Les Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Written By Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Les Masterson Deputy Editor, InsuranceLes Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before cove.
Deputy Editor, Insurance Ashlee Valentine Deputy Editor, InsuranceAshlee is an insurance editor, journalist and business professional with an MBA and more than 17 years of hands-on experience in both business and personal finance. She is passionate about empowering others to protect life's most important assets. Wh.
Ashlee Valentine Deputy Editor, InsuranceAshlee is an insurance editor, journalist and business professional with an MBA and more than 17 years of hands-on experience in both business and personal finance. She is passionate about empowering others to protect life's most important assets. Wh.
Ashlee Valentine Deputy Editor, InsuranceAshlee is an insurance editor, journalist and business professional with an MBA and more than 17 years of hands-on experience in both business and personal finance. She is passionate about empowering others to protect life's most important assets. Wh.
Ashlee Valentine Deputy Editor, InsuranceAshlee is an insurance editor, journalist and business professional with an MBA and more than 17 years of hands-on experience in both business and personal finance. She is passionate about empowering others to protect life's most important assets. Wh.
| Deputy Editor, Insurance
Updated: Jul 1, 2024, 8:21am
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
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Health insurance doesn’t generally cover dental care, but there are exceptions when a health plan may pay for dental work.
You usually need to buy a separate dental insurance plan to get covered for routine dental work like crowns, tooth extractions and cleanings. Dental insurance is typically much cheaper than health insurance, but dental plans often come with maximum coverage benefits and waiting periods, and may not cover all types of dental work.
Key Takeaways
Health insurance may cover dental care in specific instances, such as:
If your dental work is related to a car accident, check with your auto insurance company about whether your policy will pay for a portion of the dental work. The liability insurance, personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments (MedPay) coverage on your car insurance policy may pay for your injuries, depending on your coverage and the cause of the accident.
Health insurance doesn’t typically cover standard dental work, including:
You instead need separate dental insurance to get those services. Make sure to read the policy information to see exactly what the dental policy covers and what isn’t covered. For instance, one dental insurance policy might not cover dental implants, braces, teeth whitening or major care like root canals, while another policy may cover some or all of those services.
You should also read about the waiting periods for the dental plan. Many policies have a dental insurance waiting period for some services. Most dental policies don’t make you wait for preventive care, but dental insurance may require a 6-month or 12-month waiting period for other services.
There are multiple ways to get dental insurance, including from your job or directly from an insurer.
Your employer may offer dental insurance as part of its benefits package. Dental plans through an employer are usually much cheaper than health insurance.
An employer will likely only offer only one dental insurance option, unlike health insurance, where companies usually offer multiple choices. Pay close attention to a dental policy’s premiums, deductibles, waiting periods, coverage maximum and coverage percentages so you can decide whether it’s worth buying a policy through your job.
The Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, requires that health insurance companies on the health insurance marketplace offer dental insurance for children. Adult dental care isn’t required, but you may find a company that offers dental insurance on the marketplace.
Dental plans on the marketplace are similar to other types of dental policies. They offer the same type of coverage, monthly premiums, deductibles and coverage maximums.
If you’re buying a dental insurance plan through the health insurance marketplace, you can compare offerings side by side through the marketplace website.
You can buy dental insurance directly through a dental insurance company. Many dental insurance companies offer free online quotes, which let you enter your information and get a monthly quote for coverage.
Our research found that dental insurance costs an average of $52 monthly for comprehensive care and $26 for preventive care plans.
Major dental insurance companies include Ameritas, Delta Dental, Denali Dental, Guardian and Spirit Dental. Some health insurers that offer their own dental policies include Anthem, a Blue Cross Blue Shield company; Cigna; Humana; and UnitedHealthcare.
Original Medicare, also called Parts A and B, doesn’t cover dental care except for dental services if you’re hospitalized for a dental procedure connected to a medical condition or serious procedure. These services must be connected to the medical treatment you receive in the hospital.
However, Medicare Advantage (Part C), offered by private health insurance companies, may provide dental insurance as part of their offerings. Medicare Advantage dental insurance policies are similar to plans you get directly from a dental insurance company. There are premiums, coverage maximums, deductibles and waiting periods.
While Medicare is mainly for people 65 and older, Medicaid eligibility is based on household income and family size. The federal/state health insurance program differs by state.
Medicaid requires that all states provide dental insurance for eligible people 21 and under. There is no requirement for adult dental coverage, but states or companies may choose to offer those services to adults.
Health insurance covers your overall health, while dental insurance only pays for dental care.
There are many other ways that the two types of insurance differ:
There are multiple ways to pay for dental work:
