

[jebmke]

Not sure why you’re trying to say your way is the only way.

I didn't

[nerdybynauture]

There's a 3rd option, which is to buy into a dental discount plan. This gives you access to pre-negotiated rates and nothing else, but it's also inexpensive. I use 1dental.com, under which you can purchase access to the aetna dental access network's rates, the careington network, or for a small premium, access to both networks. For a family of 4, it's $200/yr for one plan, or $270/yr for both networks. Pediatric dentists are considered specialists, so if you have kids, you're probably want access to the aetna network. They have sample price lists posted for the aetna, and exact price lists posted for careington. Before buying, I inquired about the cash discounts at my dentists, and with only routine cleanings, it was a wash. The discount plan, in my particular situation, would be a win if there are fillings, but I ended up buying into it anyways.

If you were to go with a discount plan, it's worth noting that you can sign up at anytime, since it's not insurance. There's often a sign-up fee though.

Wow! Thanks. Never heard of this before.

[Chuckles960]

There's a 3rd option, which is to buy into a dental discount plan. This gives you access to pre-negotiated rates and nothing else, but it's also inexpensive. I use 1dental.com, under which you can purchase access to the aetna dental access network's rates, the careington network, or for a small premium, access to both networks. For a family of 4, it's $200/yr for one plan, or $270/yr for both networks. Pediatric dentists are considered specialists, so if you have kids, you're probably want access to the aetna network. They have sample price lists posted for the aetna, and exact price lists posted for careington. Before buying, I inquired about the cash discounts at my dentists, and with only routine cleanings, it was a wash. The discount plan, in my particular situation, would be a win if there are fillings, but I ended up buying into it anyways.

If you were to go with a discount plan, it's worth noting that you can sign up at anytime, since it's not insurance. There's often a sign-up fee though.

Wow! Thanks. Never heard of this before.

The usual warnings apply. They are not offering discounts to be nice to us, but because it is profitable for them. You will be restricted to their networks, so it is important to check if the available options are good. A discounted price is not the same as a low price. A similar discount program for eyeglasses/contacts, sometimes misrepresented as vision insurance, costs more than paying full price at (say) Costco.

[HappyPappy]

A similar discount program for eyeglasses/contacts, sometimes misrepresented as vision insurance, costs more than paying full price at (say) Costco.

This gave me chuckle. The whole time I was reading this thread, I was thinking about eye insurance. The cost of the glasses we get every other year is about the same as what we pay for the eye insurance plus copays and deductibles.

I hadn’t thought about dental insurance though. I’ll have to double check what the max is that they cover.

[InvestorHowie]

Agreed - most years dental is a wash after two cleanings and annual x-rays. The wildcard is when you need a filling, crown, root canal, break a tooth, etc. Depending on the need you might easily hit the annual max on most plans but that certainly defrayed the costs for DW and me as all of those things happened to one or the other of us over the past several years.

[drzzzzz]

I find it's a wash, but now our dentist has decided not to participate with one of the larger dental plans that we are in. So now he is out of network, and we have to pay him and get reimbursed at a lower rate from the plan. Time to find a new plan or a new dentist. Our dentist also offers his own plan of two cleanings, two visits, xrays, and 10% off his fees if work is needed and the cost for his plan is competitive with our dental insurance (he's actually cheaper), but then if we need an oral surgeon or periodontist or some other specialist we would not have any discounted coverage from the specialists. It's all a shell game of who is willing to take the hit.

[rustwood]

I am considering buying a Take Along Dental plan from Metlife. The PPO-low plan in my area is ~$420/yr for 2 people and covers cleanings, exams and x-rays 100%. Beyond that, basic restorative services are covered with a 50% copay and a $150 deductible. That's not a huge benefit, but I presume we will get their negotiated rates and I can't imagine our 2 x 2 preventative visits will cost less than $420. This seems like a no-brainer since this is one of the few plans that our dentist will accept. Am I missing something? The only thing I can think of is that major restorative services aren't covered so we might not get negotiated rates on them.

It would be great to hear from someone using this plan.

[ClevrChico]

If you need a lot of expensive work done and have a dentist in network, it will probably come out in your favor. If you get regular checkups and cleanings, it's closer to break even. Otherwise, it might be worth paying cash and not having it.

