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Best Dental Insurance for Major Dental Work Like Implants and Dentures

Contributors:  Natalie Asmussen

In this article, we'll get straight to the point, and tell you about the best dental insurance for major dental work, reviewing our top five choices on the market today — Humana Extend 2500, Humana Extend 5000, NCD 3000, NCD 5000, and Anthem BlueCross Essential Choice Platinum.

We'll also cover the following information:

  • Coverage details for each plan
  • Alternatives to dental insurance
  • The easiest way to find a dental plan right now

Keep reading to find the best dental insurance for major work — and the best plan for your budget and oral health needs as well.

— Or if you're pressed for time, have a look at the table below for a summary of the top plans.

Company

Monthly premium 

Plan maximum

Deductible

Includes coverage for major work?

Find a plan

Humana Extend 2500

$61.99

$2,500

$75

Yes

Humana Extend 5000

$93.99

$5,000

$75

Yes

NCD 3000

$72.00

$3,000

$50

Yes

NCD 5000

$82.00

$5,000

$50

Yes

Anthem Essential Choice Platinum

$48.20

$2,000

$50

Yes

*Monthly premiums based on 30-year-old female in Ohio

5 best dental insurance plans for major work

Humana Extend 2500

This Humana Extend plan is for individuals looking to combine coverage for dental, hearing, and vision, and get the most out of their benefits for the cost. You get a nationwide network of providers, for preventive, basic, and major dental services.

Have a look at the details of this plan's major dental services coverage:

Root canals

Dentures

Implants

Crowns

  • Limit 1 tooth per lifetime

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

  • Complete dentures, limit 1 every 5 years

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period 

  • 1 per tooth per 5 years

  • In Network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

  • 1 per tooth per 5 years

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

best dental insurance for major dental work
Find insurance for implants

Other specifics for this plan include:

  • Deductible: $75 per person (waived for in-network preventive services)
  • Waiting periods: Preventive — none, Basic — 90 days, Major — 12 months
  • Plan maximum: $2,500 per insured person
  • Coverage for cleanings: 100%

Get started finding your plan on dentalinsurance.com. This online marketplace makes it easy to search and compare the best plans in your area for major dental work. And once you find a plan you like, you can sign up right on the spot.

Humana Extend 5000

This plan is very similar to the Extend 2500 plan, except the benefits for major services increase after the 1st year, and the plan maximum is $5,000 instead of $2,500. This means that the monthly premium is also higher, but it may be worth it if you know you're going to need expensive and major restorative dental work.

Have a look at how the coverage details differ for major services from the 2500 plan:

Root canals

Dentures

Implants

Crowns

  • Limit 1 tooth per lifetime

  • In network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • Out of network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • Complete dentures, limit 1 every 5 years

  • In network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • Out of network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • 1 per tooth per 5 years

  • In network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • Out of network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • 1 per tooth per 5 years

  • In network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • Out of network: 1st year — 50% after deductible; 2nd year — 60% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

The other plan details include:

  • Deductible: $75 per person (waived for in-network preventive services)
  • Waiting periods: Preventive — none, Basic — 90 days, Major — 6 months
  • Plan maximum: $5,000 per insured person
  • Coverage for cleanings: 100%

Ready to find your plan? Search the user-friendly dentalinsurance.com online marketplace.

NCD 3000

NCD is underwritten by Nationwide, allowing you to benefit from a dental network that ranks in the top 10 for network size.

With the NCD 3000, you can choose any dentist you please, but you will save on your treatment costs if you choose an in-network dentist. As an added bonus, the waiting period, even for major services, can be waived if you can show that you've had prior coverage.

Take a look at some of the details of coverage for major dental work:

Root canals

Dentures

Implants

Crowns

  •  50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

  • 1 every 5 years

  •  50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period 

  •  50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

  • 1 per tooth per 7 years

  •  50% after deductible

  • 12 months waiting period

Other important plan specifics include:

  • Deductible: $50 per person/$150 per family
  • Waiting periods: Preventive — none, Basic — 90 days, Major — 12 months (waived with proof of prior coverage)
  • Plan maximum: $3,000 per insured person
  • Coverage for cleanings: 100%

If those terms sound good to you, you can find your plan now on dentalinsurance.com.

NCD 5000

Dental insurance for major work
Replacing teeth is expensive, so it's good to have insurance to help

Just like the NCD 3000 plan, this plan gives you the freedom to choose the dentist you want, while offering a Maximum Care Network that ranks in the top 10 for network sizes.

The coverage for restorative dental services with this plan doesn't differ from that of the 3000 plan — the main difference is that the annual maximum is 5000 for this plan, making it better for more expensive dental procedures.

Here are the main details:

  • Deductible: $50 per person/$150 per family
  • Waiting periods: Preventive — none, Basic — 90 days, Major — 12 months (waived with proof of prior coverage)
  • Plan maximum: $5,000 per insured person
  • Coverage for cleanings: 100%

If you're ready to find your plan now, it's easy with dentalinsurance.com.

