For years, most dental policies were expensive and covered little beyond two cleanings and X-rays, so our advisors told clients to be careful. That has changed. Some plans now pay meaningful benefits.
But signing up for a policy isn't your only option, and sometimes it isn't the right one. Yesterday we covered how little dental care Medicare itself pays for. Today is about the two choices most people weigh next: a dental discount plan or dental insurance.
What is a dental discount plan?
You pay a yearly or monthly fee and get reduced prices from participating dentists. There are no deductibles, no waiting periods, no yearly maximums and no claim forms. You pay the dentist the discounted price yourself.
A discount plan is not insurance. The plan pays the dentist nothing. Prices we found in 2026 ran roughly $80 to $185 a year for one person, with advertised discounts usually between 10% and 50%.
Watch for: the discount applies only at participating dentists, so check that yours is in the network before you sign up. Nevada requires these plans to register with the Division of Insurance and to state that they are not insurance. Arizona doesn't register them the same way, so read the terms yourself.
How does dental insurance work?
A dental insurance plan pays part of the cost of covered care, usually after a deductible, up to a yearly maximum. A few terms decide how much it helps:
- Annual maximum. Most plans cap what they pay each year, commonly between $1,000 and $2,500.
- Waiting periods. Often 6 to 12 months before basic or major work is covered. Cleanings and exams are usually covered right away.
- Graded plans. Some skip the waiting period but pay less in the first year or two, with a maximum that rises over time.
- PPO or HMO. A dental PPO lets you see any dentist but pays more in network. A dental HMO requires its network, often with set copays and no yearly maximum, and usually costs less.
Watch for: read exactly what happens to dentures, implants and crowns. And even when it isn't required, using an in-network dentist usually stretches your benefit, because network dentists have agreed to lower fees.
Which one costs less?
It depends on what you need, and when. Here is one year for a made-up person who needs two routine visits and one crown. We assumed a discount plan at $150 a year with 20% off, and insurance at $40 a month that covers cleanings in full and major work at 50% after a $50 deductible and a 12-month waiting period, with a $1,500 yearly maximum. Exams with cleanings at $200 each, and a $1,300 crown.
- Pay cash: $1,700 for the year.
- Discount plan: $1,510.
- Insurance, crown in month 3: $1,780. The crown lands inside the waiting period, so you pay all $1,300 of it on top of a year of premiums.
- Insurance, crown after month 12: $1,155. Same policy. The waiting period is over, so the plan pays half.
These are hypothetical numbers for illustration only. Your dentist's fees and your plan's terms will be different.
What do the numbers show?
- Timing decides insurance. The same policy cost $1,780 or $1,155, depending only on when the crown came.
- A discount plan works from day one. It came in $190 under paying cash here, with no waiting period and no maximum.
- With only routine care, cash or a discount plan often wins. Insurance tends to pay off when major work is likely after the waiting period.
How do you run your own numbers?
Start with your own dentist. Many offer a cash discount, or an in-office membership plan for routine care at a yearly fee. Then ask for their prices on the work you expect, and for a written treatment plan with prices before anything begins. With those numbers in hand, you can run your own version of the comparison above.
If you'd like to compare individual dental plans and prices yourself, you can do that at 123EasyDental.com. We're licensed to offer some of these plans, not all, and our job is to help you compare, not to sell you one.
The full side-by-side, including the fine print, is in our guide, Dental Care in Retirement. Questions? Call us at (602) 281-3898.
This is Part 2 of Dental Care in Retirement, a five-part series from our newest guidepost. Tomorrow: where to find dental care for less in the Phoenix area and Las Vegas. For education only. Not a recommendation of any plan, company or clinic. Dental discount plans are not insurance.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. It is not sponsored, endorsed, or otherwise representative of Medicare or the federal Medicare program. American Retirement Advisors is not a government agency. For official Medicare information, visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).