I had a dental emergency and found out how bad my employer provided dental insurance is. It left me scratching my head how it is even considered insurance. I've considered dropping it, even with my employer picking up part of the premium.

[ClevrChico]

I am considering buying a Take Along Dental plan from Metlife.
It would be great to hear from someone using this plan.

I used to have Metlife and I really liked the plan. Not every dentist is in network, but it seemed okay, and had zero problems. I now have Delta, and they have so many conditions and exclusions, that I've ended up paying 100% out of pocket for necessary things that should be covered IMO. ($350 so far this year alone. That's outside of deductible and co-insurance.)

[quietseas]

The plan offered by my employer is basically a pre-pay plan for in-network dentists. In our case, it is better to pay cash for the rare major work that needs to be done. Our dentist does not take most of these plans, has reasonable costs to begin with, and does not upsell cosmetic dentistry to us (or insist on bundling it with routine care).

[DVMResident]

HSA and FSA are more flexible than the dental insurance. If you’re not already utilizing these and available, they are a better use of funds since they cover dental procedures.

————

I love these threads. Thanks for the tip on the discount plans.

[quietseas]

HSA and FSA are more flexible than the dental insurance. If you’re not already utilizing these and available, they are a better use of funds since they

Great reminder on the FSA, which is what we use although it is not available to people whose employer doesn't offer one or who don't have wage income which is a pretty bad flaw that has never been addressed.

[GenawithanE]

Another factor is whether you have self employed income. if so, you can use the self employed health insurance adjustment to reduce your income tax (but not your SE tax). It effectively discounts your dental insurance by your marginal tax rate. Less a little, because the adjustment reduces your QBI deduction.

[AnnetteLouisan]

I think it’s worth it because most people are more likely to go to the dentist regularly rather than cut corners if they are paying for insurance, so in that sense I advocate keeping it. Dental health is important. (As an aside, if you’ve noticed, a lot of my decisions -from not using credit cards, to being well insured to hesitancy about even a brokerage account originally - are predicated on behavioral issues and incentivizing the right actions because I personally respond to such incentives and am not naturally inclined to do everything perfectly without them - many Bogleheads don’t need to set things up this way.)

My dental insurance is pretty heavily subsidized through work (I pay $8/month) and covers about $3k of work each year. I know this because in years in which I don’t have much work done, which is most years, my dentist (who has really high costs due to being located in a very high cost neighborhood and having all the latest instruments and gadgets) seems to feel like I am keeping his money from him by letting all that money go unused. His receptionist said as much. So that’s one weird downside- you might get extra procedures advocated so your dentist can have “his” money.

I’ve had luck with my teeth so far because I get regular cleanings and brushed with a lifelong, fanatical consistency with “Oral B crossaction all in one” which really gets your gums.

But they’re really good and the office is very pleasant so I haven’t switched.

[PaunchyPirate]

Retired single here. I'm also in the group suggesting you look into a dental discount plan. I purchased insurance from the exchange during my first year of retirement. It didn't save me any money after paying the premium. My dentist's office suggested I just purchase a dental discount plan. They suggested either one for Aetna or one from Cigna. They participate in both. I chose the Aetna one.

https://www.aetnavitalsavings.com

It discounts the amount you pay for services, but has a low annual fee. You do need to verify that your dentist will accept the discount plan. Also ask them how the prices would compare to you just paying cash for the services. They may discount for cash (maybe not for credit card).

This saves me some money as a single person. You'd have to do the math for a family.

[stoptothink]

We recently did the math and it isn't worth it for our family. We pay $72/month for coverage for our family of 4 through wife's employer. Prior to this year none of us have ever needed any sort of procedure (and we get annual checkups regardless), so we've had more dental costs this year than the entire past decade combined. Along with normal checkups and cleanings for all of us, I had a cracked tooth fixed, and wife had two minor procedures and has periodontal surgery in 2wks. Insurance will have saved us <$400 total on all of the procedures over paying cash (it's saving us $0 on the periodontal work). Our children's dentist does check-ups and cleanings for $70 cash and our dentist does the same for $100, so $340 in normal annual costs. So, in our worst year we're looking at ~$740 in saved costs with insurance, while the insurance cost us $864. It's not a ton of money, but I don't really see any upside.

