Best Dental Insurance Providers for Seniors

Cigna has been in business for more than 225 years and currently serves over 17 million U.S. dental insurance customers individually and through employee benefit programs. AM Best gives Cigna an A rating for financial strength. Cigna was our number-one choice as the best insurance for preventive care for seniors because of several factors, which include:

• No deductible and no copay for preventive care that includes cleanings and routine x-rays
• A nationwide network of over 92,700+ dentists
• No need to file claims in-network—your dentist does it for you
• Their Brighter Score tool rates dentists based on affordability and patient experience
• 24/7/365 customer support and more

You can choose from three dental plans that range in price and coverage, starting with Cigna Dental Preventive, which is the most affordable at $19 per month and is perfect for routine exams. Cigna Dental 1000 costs $33 per month and allows for dental work beyond basic preventive care, including some forms of restoration, with a coverage maximum of $1,000. The highest level of protection, Cigna Dental 1500, gives you all the preventive and restorative care of the 1000-level plan, plus some orthodontia coverage and a $1,500 maximum, all for $39 monthly. Deductibles are $50 per person or $150 for a family for the top two plans.

There is a six-month waiting period for basic coverages and 12 months for major work. If you have 12 months of prior continuous insurance with another provider, you can make the switch to Cigna, and the waiting periods may be waived.

Aflac has been a trusted name in supplemental health and dental coverage since 1955. They insure over 50 million people and have a Moody’s debt rating of A3. Aflac pays claim reimbursements directly to you, not the dentist, opening up a national network of dentists for flexibility and convenience. They offer online policy management with access to other supplemental insurance coverage, such as vision plans.

Aflac waiting periods are defined per service category, which is found in the schedule of benefits. For example, there is no waiting period for a dental wellness visit or x-rays. Pain relief has a three-month waiting period, extractions and root canals have a six-month waiting period, and dentures have a 24-month waiting period. Annual maximums vary by plan; we found examples of up to $1,600.

Aflac has many exclusions that relate to pre-existing conditions or work done within recent time periods. For example, missing teeth before the start of coverage are not covered.

Renaissance was founded in 1957 and covers over 13 million people for dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. They have an AM Best Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior).

Premiums for Renaissance plans can vary a lot. You can see your price on their website.

Renaissance has no waiting periods for cleanings on any plan. Nor is there a waiting period for fillings or crowns on the MAX Choice Plan and MAX Choice Plus. Annual maximums range from $1,000 on their very basic plans up to $3,000 on the top tier plan. There is a $50 deductible for individual plans and a $150 deductible for family plans. 

Some of Renaissance’s basic plans exclude major work like root canals or crowns. However, if you remain insured with them, they reward loyalty with a coverage increase on major work each year, providing up to 50% coverage for major work starting in year two.

Founded in 1961 with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, Humana has a long history in health insurance. Their excellent reputation has earned them a solid A- financial strength rating from AM Best. Humana's complaints trend with the NAIC shows them receiving a slightly above-average number of complaints.

Humana offers dental insurance plans in most states and with several options, whether you want a preventive-only policy or more extensive coverage.

• Preventive Value PPO: $50 per person lifetime deductible (maximum $150 per family) with no waiting periods on preventive care or basic services, such as emergency care for pain relief, extractions, root removal, and fillings.
• Dental Preventive Plus PPO: $50 per person deductible (maximum $150 per family) with a six-month waiting period on basic services.
• Dental Loyalty Plus PPO: $150 individual lifetime deductible (maximum $450 for a family) with no waiting periods.
• Complete Dental PPO: $50 individual and a $150 family deductible. Deductibles are waived for in-network preventive care. There is no waiting period for preventive services, a six-month waiting period for basic services, and a 12-month waiting period for major services.

There's a variety of options from Humana that will help save you money, and you can find exactly which ones fit your personal needs and work within your budget. For instance, you can add vision coverage to your plan for as little as $15 per month on average.

