Best Dental Insurance With No Waiting Periods

Best Dental Insurance With No Waiting Periods

Most dental insurers delay coverage of expensive treatments for at least six to 12 months to prevent people from getting a policy right before a costly procedure and then canceling it. However, some providers offer dental insurance with no waiting periods, often at higher premiums.

Our Top Picks

• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Spirit
• NCD by MetLife
• Humana

Best Overall: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield offers the best cost-to-value score and highest annual maximum benefit of $2,500. Its Essential Choice PPO Incentive plan covers 30% of major dental expenses in the first year, both in-network and out-of-network. However, it operates in only 14 states, and premiums are higher than more than half of the other insurers reviewed.

Best Premiums: Spirit

Spirit offers the lowest monthly premiums among reputable companies, with six dental insurance plans available in nearly every state except Washington. Its Spirit Preventive Plus PPO plan has a lifetime deductible of $100 and covers preventive, basic, and major care. However, the annual coverage limit is $750 in the first year, and major care is only covered at 20%.

Best for Basic Coverage: NCD by MetLife

NCD’s Elite 1500 plan covers 80% of basic dental care once the deductible is met, making it the best coverage among no-waiting-period plans surveyed. It has a $1,500 annual maximum benefit and $50 deductible. However, it only covers 10% of major care in the first year.

Best for Customer Satisfaction: Humana

Humana ranked second out of nine companies in a J.D. Power customer satisfaction study, with fewer complaints than expected. Its Loyalty Plus plan provides preventive, basic, and major care coverage with no waiting periods. However, it has a higher deductible of $150 and lower annual maximum benefit of $1,000.

Methodology

Investopedia editors and researchers analyzed nine insurers based on 29 criteria, including cost-to-value, coverage, customer satisfaction, state availability, and customer service. The analysis weighted these categories as follows: Cost-to-Value (40%), Coverage (30%), Customer Satisfaction (15%), State Availability (10%), and Customer Service (5%).

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/DentalInsurance-Roundups-BestDentalInsurancePlansWithNoWaitingPeriod2-5098c824dd794e04bce12a48aab78f7c.png)