We've agreed that we will forego dental insurance moving forward. Compared to medical insurance, it's kind of shocking how little dental insurance covers (at least in our situation).

[gtd98765]

A couple of points:
1) dental insurance suffers from "selection bias" - people who know or think they will need expensive dental work are more likely to sign up than other people. This keeps the price of dental insurance higher than it would be if everybody were in the insurance pool.
2) before buying dental insurance make sure you understand whether a dentist you like will take it. the network is crucial since having a good dentist is more important than having a cheap dentist.
3) a dodgy dentist may try to make up for lower reimbursements on routine procedures by suggesting more work that may be unnecessary. I once went to a dentist who wanted to replace all my fillings and do some kind of deep cleaning at the cost of thousands; never went back, and no recent dentist has suggested any such thing.

[chw]

I do. I’m buying it as a retiree through my state’s ACA marketplace (MA). It’s an unsubsidized plan with premium about $50 monthly. The plan buys me into network contracted rates with my dentist, and covers procedures similarly to the plan I had thru my last employer. Without insurance, I would likely be paying more annually than my total costs with premiums because of being out of network.

I recently was working with a family member who needed 3 new crowns with a dentist that was dropping all insurance networks. The total cost for crowns was about 3 times the cost vs. the contracted network rate.

[GreenLawn]

If the cost of your premiums and deductibles for the two cleanings/xrays is the same with insurance than without then it is a no brainer to keep the insurance., i.e. the insurance component would then be free, which is a nice price.

This is why I signed up with dental insurance this year. I'll see what the net cost is at year's end, but it appears it will be break even for cleanings and x-rays.

If routine cleanings and x-rays end up costing the same with insurance or without as you point out, and folks like their in-network dentist, why wouldn't everyone have insurance? The additional coverage for non-routine work is effectively free and could save hundreds if not thousands should that work be necessary.

Maybe others aren't breaking even on the routine care?

My dentist offered me their in-house insurance plan. It was slightly cheaper than the commercial offering for routine care, but the cost for non-routine care was many hundreds (potentially thousands depending on the procedures) of dollars more if and when that should be necessary.

Even if my insurance paid nothing towards non-routine care, and it doesn't during the first year as there is a waiting period, just having the price limits imposed on the dentist for in-network dental work is worth having the insurance.

[doobiedoo]

I look at dental insurance like buying any other kind of insurance. I ask these questions.

1. Does the insurance cover a huge potential loss that I cannot afford?
Or would the loss drain my assets so much that it would impact my lifestyle?
In general, medical insurance and homeowner insurance are fall into this category.

2. Does the insurance give me "buying power" by getting me discounts as part of a large pool of insureds?
Medical insurance is the best example of this. Maybe some dental plans do this, but I couldn't find one.

3. Are the insurance premiums low because the risk is spread over a large pool of insureds and the probability of a single loss is low?
Umbrella liability is a good example of this.

When I answer yes to 1 or more of these questions, I buy the insurance.
My emergency fund is sized to cover the other contingencies.

[tj]

Hi Bogleheads!

Happy Friday!

I have a question for you.

I currently purchase dental insurance for about $100 per month from the health care exchange. This is for our family of four (myself, wife, 2 kids).

We currently do our 6 month visits but with deductibles we pretty much pay the full price anyway. None of us have dental issues.

Do you think dental insurance is worth buying?

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!

I don't understand your reference of deductibles here, if you are only getting preventative work done, there shouldn't be any deductibles. Isn't that a requirement of all ACA compliant plans?

[rustwood]

I am considering buying a Take Along Dental plan from Metlife. The PPO-low plan in my area is ~$420/yr for 2 people and covers cleanings, exams and x-rays 100%. Beyond that, basic restorative services are covered with a 50% copay and a $150 deductible. That's not a huge benefit, but I presume we will get their negotiated rates and I can't imagine our 2 x 2 preventative visits will cost less than $420. This seems like a no-brainer since this is one of the few plans that our dentist will accept. Am I missing something? The only thing I can think of is that major restorative services aren't covered so we might not get negotiated rates on them.