Anthem BlueCross Essential Choice Platinum

Get coverage for major dental services, plus a high annual maximum with the Anthem Essential Choice Platinum PPO, while still paying a relatively low monthly premium. This plan even includes coverage for orthodontics and teeth whitening — but let's have a look at coverage details for restorative dentistry services:

Root canals

Dentures

Implants

Crowns

  •  In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

  • In network: 50% after deductible

  • Out of network: 50% after deductible

  • 6 months waiting period

And some more coverage specifics are:

  • Deductible: $50 per person/$150 per family
  • Waiting periods: Preventive — none, Basic — 3 months, Major — 6 months, Orthodontic — 12 months
  • Plan maximum: $2,000 per insured person
  • Coverage for cleanings: 100%

Find your plan now with dentalinsurance.com.

Alternatives ways to finance major dental work

Not everyone can afford dental insurance, and especially in cases when you need major restorative treatment, some plans just don't cover the expenses that you need them to. If you don't have insurance, you're not alone, — nearly 77 million American adults don't have it.

But, just because you don't have insurance, doesn't mean you can't have a plan to finance your dental work. Have a look at the table below for some popular dental financing options, like savings plans, dental tourism, and dental loans.

4 Ways to finance your dental care

Dental insurance

Pay a monthly premium in exchange for more affordable care.

Dental loans

Fund your dental work now and make affordable monthly repayments.

Dental tourism

Pay less for quality treatment abroad.

Dental discount plans

Save money on treatment costs in exchange for a yearly membership fee.

For more information on funding dental care without insurance, you can watch Dental Hygienist Whitney's video below, where she talks more about dental savings plans — one of the options mentioned in the table.

No dental insurance? No problem! Let's talk about HOW to get quality dental work at a discounted price! If you don’t have dental insurance or are thinking about dropping your coverage because it hardly pays for anything, dental discount plans can save you a boat load of money. Especially if you’re planning on a smile makeover or need a lot of dental treatment. The easy-to-understand discounts take the guesswork out of insurance claims, and you never run out of benefits. Plus, you usually get 100% coverage on your checkups, similar to a traditional insurance policy. Many dental offices are converting to private dental savings plan programs because it’s a win-win for both them and their patients. Learn more about affordable dental care: https://www.teethtalkgirl.com/dental-health/dentist-without-insurance 🤑 Get up to 60% off Dental Work: https://bit.ly/ttg-preferred-plan ▶ HELPFUL RESOURCES: ∙dental savings plans: https://bit.ly/ttg-preferred-plan ∙dental lifeline: https://dentallifeline.org/our-state-programs/ ∙health and human services: https://www.hhs.gov/answers/health-insurance-reform/where-can-i-find-low-cost-dental-care/index.html ∙medicare: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/medicaredentalcoverage ∙medicaid: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/dental-care/index.html ∙dental schools: https://coda.ada.org/en/find-a-program/search-dental-programs ∙more resources: https://teethtalkgirl.com/videos/dentist-without-insurance ▶ WANT EVEN MORE TEETH TALK? ∙VISIT MY WEBSITE: https://teethtalkgirl.com ∙SHOP Happy Teeth! https://givehappyteeth.com/ ▶ HELP KEEP THIS CONTENT FREE – Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/teethtalkgirl Join this channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoWqwg_7NXuvoJZIgzHf8Dw/join AND FOLLOW MY SOCIAL MEDIA 🙂 ▶ INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/TeethTalkGirl/ @TeethTalkGirl ▶ FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/TeethTalkGirl/ @TeethTalkGirl ▶ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/TeethTalkGirl @TeethTalkGirl ▶ BACKGROUND MUSIC: artlist.io Medical Disclosure: This video does not provide medical advice and is intended for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your dentist or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or dental condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard or seen on social media. Affiliate Disclosure: In this video, we may include products or services we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission to help fund our mission to create more healthy smiles. FTC DISCLAIMER: This video is sponsored by 1Dental. ✌ P E A C E ♥ L O V E ☺ T E E T H ☺

Conclusion

If you're looking for the best dental insurance for major dental work, you'll most likely want a plan with a high annual maximum, and coverage for treatment like implants, and dental insurance that covers root canals. You can also read about the best dental insurance that covers crowns with no waiting period.

These plans tend to have higher monthly premiums, but for expensive dental work, the increased monthly cost can be worth it.

If you need to finance expensive restorative dental treatment, make sure you can pay for it with an insurance plan from dentalinsurance.com.

FAQs

What dental insurance has the best coverage?

Lots of plans have pros and cons, but some of the best plans for full coverage treatment include the ones we mentioned in this article, like Humana, NCD, and Anthem.

What is the highest annual maximum on dental insurance?

The highest annual maximum on dental insurance seems to be around $5,000, as seen on plans offered by NCD and Humana. Most plans have maximums of around $1,000 or $1,500.

Does dental insurance cover implants in the US?

Yes, there are dental insurance plans that cover implants in the US. These plans have higher monthly premiums, and higher annual maximums, as well as coverage for major dental treatment.

Best Dental Insurance for Major Dental Work Like Implants and Dentures
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Contributors:
Natalie used to work as a Community Health Worker and Health Insurance Navigator. She continues to follow her passion for connecting people with the healthcare they need by writing informative content about dentistry and medicine.