Additionally, the Dental Loyalty Plus PPO has an annual maximum that starts at $1,000 and increases yearly ($1,250 in year two, $1,500 in years three and beyond), so the longer you keep your policy, the more you get back from it. Some plans have no annual maximum, and others provide between 80% and 50% co-insurance on certain procedures.

UnitedHealthcare has been in business since 1974 and has a Moody’s rating of A1, stable. UnitedHealthcare dental insurance is available in 47 states plus the District of Columbia. They offer four Dental Gen Plans, as they're known, that are very specifically tailored to the needs of seniors.

Gen policies come with senior-friendly options, such as adding vision and hearing aid benefits to your dental package and enjoying day-one coverage for many services. The basic Gen Saver Dental plan is the cheapest option. Moving up there is the Gen Plus Dental and then the Gen Basic Dental. Lastly, the top-tier Gen Deluxe Dental is the premier option.

What sets UnitedHealthcare's Gen dental insurance apart is its immediate coverage—preventive care has no waiting period in all Gen plans. Basic services are available with no waiting period either. Connecticut and Illinois require a six-month waiting period for major services, but the other states do not. This day-one coverage is a huge convenience and helps UnitedHealthcare Gen plans stand apart from the competition.

Some other features and benefits include:

• Plans have annual maximums ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.
• Gen Basic, Saver, and Plus plans have a $100 deductible per person per year; the Deluxe Plan is $50 per person per year.
• Preventive care is covered 100% on the Basic and Deluxe plans but only 60% on the Saver and Plus plans.
• Major services on these plans are covered at 10% on day one but increase to 40% after a year and 50% after two years.

Coverage is excluded outside the United States, except for dental emergencies. Teeth that are missing before the policy starts are also excluded. There is no coverage for replacing full or partial dentures, crowns, inlays, onlays, and bridges within 60 months of the last replacement.

Aetna has been providing dental benefits for over 50 years and serves almost 13 million dental members. Aetna has the most far-reaching provider network of our review, with more than 120,000 practitioners to choose from, which makes it especially easy for seniors to find a nearby dentist without the need to travel too far.

Aetna’s dental plans are available in most states; they offer online account management that allows you to get cost estimates, find an in-network dentist online, as well as check claims and statements.

There are two coverage tiers for seniors to choose from: the Preferred PPO and the lower-tiered Core PPO plan. There is a $50 deductible per person or a $150 deductible for a family per calendar year.

Preventive services never have a waiting period, basic services have a six-month waiting period, and major services have a 12-month waiting period. Waiting periods may be waived with proof of prior dental insurance.

Annual maximum benefits are $1,000 or $1,250 in-network. Aetna's dental plans have 20% to 50% coinsurance for basic and major work.

Delta Dental is the leading provider of dental insurance in the U.S., offering coverage in all states and serving over 80 million Americans. Delta Dental is a not-for-profit organization made up of 39 independent Delta Dental companies. They have an AM Best financial strength rating of A (Excellent).

Delta Dental has contracted with AARP to provide members with special pricing to help seniors fit dental insurance into their budgets, and there are HMO (DeltaCare USA) and PPO (Plan A and B) plans available. The HMO is the cheapest option, followed by the PPO B, and lastly, the PPO A is the most expensive option. The PPO plans allow you to choose any dentist, while the HMO plan utilizes a network of dental facilities.

There is no waiting period on the DeltaCare USA Plan; PPO Plans A and B also have no waiting period for diagnostic and preventive services. There is a 24-month waiting period for bleaching on Plan A (not covered on Plan B) and a one-year waiting period for major restorative work, periodontics, prosthodontics, and other treatments. Delta Dental provides limited anesthesia coverage, which is often excluded from other dental policies in certain circumstances.

There is no annual maximum and no deductible on the DeltaCare USA plan. The PPO plans have an annual maximum of $1,000 to $1,500 with deductibles (typically per person per year) ranging from $40 to $90 depending on service and plan.