It would be great to hear from someone using this plan.

Following up on my own post, I have signed up for the MetLife PPO low plan. We shall see in the coming year, but I think it will pay for itself. A MetLife rep told me we would pay the negotiated rate for any work that isn't covered by the plan.

Interestingly, I discovered their pricing varies according to zip code. I had put in my dentist's zip to see if he accepted the plan, but then I couldn't change it to my home zip when I went to purchase, so I had to start over. When I did, the monthly cost was 14% more - even though I only live 5 miles away and both zips are in the same county. The difference in dollars didn't amount to much, but it was still a bit of a bummer.

[rustwood]

I recently had my first dentist visit since buying MetLife TakeAlong dental coverage. While I was checking out, the office manager made a point of telling me that my plan provides very minimal coverage. The bill for the cleaning and checkup came through for $185. MetLife paid $83 and the dentist accepted it. According to the MetLife estimator, they will pay an additional $34 when I get x-rays during my next visit. So, at 2 visits each for my spouse and I per year, MetLife will pay out $400 and we will pay them $472. I'm happy with that, even if the billed amount is inflated relative to what I would have paid. I am not sure it is though.

In addition, if I need "basic restorative services" (presumably a filling/repair), they are covered with a 50% co-pay after a $75 deductible. That's not great, but it is better than nothing. The main reason we decided to go with this near break-even coverage was to get access to their rates in case we need more work. Their site says "Hundreds of services/procedures provided at costs that may be lower than typical dental fees", but I don't see what the mechanism is for that. Perhaps the dentist submits to MetLife and they pass their rate on to us through a full co-pay. I hope we never find out, but we probably will.

I had asked about a no-insurance/cash discount, but they don't offer one. Even if they had, I suspect they'd still charge us more than $472/yr in total. I also had investigated various dental discount programs and other plans, but I couldn't find anything near this price range that our dentist will accept. He has a very busy practice so he can afford to be selective.

[adamthesmythe]

Answer: it's sometimes worth it, and if it is, not by much.

Flip a coin for dental insurance. Either is an OK choice. Not like home or health insurance where declining means making a really big gamble.

[tj]

Answer: it's sometimes worth it, and if it is, not by much.

Flip a coin for dental insurance. Either is an OK choice. Not like home or health insurance where declining means making a really big gamble.

It depends on individual or group. Group plans are way better, such as this one:

https://www.geba.com/dental-insurance/

[SteadyOne]

It depends on teeth quality, if it’s a good term. Some family members have terrible issues that come from nowhere- root canal suddenly inflames that will cost thousands to include crowns, etc. insurance was very very helpful. Some has none. I heard a pice of advice that make good sense - fix expensive issues while you still have insurance and employed. Implant or something similar

[123]

I have a minimal coverage plan from Delta Dental which only covers cleanings, checks ups, xrays, 50% off fillings and tooth removals. The regular non-contract price for the cleanings, checkups and x-rays is almost a wash with the premiums so the savings is when any additional work is done where at least getting the contract rate is easily 1/3 off.

This actually sounds like a very reasonable plan. People get used to comparatively generous benefits in plans through their employer without appreciating how much the employer is paying for the plan. When you're buying the coverage yourself it's all on you. They main value I see in insurance is some contracted rates that reduce costs for some of the more infrequent (for most people) procedures like crowns and root canals. I remember one young dentist who was almost gleeful when she told me "Mr 123, I see you need a crown!", her eyes lite up and I could almost hear a "cha-ching, cha-ching" in her head.

[TomatoTomahto]

The problem with dental insurance is that in addition to all the ifs and buts about what they will pay for, they cap the maximum they will pay at a low level. So a better analogy is car insurance where they will only pay $1000 even if you total the car. That's what makes it not worthwhile.

Apologies for borrowing your analogy, but dental insurance is like car insurance that covers oil changes but not accidents.

I can easily afford a cleaning, but could have used some help with the multiple extractions and implants. Dental insurance is the reverse of insurance.

