Best Dental Insurance for Braces of 2024

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Anthony Battle is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. He earned the Chartered Financial Consultant® designation for advanced financial planning, the Chartered Life Underwriter® designation for advanced insurance specialization, the Accredited Financial Counselor® for Financial Counseling and both the Retirement Income Certified Professional®, and Certified Retirement Counselor designations for advance retirement planning.

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If someone in your family needs braces, you may need to shell out $3,000 or more—unless you have the right dental insurance coverage. Delta Dental is our top pick for braces insurance because the company offers plans with high coverage amounts and annual limits for orthodontics in many states, including at least two plans that cover adult braces. But the best dental insurance provider for you may depend on your dentist of choice, your budget, and when you or your child need braces.

To help you select a dental insurance company, we researched 11 companies that offer orthodontics coverage and made our picks based on criteria including the value for the price, coverage amounts and limits for orthodontics procedures, and the company’s track record of customer satisfaction. Check out the winners below.

Best Dental Insurance for Braces of 2024

• Best Overall, Best Lifetime Coverage, and Best for Adult Braces: Delta Dental
• Best Waiting Period: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Best Overall Costs: Spirit
• Best HMO: Delta Dental HMO

• Our Top Picks
• Delta Dental
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Spirit
• Delta Dental HMO
• See More (1)

Best Overall , Best Lifetime Coverage , and Best for Adult Braces : Delta Dental

• Lifetime Orthodontia Coverage Limit: $1,500
• Deductible: $50
• States Available (Sample Plan): 16 states

Delta Dental offers a large preferred provider organization (PPO) network that includes more than 112,000 dentists nationwide. Some plans also offer out-of-network coverage. Delta Dental is a group of companies, so coverage options vary by state.

The plan we looked at, called Delta Dental - Premium PPO, covers 50% of orthodontic care after a $50 deductible and a six- to 12-month waiting period, depending on your state. The lifetime maximum braces coverage is $1,500. Delta also offers a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan with adult braces coverage in the states we reviewed, which is why the company is our top pick for both adult braces coverage and lifetime coverage.

"Only a small percentage of dental plans offer orthodontic coverage, and even fewer extend it to adults over 18. While some plans are transparent about who they’ll cover, others require you to carefully review coverage and limitations to ensure that you, not just your dependents, are eligible for care."

—Shanker Narayan, Investopedia Research Analyst

Delta Dental has a very low complaint rate with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), a measure of customer satisfaction. And in some states, members get access to extra benefits, like savings on dental care products, LASIK eye surgery, hearing aids, and even groceries. Some plans include free virtual dentistry as well. Delta’s PPO orthodontics plans are relatively expensive compared to other companies, but they offer good coverage for the price, making them ideal for people who need orthodontics or other types of major care. Delta was also our top pick for the best dental insurance company.

Delta Dental was scored based on a PPO plan that is only available in 16 states. The company does not offer orthodontics coverage in every state, so be sure to check policies available in your state for details.

• Tied for the highest lifetime coverage limit
• Few complaints with the NAIC
• Covers up to 50% of the cost of braces—the most any carrier offers

• Higher-than-average premiums
• Six- to 12-month waiting period

Delta Dental’s roots trace back to 1954, when dentists and employers began forming dental service organizations to increase access to dental care in several states. In 1966, Delta Dental Plans Association was created to respond to the needs of businesses with employees in multiple states. Today, the association comprises 39 independent companies that serve more than 80 million customers nationwide, making it the country’s largest provider of dental benefits.

Delta Dental offers an online platform that members can use to manage their policies, but the company’s mobile apps are poorly rated. You can find out more about Delta on the company’s official website or enter your state here to be directed to your local customer service team.

Based on Anthem’s lowest-premium PPO with orthodontics coverage:

• Lifetime Orthodontia Coverage Limit: $1,000
• Deductible: $150 (lifetime)
• States Available (Sample Plan): 14 states

Anthem’s Essential Choice PPO Incentive plan offers 50% coverage for child orthodontics after a $150 lifetime deductible—with no waiting period. Coverage is limited to a $1,000 lifetime orthodontia maximum ($500 per year). This was the only plan we reviewed to offer 50% coverage with no waiting period, making it a good option if your child needs braces right away. The plan also rewards you for getting annual cleanings by lowering coinsurance costs in year two. However, the plan’s premium is higher than average for the PPOs we reviewed.

Bear in mind that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires healthcare plans to make child dental coverage available on the Marketplace Exchange without annual limits, including for medically necessary orthodontia. You can only buy this kind of dental plan while purchasing a health plan from the Marketplace, so if you plan to purchase an Obamacare plan, check whether it covers child orthodontia during open enrollment.

