Get immediate treatment with dental insurance, no waiting period! Our top pick is Humana Extend 2500 and 5000 — they waive waiting periods with prior insurance and offer coverage for more major treatment including implants — of course, there are plenty more to choose from, have a look!
Humana Extend 2500 and 5000 plans provide full coverage from cleaning to implants and is the best dental insurance for major dental work. You also get hearing and vision coverage. Take the stress out of health coverage with Humana Extend.
Humana Extend gives you:
- High annual maximums for all coverage ($2,500 or $5,000)
- High annual maximums for dental implants ($1,000 or $2,000)
- Low deductibles
- No waiting periods with prior coverage
Table of contents
The best dental insurance with no waiting period
Humana Extend: Best dental insurance with no waiting period overall
Humana offers a variety of different dental plans with over 270,000 dentists in their nationwide network. With Humana, the deductibles are waived for any preventive services you get from an in-network dentist.
They also offer various dental plans with no waiting period. Our top picks are the Humana Extend 2500 and the Humana Extend 5000. Both plans offer coverage for preventive services like:
- 2 oral exams per year
- 2 cleanings per year
- 2 fluoride treatments per year
- 1 comprehensive oral exam every 3 years
- 1 perio exam every 3 years
- 1 panoramic x-ray every 5 years
These plans also offer coverage for major restorative services too; the highlights of the 2500 plan include:
- $1,000 annual maximum for implants per person
- $100 teeth whitening allowance per year
- 100% coverage of preventive vision and hearing exams once per year
- $2,500 annual maximum per person in general
And the 5000 offers all of that and even more including:
- $2,000 annual maximum for implants per person
- $5,000 annual maximum per person in general
You can also check out the Humana Bright Plus plan, which offers dental coverage with no waiting period for preventive services (e.g. cleanings and x-rays); you can begin receiving care as soon as you get your member ID card. Basic dental services (like fillings) are covered 60% by the plan when you use an in-network dentist.
There is a waiting period for these basic services, but it's only 90 days after your application is processed. This plan doesn't provide coverage for major restorative services, but it does have a $100 allowance per year or in-office whitening.
The Loyalty Plus plan from Humana has no waiting periods for any services, even major dental treatment. The catch is that for the first year of coverage, you will pay for the majority of your treatment.
For major restorative services, for example, you will be responsible for 80% of the costs. In the second year, you will pay for a lower percentage, and by the third year and onward the insurance will cover 50% to 70% of treatment costs.
The Humana Extend plan mentioned above is not just our choice for best dental insurance plans with no waiting period but also dental insurance that covers root canals.
NCD: Best dental insurance with no waiting period for major services
NCD plans are offered through Nationwide Insurance and they are our pick for best insurance with no waiting period if you need major services. That's because as a part of Nationwide, they have a huge network, and they offer treatment with no waiting period, even for major restorative services, plus they offer a wide range of services with high annual maximums.
The waiting period is waived for major treatment like implants if you have prior dental coverage, and with NCD, that even includes partial prior coverage, which is one thing that really sets this plan apart.
Both the 3000 and the 5000 plans are great for all of your treatment needs. They have low deductibles of just $50 per person per year, with a cap of $150 per year per family.
Preventive services are fully covered, and basic services are covered 80% — all without a waiting period.
Major services like implants, crowns, and oral surgery are covered by 50%, and again, there's no waiting period if you have prior coverage. If you don't, then there is a 12-month waiting period.
Both plans have a high annual maximum of $3,000, but with the NCD 5000, you can pay for an additional $2,000.
Guardian: Most affordable dental insurance with no waiting period
Guardian Direct is a great pick for preventive dental insurance plans with no waiting period. The premium, especially for their Starter plan is extremely low — just $15/month.
But this plan should only be used by those looking for cleanings and exams at an affordable price, due to their low annual maximums, and lack of coverage for restorative dental care.
If you do want coverage for more basic services, there is a 6-month waiting period for treatment like fillings.
Have a look at the highlights of our top pick for affordable dental insurance with no waiting period:
Preventive services:
- 1 oral exam every 6 months
- 1 routine cleaning every 6 months
Basic restorative services:
- 1 filling per tooth per year (6-month waiting period)
- Routine tooth extraction (6-month waiting period)
Physician's Mutual: Best dental insurance for seniors with no waiting period
We have selected Physicians Mutual as the best dental insurance for seniors with no waiting period because it provides immediate coverage for preventative services and offers basic coverage after just three months.