[ChrisC]

The problem with dental insurance is that in addition to all the ifs and buts about what they will pay for, they cap the maximum they will pay at a low level. So a better analogy is car insurance where they will only pay $1000 even if you total the car. That's what makes it not worthwhile.

Apologies for borrowing your analogy, but dental insurance is like car insurance that covers oil changes but not accidents.

I can easily afford a cleaning, but could have used some help with the multiple extractions and implants. Dental insurance is the reverse of insurance.

How much help do you need? Our dental insurance, included as a retiree benefit, is around $26 per month and covers myself and wife at an annual cap of $3k per year for each of us; covers cleanings, extractions (80% of network rate) and implants and crowns (60%). My wife maxed out this year with one extraction and two implants. So despite the co-pays and the $50 deductible, all subject, as well as the dental insurance premiums, to HSA reimbursement — we think we’re getting a good deal. I’ve had around $20K in dental work since retirement and the insurance has saved me around $14k. And it covers out of network treatment, which we’ve had on several occasions.

My point is that some group dental insurance is pretty good. I remember growing up not too far from the Brooklyn piers that children of longshoremen had incredible dental insurance coverage from the union.

[TomatoTomahto]

The problem with dental insurance is that in addition to all the ifs and buts about what they will pay for, they cap the maximum they will pay at a low level. So a better analogy is car insurance where they will only pay $1000 even if you total the car. That's what makes it not worthwhile.

Apologies for borrowing your analogy, but dental insurance is like car insurance that covers oil changes but not accidents.

I can easily afford a cleaning, but could have used some help with the multiple extractions and implants. Dental insurance is the reverse of insurance.

How much help do you need? Our dental insurance, included as a retiree benefit, is around $26 per month and covers myself and wife at an annual cap of $3k per year for each of us; covers cleanings, extractions (80% of network rate) and implants and crowns (60%). My wife maxed out this year with one extraction and two implants. So despite the co-pays and the $50 deductible, all subject, as well as the dental insurance premiums, to HSA reimbursement — we think we’re getting a good deal. I’ve had around $20K in dental work since retirement and the insurance has saved me around $14k. And it covers out of network treatment, which we’ve had on several occasions.

My point is that some group dental insurance is pretty good. I remember growing up not too far from the Brooklyn piers that children of longshoremen had incredible dental insurance coverage from the union.

I was being hyperbolic to make a point; in real life we didn't need any help. That said, the bill for a full mouth reconstruction (genetics and type 2 diabetes mostly to blame) resulted in bills that were jaw dropping (pun intended ). Every now and then insurance would make a payment which appeared random, but mostly for extractions.

[Chuckles960]

How much help do you need? Our dental insurance, included as a retiree benefit, is around $26 per month and covers myself and wife at an annual cap of $3k per year for each of us; covers cleanings, extractions (80% of network rate) and implants and crowns (60%). My wife maxed out this year with one extraction and two implants. So despite the co-pays and the $50 deductible, all subject, as well as the dental insurance premiums, to HSA reimbursement — we think we’re getting a good deal. I’ve had around $20K in dental work since retirement and the insurance has saved me around $14k. And it covers out of network treatment, which we’ve had on several occasions.

My point is that some group dental insurance is pretty good. I remember growing up not too far from the Brooklyn piers that children of longshoremen had incredible dental insurance coverage from the union.

The point of insurance is not to get a good deal---if everyone profits, the insurance company can't survive. Insurance should cover rare but catastrophic costs. Even at $3k, dental insurance doesn't do that, and some dental insurance is capped much lower, sometimes $500.

[beyou]

The best dentists rarely take the cheapest insurance plans.
I prefer to stick with my dentist, and not be driven to a network dentist. For this reason, I would never buy a policy unless it has excellent out-of-network coverage. My employer plan did, so I used it, but when no
longer available to me, I would not settle for anything less.

[MathWizard]

I pay $100/month for 2 people and there is a cap on the amount that they will pay of $1500/yr per person. So I am paying $1200 / year to avoid as much as $3000. It is not a great deal, but the insurance company gets a discount that I am unlikely to get.

While I'm working this is part this is part of my benefit plan, so it is pretax. Once I retire, I am considering getting rid of it.