Pros Explained

• More than a dozen plans to fit budget and needs: Depending on your state of residence and how you buy it, MetLife offers 14 PPO plans, two HMO plans and one non-insurance dental discount plan. That’s more options than you can find with most insurers. 
• Higher-than-average basic coverage: The lowest-priced MetLife PPO plan that includes all 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:procedure types covers basic care at 70%, the second-highest level we saw, after Delta Dental’s 80%. 
• Offers orthodontia coverage: One of MetLife’s plans offers orthodontic coverage for children only, while two plans offer orthodontic coverage for children and adults. 

Cons Explained

• HMOs not widely available: You may want to access MetLife’s no-annual-max, no-waiting period dental 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:health maintenance organiza▨tion (HMO) plans on our best-of lists, but these are only available in four states.
• HMO limitations: MetLife’s HMO requires you to choose a dentist when you enroll, but you can also switch dentists once a month.
• Standard waiting period: With the sample PPO plan we surveyed, you’ll need to wait six months to access basic dental coverage and 12 months to access major coverage. While those limits aren’t unusual, they’re not as short as several competitors.

Types of Dental Insurance Offered by MetLife 

MetLife offers dental insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. However, the types of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:dental insurance to choose from differ based on your state. 

PPOs

MetLife’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号ܫ码历史查询:preferred provider organization (PPO) TakeAlong Dental Insurance♓ offers three options🌊: 

• PPO-LOW: Preventive and basic services only 
• PPO-MEDIUM: Preventive, basic, and major services
• PPO-HIGH: Preventive, basic, major services, plus orthodontic services for children

Along with covering more types of dental procedures, PPO-HIGH offers higher coverage percentages, lower 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:deductibles, and higher maximum coverage limits. Both Medium and High offer 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:denture coverage.

In partnership with NCD, MetLife broadly offers a few additional PPO plans without 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:waiting periods. Most increase the coverage offered every yea🅺r for the first💃 few years:

• Value: Preventive and basic care; $750 annual maximum
• Essential: Preventive, basic, and major care; $2,000 annual maximum
• Complete: Preventive, basic, and major care; $10,000 annual maximum

It’s important toꦅ note that in the first year, the Essential and🃏 Complete plans cover major care at just around 10%.

NCD plans are available in 38 states. In some states, such as Texas, you ma𒐪y have even more options, albeit higher-priced ones. These plans all offer Year 1 coverage at 10% for major services, with only two tiers of increases (Year 1 and Year 2): 

• NCD Elite 1500: $1,500 annual maximum 
• NCD Elite 3000: $3,000 annual maximum 
• NCD Elite 5000: $5,000 annual maximum 

HMOs

MetLife offers a TakeAlong Dental HMO to residents of California, Florida, New York, and Texas. With a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:dental HMO plan, you select a dentist when you enroll. You can see only that dentꦿist if you want your dental pr🍷ocedures covered.

You’ll typically pay a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:flat copay for most services, and preventive care is typically free or very low cost. The MetLife Dental HMO has no annual maximums, deductibles, or waiting periods. These plans a🍃re offered at two levels: 

• DHMO-LOW: Lower cost premium but higher copays for procedures such as cleanings ($20)
• DHMO-HIGH: Higher-cost premium but lower cost for procedures such as cleanings ($0)

Notably, both plans cover𒁏 all levels of care, plus orthodontia for adults. 

Discount Plan

The MetLife Discount Dental Program is not insurance, and is offered through Careington International. According to MetLife, the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:discount program is unavailable in Washington, Utah, and Vermont. Monthly pricing is straightforward and low-cost, at around $11.95 per month for coverage for one person. You can use the to shop for estimated proced꧋ure costs from various providers before visiting a dental practice. 

Other Types of Insurance Offered by MetLife

MetLife sells pet insurance plans directly to consumers. However, most other MetLife insurance options are only offered through employers, also called “group coverage.” T♊hese include: 

• 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Life insurance
• Accidental death and dismemberment
• Accident insurance
• Legal insurance
• Critical illness insurance
• Vision insurance

MetLife Dental Plans

Here’s a comparison of the MetLife TakeAlong PPO plans broadl🐽y available in ZIP code 77084 (Houston, Texas). As you can see, the PPO-HIGH plan offers the highest percentages of coverage for basic care, the lowest deductible, and the highest calendar year maximum coverage limit. 

You can also shop💝 for MetLife plans through NCD and in some states, shop for HMO plans.

How Much Does MetLife Dental Insurance Cost?

Adding up the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cost of dental insurance includes considering out-of-pocket expenses, too. Depending on your MetLife PPO plan, deductibles generally range from $25 to $75 per year. Annual maximums range from $750 to $2,000. After you spend your annual maximum, you’ll be responsible for the remaining costs. An ✅HMO plan won’t charge a deductible or feature an annual maximum, but you are restricted to your primary dentist. 

Remember that if yoꩵur procedure isn’t covered, you’ll pay the entire cost out of pocket. This is important if you want a service like tooth whitening. 

The table below shows an estimate of MetLife’s monthly premiums for the lowest-cost TakeAlong PPO plan♍ that covers preventive, basic, and major care. It’s available in 10 states, which are listed in order of population. 

