Is Dental Insurance Worth It?

When your teeth feel healthy, dental insurance can seem like an expense you may not really need. However, many dental issues don’t cause pain right away and delaying care can turn a smaller, more manageable issue into a much bigger one later.

What feels unnecessary when nothing is wrong can feel much more valuable when something suddenly is.

Dental insurance can make it easier for you to stay on top of routine care while also lowering the financial impact of larger services if they come up. 

To see whether dental insurance is worth it, it helps to start with what you are actually paying for and how the coverage works.

Dental insurance basics

You can buy dental insurance any time of year, and in exchange for a monthly premium, you receive benefits for covered services. The value of a plan usually comes down to a few core parts:

Premium: This is the amount you’ll pay per month to keep the plan active. 

Coinsurance: This is the percentage of a covered service your plan pays after any deductible is met.

Annual maximum: This is the yearly amount your plan will pay out in benefits.

Deductible: This is the amount you’ll pay to active benefits. 

Waiting periods: This is the amount of time before certain services are covered.

Some plans, including Spirit Dental options, offer no waiting periods, which can make coverage more useful sooner.

Keep reading: Guide to how dental insurance works

Dental insurance cost vs preventive value

When considering the cost you’ll pay vs the value you’ll get from the dental plan, a good question to ask yourself first is: "Will I still go to the dentist for preventive care even if I don’t have a plan?" For some people, the answer is no, or at least not as consistently as they would with coverage in place.

This matters because regular preventive care supports both your oral health and whole body health as well. Oral health is linked to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and cognitive function. So taking care of your mouth is also taking care of you. 

In many cases, you'll find that the value of covered cleanings and exams can offset much if not all of the plan’s annual premium. Here's what that looks like: 

The average cost for a dental insurance plan: $30¹a month, or $360 a year for an individual

The average cost for a preventive checkup: $203² (includes an exam, X-rays and a cleaning)

Dental preventive coverage: Typically offers two checkups and cleanings twice a year covered 100% 

From this example, the preventive value exceeds the cost of the annualized premium. And when you see the dentist regularly for preventive care, it helps you avoid expensive treatments like these²:

• Crown: $1,399
• Root canal: $1,337
• Implant: $2,143

Dental insurance provides an easier path to managing your oral health and protecting your budget from unexpected costs. Because that year you spent on premiums wasn’t money wasted—it was the price you paid where an unexpected toothache didn’t derail your budget.

How dental insurance helps you get care and save

Major dental work gets expensive and this financial barrier might be the reason you’re skipping out on care—and you're not alone. Dental care was the most commonly skipped treatment due to cost in 2025.³ Dental insurance can make this a smoother experience in a few main ways.

1. Access to care

Without dental insurance, tooth pain can bring anxiety about cost and what to do next. But when you have a plan in place, it can make it easier to manage knowing you have coverage and a dentist you can call to move froward with treatment. 

2. Plan benefits

Many dental plans use a 100/80/50 coverage structure. That often means the plan pays 100% for preventive care, 80% for basic services (fillings), and 50% for major services (crowns, dentures, root canals), though coverage varies by plan.

3. Network discounts

When you see an in-network dentist with your plan, you can expect lower rates of 25-50%. That’s instant savings you’ll get before your plan benefits even kick in.

4. Putting it all together

Here's what that could look like: Jenny woke up with a toothache. She called her dentist and scheduled an appointment for that week. She needs a dental crown and here's the breakdown in cost (for illustrative purposes only, actual costs and benefits may vary):

• Crown cost: $1,000
• In-network rate (50%): $500
• Plan benefits (50% for major): $250
• Total savings: $750

Jenny's cost went from $1,000 to $250—and she still has two preventive cleanings to use that are covered 100%.

Do I really need dental insurance? 

If you have cash to pay for care, then perhaps not. If you're healthy and don't have future dental needs, you can still budget for preventive care visits to keep up with your oral health without a plan. 

Some people like dental insurance for the preventive value, the savings it provides or the peace of mind if an unexpected issue comes up. This could be a retiree on a fixed-income with aging teeth. Or a family planning for braces for their kids. 

One of the biggest reasons to get a dental plan is, simply, you're more likely to see a dentist for regular care. This helps: 

• improve oral health
• catch problems before they get bigger
• protect your budget
• keep you living a healthy life with a confident smile. 

It's not easy making insurance coverage decision on your own. If you need help or have questions, our Spirit Dental licensed experts can guide you to the plan that makes sense for you. No pressure. Call us: 844-833-8440.

How much do Spirit Dental plans cost? 

With Spirit, basic dental plans start around $16 a month for an individual. If you just need cleanings and some coverage for a filling or two, these plans might work for you.

More comprehensive plans with Spirit start around $30 a month for an individual. If you know you'll need major dental work, these plans with help you save more. 

You can compare affordable dental insurance plans with Spirit Dental PPO and Flex plans easily. You'll gain access to the Ameritas PPO network, one of the strongest in the nation. And with Spirit Flex plans, you get the PPO access plus stronger out-of-network reimbursement potential at the 80th UCR percentile if your dentist isn't in-network.

Get covered, get care and save with Spirit Dental

Spirit Dental was built to make it easy to get access to care. With no waiting periods and next-day effective dates, you can enroll today and activate full coverage benefits as early as tomorrow.

Get a free dental quote, view options and start your dental care journey with Spirit Dental today.

Sources:

1: Care Credit: Is Dental Insurance Worth It

2: Care Credit: Dental Exam and Procedure Costs

3: USAFacts: How Many People Skip Medical Treatment Due to Healthcare Costs