Best Arizona Dental Insurance

You know you need to brush your teeth, floss and visit your dentist regularly. Unfortunately, most health insurance plans don’t include coverage for dental care costs. If you want assistance paying for your dentist bills, you’ll need to choose an independent dental insurance plan, complete with its own list of inclusions, exclusions and terms. But with so many options to choose from, how can you possibly find the plan that’s right for you?

Here’s everything you need to know about getting dental insurance in Arizona. We’ll tell you about the different plan types you can choose from, what your insurance will and won’t cover and how much you can expect to pay. Finally, we’ll introduce you to a few of our favorite plan providers. 

Quick Look: The Best Arizona Dental Insurance

• Best for Cleaning and Exams: Delta Dental
• Best Because of the Humana Pharmacy: Humana
• Best for Affordable Annual Premiums: Cigna
• Best for Adult and Child Orthodontic Coverage: Ameritas
• Physicians Mutual

The Best Arizona Dental Insurance

Now that you understand how dental insurance works, let’s take a look at some of our favorite insurance providers in the Grand Canyon State.

1. Delta Dental

Delta Dental is a nonprofit committed to providing affordable dental insurance to individuals, families and business owners. Plans are available from $23 a month for individuals and include low $50 deductibles.

Getting a quote online with Delta is simple — just enter your ZIP code, date of birth and coverage start date to see your choices. Delta also offers a comprehensive number of plans for business owners, ranging from full-coverage options to affordable opt-in plans. No matter your needs or budget, Delta Dental has a plan for you. 

2. Humana

Are you looking for the most affordable dental insurance plan available? Be sure to get a quote from Humana. Humana’s plans are available from just $18 a month for individuals — a rare value for PPO coverage.

Humana plans also allow you to save on your deductible, with low $50 annual deductibles for individuals and $150 deductibles for families. Humana is a top choice for anyone who wants coverage with affordable plan options and low deductibles. 

3. Cigna

Don’t have a favorite dentist? Buying a DHMO plan is a great way to save — but only if you choose a provider with a wide network of coverage. Cigna plans give you access to a nationwide network of over 90,000 individual dental offices, so no matter where you are, you’ll be able to find a dentist who accepts your insurance.

Dental plans also feature $0 deductibles for preventive care and a 24/7 phone line for customer assistance. Plans start at just $20 per month with comprehensive benefits, so be sure to get a quote if you need easy-to-understand and affordable coverage. 

4. Ameritas

As we said, most dental insurance plans exclude coverage for orthodontics. However, some plan providers do offer orthodontic benefits for policyholders. You can get up to $1,000 worth of annual benefits (including orthodontics) for just $32 a month with an Ameritas policy.

Need additional coverage? You can bump up for benefits to include up to $2,000 worth of annual coverage for a little less than $40 a month. Ameritas also offers a number of lower-tier plans as well for less than $30 a month. 

5. Physicians Mutual

Sometimes you need to get coverage fast and seeing your options is simple when you get a quote from Physicians Mutual. Just enter your state, choose your policy type and enter your age to see how much you’ll pay and which plans you can choose from.

Getting a quote takes less than 60 seconds, and Physicians Mutual’s easy-to-understand website clearly tells you what’s included with each coverage tier. Its plans all include $0 deductibles — so you won’t have to worry about losing out on money when you buy insurance. 

Types of Dental Coverage

It’s important to understand the different dental insurance plans you can choose from. You’ll usually see 3 main types of dental insurance plans offered when you browse:

• Dental health maintenance organizations (DHMOs) operate as a health insurance HMO. Your insurance company will give you a list of in-network dental service providers when you sign onto a plan. You’ll need to see a provider who works within your network if you want to use your benefits. DHMOs give you less freedom to choose which service providers you see, but they’re an affordable option if you want to save on coverage.
• Preferred provider organizations (PPOs) help you see any dental service provider you like and still use your benefits. You can usually save some money by seeing an in-network provider, there is no requirement that you see one. PPOs are more expensive but can be ideal for families who already have a dentist.
• Benefit/referral plans are very low-cost plans that grant you a discount on dental services if you see an in-network dentist. Benefit plans aren’t technically a form of insurance because they don’t pay for any percentage of your treatment, so we won’t include them in our review. 

What Does Dental Insurance Cover?

You probably already know there’s a set list of benefits that your insurance provider needs to offer you if you have an independent health insurance plan. Dental insurance companies don’t have to follow any such set of rules and are free to pick and choose which services they want to cover. This means that you can get 10 quotes from 10 different insurance companies with 10 completely different benefits.

The most common dental insurance benefits schedule is the “100-80-50” schedule. If you have a 100-80-50 plan, it means that your insurance will cover:

• 100% of preventive care costs: Preventive care includes treatments like exams, X-rays and cleanings. Many dental insurance plans cover 100% of your preventive care costs.
• 80% of basic service costs: Basic services include procedures like cavity fillings, root canals and simple tooth extractions. Many dental insurance companies cover 80% of the cost of basic services, though some only offer 70% coverage.
• 50% of major service costs: Major services include procedures like bridges, crowns and denture molds. Many dental insurance companies cover 50% of the cost of major services.

Keep in mind that each individual company can choose which services fall into each category. For example, some companies consider root canals to be basic procedures, while others classify them as major procedures. 

What Does Dental Insurance Not Cover? 

Though each individual dental insurance company can choose which services it covers, there are a few areas that won’t be covered:

• Cosmetic treatments: No insurance company covers dental treatments that aren’t medically necessary. Teeth whitening and cosmetic veneers are 2 examples of services you’ll need to cover out of pocket.
• Preexisting conditions: Unlike health insurance companies, dental insurance companies don’t need to extend coverage to preexisting dental conditions. If you have a chronic oral health issue, expect your insurance company to limit your benefits.
• Orthodontia: Orthodontic treatments (like braces and retainers) are often medically necessary to correct oral health issues. However, most dental insurance companies exclude orthodontics from coverage. The best dental insurance plans do offer orthodontic benefits but these treatments are almost always limited to children on your plan. 

Average Cost of Dental Insurance in AZ

The cost of dental insurance in Arizona is similar to the overall cost of dental insurance in the United States. You’ll usually pay between $30 and $45 per month for coverage if you need an individual plan. Expect to pay between $50 and $75 for your insurance package for a family plan.  

What to Look for in a Dental Insurance Provider

Arizona residents have dozens of dental insurance plan providers you can choose from. How can you possibly know that you’re picking the best plan? Search for these 3 essential features to ensure that you’re getting the most for your money:

• Availability in your area: Like most types of insurance, dental insurance is region-specific. Make sure that your dental insurance provider of choice offers coverage in your ZIP code before you commit to a plan.
• A low deductible: An insurance plan deductible is the minimum amount of money you need to spend on your own dental care costs before your insurance starts footing the bill. Choose a plan with a low deductible that you can afford.
• A high annual maximum benefit cap: Most dental insurance plans include a cap on the number of cash benefits you can claim from your insurance each year to ensure profitability. Choose a plan with a high annual cap — especially if you’re at risk for a chronic or very expensive dental procedure. 

Smile Brighter with Affordable Coverage

Buying dental insurance can be expensive. The best way to ensure that you’re not overpaying for coverage is to get at least 5 quotes from competing companies before you make your choice. Getting a quote takes just a few minutes, and most companies now allow you to see your policy options online.

Devote an afternoon to seeing all of your dental insurance options — you won’t be able to save if you don’t know what’s out there. 

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