Five questions to ask before choosing a dental plan

Compare what a dental plan costs, what it covers, and how employees use it. The monthly price is only one part of the decision.

The ADA’s employer toolkit recommends reviewing employee needs, coverage limits, and plan proposals. Use these five questions to start that conversation.

1. What is the full cost?

Ask for the employer’s cost and the employee’s share. Include premiums or funding contributions, administration fees, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs.

Ask each provider to show its assumptions. A quote is easier to compare when you know what it includes.

2. What care is covered?

Request the benefit schedule. Check preventive care, fillings, major work, exclusions, and waiting periods. Ask for plain-language examples.

3. Can employees keep their dentist?

Check the rules for choosing a dentist and using out-of-network care. Do not assume “covered” means the plan pays the dentist’s full charge.

4. Where do benefits stop?

Check the annual maximum and any service limits. Read what a dental annual maximum means before comparing the numbers.

5. Who helps when a claim gets stuck?

Ask who answers employee questions, how to check a claim, and how to request a review. Get a clear contact and process before signing.

How should you compare the answers?

Send the same questions to every provider. Put the written answers side by side. Mark anything missing as an open question rather than assuming it is included.

We use this checklist to make a benefits conversation concrete. It does not rank providers, and we have not scored competing plans here.

Common questions

Is the lowest monthly price the best choice?

It depends on what the plan covers and what employees pay when they use it. Compare those details alongside the price.

Can I use this checklist for Denta?

Yes. Denta administers self-funded dental benefits, and the same questions apply. Start with how self-funded dental benefits work.