How💝 Does MetLife 🎀Compare to Other Dental Insurance Companies?

We compared MetLife to two other companies by examining each one’s lowest-premium PPO plans that cover preventive, basic, and major dental care. The following table shows the premiums, deductibles, and annual maximum benef🥀it caps ꦜfor each. However, remember that your out-of-pocket costs may differ significantly. To get a sense, call the insurers and ask how much you’ll pay out of pocket for, say, a filling. 

Customer Service

Customer Satisfaction

MetLife’s company’s National Association of Insurance Commiss▨ioners (N♔AIC) three-year average mea💙s🅺uring customer complaints indicated a below-average number of complaints for a company of its size.

In the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Dental Plan Satisfaction Survey, MetLife’s customer satisfaction index rating came in just below average, at fifth out of eight insurers ranked. 

The Bottom Line

MetLife is among our favorite all-around dental insurance providers, havi🧔ng won spots on five of our lists of top companies. When we compared MetLife’s TakeAlong PPO plan to similar offerings from competitors, we found good coverage level🎃s for all three levels of care at a cheaper premium than many.

MetLife offers a no-surprises plan with slightly bette💯r coverage for ๊basic care with its PPO-MEDIUM plan available through the MetLife website. If you want even better coverage, or simply different coverage, you can review numerous offerings on the MetLife website or through its partner, NCD. However, remember you may find different options than your neighbor in the next state. 

Finally, take ♑a look at MetLife’s HMO plans if you want✃ a low-cost option with no annual maximum and no waiting periods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Can I Get Dental Insurance?

You can get dental insurance in one of several wa♌ys: 

• Through your employer: Your employer may offer dental insurance through a group plan. 
• On the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:ACA Exchange: Use your state or federal exchange to buy a plan with your health insurance. You can’t buy a stand-alone dental plan through the exchange.
• As a stand-alone dental plan: If you don’t like your employer’s plan, are on Medicare, or otherwise want to buy your own dental plan, contact an insurance agent or shop online.  
• With 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Medicare Advantage: Some Medicare Advantage plans offer limited dental coverage, such as preventive care. Be aware that MA plans may not cover every procedure. 
• Through Medicaid: You may discover you qualify for Medicaid when applying for an ACA plan. Some Medicaid plans offer dental coverage for children and/or adults. 

How Much Is a Cleaning Without Insurance?

A dental cleaning in California could cost as much as $278 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:without insurance, but the tot🤪al depends on what you have done during your appointment and your location. Depending on your oral health, a cleaning could involve some or many of these services, each of which adds charges:

• Oral exam by a dentist
• Cleaning of teeth
• Full-mouth or bitewing X-rays
• Fluoride
• Sealant

Who Accepts MetLife Dental Insurance?

Acceptance and coverage depend on whether you have an HMO or PPO plan. With a MetLife Dental PPO plan, you can see any dentist you wish, though you’ll pay more if you see someone out of network. If you have a MetLife HMO plan, you can only see a dentist who wo🧸rks within the MetLife network. MetLife states that it offers a network of 146,000 for group plans, likely similar to that for individual plans. 

Is Dental Insurance From MetLife Worth It?

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Dental insurance’s value depends on how many procedures you need. MetLife’s lowest-cost PPO plan costs $453.56 for a year of insurance. Getting your teeth cleaned a few times yearly is unlikely to outweigh the cost of those premiums. If you don’t use the insurance at all, it’s certainly not worth the cost. But imagine you need a filling (around $174 eac💧h). MetLife covers around 70% of that cost, an estimate of $121 per filling. If you need pain relief and three fillings, your bill will quickly add up to more than $453.56. Adding two routine cleanings throughout the year, aജlong with X-rays, exams, pain relief, and dental insurance is a decent deal.

How Do You Cancel Dental Insurance?

Depending on your state and insurance company, you may need to file written notice or paperwork to cancel the insurance plan. You may need to do this 30 days in advance. Typically, the insurer will refund any portion of your premium remaining for the year. However, if you paid for a discount plan in advance, you might not be entitled to a refund, as dental discount plans are not insurance. If you cancel your coverage, insurance companies may also prohibit you from re-enrolling for up to 12 months, and you’ll have to repeat the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:waiting periods.

How We Choꦿse the Best Dental Insurance Companies

To determine which dental insurance companies to review, we tapped into both market data and public sentiment. We used business and industry databases to get insights into market share, and user-generated data from Google to understand trends and public interest in stand-alone dental plans. This analysis narrowedꩵ our focus to 17 key companies offering dental coverage to individuals, regardless of whether their health insurance was purchased through state or federal marketplaces or independently.

We collected data from the Nationaꦍl Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), a standard-setting and regulatory support organization that maintains a database of customer complaints. We also gathered data directly from companies via websites, media contacts, and existing partnerships. The data collection process took place between Oct. 9, 2023, aജnd Dec. 23, 2023. 

We then developed a quantitative model that scored eཧach dental insurance provider based on 35 criteria that fall into five major categories and are crucial in evaluating the company’s offerings and benefits. We weighted the five categories as follows for this article:

• State Availability: 5%
• Customer Satisfaction: 15%
• Cost: 36%
• Coverage: 42%
• Customer Service: 2%

To learn more about our process for finding the best dental insurance companies, read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:full methodology.