Guardian Dental

There are many quality dental individual and group plans available from Guardian and other insurance companies.

They can cover cleanings and fillings, and depending on the plan, also help ensure you don’t end up with a hefty bill when you need more extensive dental work. Here’s how different kinds of dental plans work.

There are two main kinds of dental plans: Dental PPO and Dental HMO

Dental PPO: More dentist choice
Like a PPO health insurance plan, these dental plans typically have an extensive network of providers that lets you “shop around” and see out-of-network dentists. But when you stay in-network, you typically pay less and don’t need to submit claims. Is your dentist in Guardian’s network? Find out here.

Dental HMO: Less dentist choice
These dental plans tend to offer lower premiums, but there’s also less flexibility with a limited network of providers. Like HMO health care plans, members choose Primary Dentists and have to go through them for all their care, including specialist referrals. Many DHMO dental plans have no deductibles or maximums – and while there may be a flat-rate copayment for non-preventive treatments, your overall costs will likely be lower.

Four important reasons to get dental insurance:

Preventive care helps keep you healthy — Most plans pay all or most of the charge for checkups and cleanings – so there’s no reason not to see your dentist for regular preventive dental services.
Early detection to catch potential problems — Regular visits to the dentist help keep teeth and gums in good health, so you can help catch and fix a minor issue before it turns into a bigger, more expensive (and painful) oral health problem.
Lowering your out-of-pocket expenses — A dental crown can cost $2,000 or more. A good full-coverage plan can lower that to under $700.*
In-network discounts — Insurance companies negotiate discounts with their PPO network dentists (the average Guardian discount is 36%). So you save even on dental services that aren’t covered under your plan.

Enrollment guidelines

Minimum of one employee enrolled at all times
A group can choose one PPO and/or one HMO.
These Guardian Dental plans are only available to groups headquartered in California and Colorado.