Moreover, after a year of enrollment, you can benefit from coverage for up to 350 procedures, without any annual maximum limits or deductibles.
The fact that there are no maximums and deductibles after 12 months is great for seniors who might need repeated treatments like fillings and crowns.
- No waiting period for preventive care
- No annual maximums or deductibles
- Wide network of over 500,000 providers
- Coverage for over 350 procedures
- Three plan levels to choose from
- Available in all 50 states
If you'd like to enroll in one of these plans, just go to dentalinsurance.com. They make it easy to search for dental plans with no waiting periods.
All you have to do is enter some basic information and you'll see a list of all of the plans in your area. To find a dental plan with no waiting period, just click on the plan details of any plan, and if there is no waiting period, it will be listed at the top of the details page.
Best dental insurance plans with no waiting period roundup
There are a lot of dental insurance plans with no waiting period, especially when it comes to preventive and basic care, so you might be wondering how to get started. If you'd like some help, just head to Dentalinsurance.com. This online insurance marketplace makes it easy to find the best insurance plan for you.
Just enter some basic information and you'll get to see the best plans available in your area. When you see a plan you like, just open up the plan details, and if there is no waiting period, it will be listed at the top of the page.
You can also call 888-626-0057 to speak to a friendly licensed agent.
Thankfully, there are many possibilities if you are looking for dental insurance plans with no waiting period. In fact, most plans have no waiting period for preventive services, and there are even some plans that don't have a waiting period for major restorative services.
Other plans will waive waiting periods on major services if you've had dental insurance with a different provider for at least 12 consecutive months before switching over.
Have a look at the table below for a summary of the best dental insurance plans with no waiting period:
Humana Extend 2500/5000 | NCD 3000/5000 | Guardian Starter | Physician's Mutual | |
Waiting period preventive care | None | None | None | None |
Waiting period for restorative care | Waived with prior coverage | Waived with prior coverage | No major care | None for basic services like fillings |
Annual maximum | $2500-$5000 | $3000-$5000 | $500 | None after 12 months |
Deductible | $75 | $50 | $50 | None after 12 months |
Premium | $50-$80 | $50-$80 | $15 | No data |
Conclusion
A waiting period in dental insurance is the amount of time you have to wait between enrolling for a plan and receiving coverage for services. Most plans offer preventive services with no waiting period, which is great if you just need a checkup and a cleaning.
But, if you need full coverage dental insurance for major services like dental implants, you'll find that providers often have a 12-month waiting period. That's because they want to be able to make some money from monthly premiums before they need to cover expensive treatments.
They also want to make sure that people don't just sign up for plans when they need expensive dental care and then just ditch the plan immediately after they receive the care they need.
The big problem with waiting periods is that they can just be another obstacle to the 74 million Americans who don't have dental insurance through an employer, group program, or public program and instead need to look for cheap dental care without insurance.
There are different reasons why you might be looking for dental insurance with no waiting period — maybe you need to get a tooth repaired, or maybe you need an extraction. The plans we mention in this article all offer some variation of dental insurance without a waiting period, so hopefully you can find a plan that works for you.
If you need help finding and enrolling in a plan, including the ones mentioned above, just go to dentalinsurance.com. They make it easy to browse a wide range of dental insurance plans with no waiting periods that fit your dental budget. Plus, if you need help, you can call them at 888-626-0057 and speak to one of their friendly, certified agents.
FAQs
The best dental insurance with no waiting period is from Humana Extend — either the 2500 or 5000 plan. For major services, your waiting period is waived with proof of prior coverage. And for preventive services, there is no waiting period.
The best dental insurance with no waiting period for major services is Humana Extend. It has a high maximum for expensive treatment, and waives the waiting period with prior coverage.
The best individual dental insurance with no waiting period is Humana Extend. This plan has no waiting period for preventive services. Plus the waiting period is waived with prior insurance.
No waiting period means you don't have to wait between signing up for insurance and getting coverage for your care. Depending on your dental needs, you may not be able to wait 6-12 months for coverage. In this case, people are often forced to either put off the care they need or pay out of pocket.
If you're looking for dental insurance with no waiting period for dentures, crowns, implants or other major services, you might want to take a look at the Humana Extend dental plan. This plan waives waiting periods if you've had dental insurance prior.
No, not all dental insurance plans have waiting periods. In fact, there are many plans that have no waiting periods for preventive and even basic services like fillings and x-rays. However, the majority of dental plans do have waiting periods for major restorative services.
The Guardian: ‘Your mouth becomes a minefield': The Americans who can't afford the dentist. Consulted 8th October 2021.