Anthem may offer plans with lower premiums on the Exchange. But if braces for your child are not considered medically necessary, you don’t get your health insurance from the Marketplace, or you missed open enrollment, a private dental plan from Anthem is a good option.

While Anthem’s plans do not cover adult braces, many of the company’s PPO plans offer coverage for other major procedures for adults. Anthem also offers a large dental PPO network with more than 136,000 unique providers. The number of complaints the NAIC received for the company over the last three years is about proportional to Anthem’s size.

• Child orthodontics plan with no waiting period
• May cover 50% for braces up to a limit
• Offers rewards for annual preventive care

• Does not cover adult braces
• Only covers up to $500 per year for orthodontics

Anthem is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of health insurance companies, which has been providing medical coverage to members since 1929. The company offers dental insurance in 14 states. In 2022, the name of the parent company was changed to Elevance Health, with no impact on plan names or coverage. The Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiaries of Elevance Health, which are headquartered in Indianapolis, have an A (Excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best.

You can find out more about Anthem’s dental insurance plans on the company’s website or locate your state’s customer service phone number. Anthem also offers live chat for members and a highly rated mobile app.

The following are plans available in California that cover braces for children. Please note that in some states, Anthem also offers affordable family plans that cover medically necessary child orthodontics with no limits.

• Lifetime Orthodontia Coverage Limit: $1,200
• Deductible: $0
• States Available (Sample Plan): Nationwide (except Washington)

Spirit’s Core PPO Plan offers excellent value for the price, with the lowest average PPO premiums of the orthodontics insurers we reviewed. The plan has no waiting period, a $100 deductible, and a $1,200 lifetime maximum for orthodontia. For children under 19, the plan covers 10% of orthodontic services in year one, 25% in year two, and 50% in year three. Spirit also offers a large network, with more than 130,000 dentists. The company does not offer orthodontics coverage for adults, though.

If you plan ahead and purchase a plan from Spirit a few years before your child may need braces, you can get great value from the Core PPO Plan. Many of Spirit’s plans also offer coverage for other adult major procedures, and each PPO covers 100% of preventive care services. That said, there are some indications that Spirit may have issues with customer satisfaction. The company’s underwriter, Ameritas, ranked last in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Dental Plan Satisfaction Study, and the company also had more complaints with the NAIC than expected given its market share.

• Very low average premiums
• No waiting period
• Up to 50% of child orthodontics covered by year three

• Underwriter has high complaint rate with the NAIC
• No coverage for adult braces

Spirit Dental & Vision has been providing dental insurance for more than 20 years. The company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, and offers coverage in every state except Washington, plus the District of Columbia. Spirit only offers PPO dental plans.

To speak with a licensed agent, call Spirit customer service at 1-844-833-8440. The company claims to respond to 98% of calls within 30 seconds. Spirit also provides live chat help and an online portal for members but doesn’t have a mobile app.

The following Spirit PPO plans cover child orthodontics and are available in most states. Note that braces coverage increases to 50% by year three for both plans.

• Lifetime Orthodontia Coverage Limit: None
• Deductible: $0
• States Available (Sample Plan): 8 states + Washington, D.C.

While the Delta HMO orthodontics plan we looked at (DeltaCare USA) covers a smaller network of dentists than its PPOs and doesn’t provide any out-of-network coverage, there are some advantages to using the plan. It’s cheaper than PPO plans that cover orthodontics. For example, in California, the premium is only about $9 per month. There are also no deductibles, annual limits, or waiting periods to worry about. And the plan covers braces for adults.

However, copays (or copayments) for braces can be as high as $2,800 for adults and $2,600 for children. In Florida and Texas, you’ll be required to pay 75% of your orthodontist’s fees. Most PPO plans offer more coverage than that, but be aware of PPO annual limits and consider the difference in premiums when comparing plans.

While the DeltaCare USA plan is only available in nine states, that’s more widely available than other orthodontics HMO plans we reviewed. The company also has fewer consumer complaints with the NAIC than average over the last three years on average, given the company’s market share, which indicates that customers are generally satisfied with their dental policies. That said, some customer reviews on third-party websites are less than favorable.

• Low premium
• Low NAIC complaint index
• No waiting period
• Covers adult braces

• High copays for braces
  
• No coverage out of network

Delta Dental is an association of 39 independent companies that offers both HMO and PPO plans. The association was formed in 1966. While PPO plans are available in every state, not all states offer coverage for orthodontics.

To find out more about the DeltaCare USA HMO plan, visit the company’s website or call your state’s local customer service phone number. Members also have access to an online portal they can use to view claims and track their care.

Below are the details for Delta’s only HMO plan that offers orthodontics coverage.