It's no secret that proper dental care is important and expensive. If you have an HRA through your employer, there's a silver lining beyond having a dazzling smile. Your individual dental insurance premiums can be reimbursed through your health reimbursement arrangement from your employer, either through a Qualified Small Employer HRA or a CHOICE Arrangement, formerly known as Individual Coverage HRA. Take Command partners with dental insurance providers for HRA-eligible dental plans. Here's the scoop.
HRAs and Dental Insurance
Your HRA can be used to reimburse for medical premiums, as well as premiums for dental and vision insurance. If your employer also reimburses for medical expenses, your leftover HRA dollars (after paying your premiums) can cover the costs that dental insurance does not, alleviating out of pocket costs.
Where do I buy individual dental insurance?
There are two ways to get individual dental insurance. The good news here is that there are lots of good options, you can enroll any time, and all premiums are reimbursable through an HRA.
Explore & Enroll in Dental Plans from Our Partners
Guardian
Guardian dental insurance is available in a variety of plans to meet your individual coverage levels and budget needs. Click below to view available plans and get a quote. You can also view vision insurance plans.
Explore & Enroll in Guardian dental plans
Renaissance Dental
Renaissance Dental offers several Active Lifestyles individual dental insurance plans that meet a variety of coverage and budget needs. Enter your ZIP code, coverage start date, date of birth, and household information to view available plans and pricing in your area. You can also view vision insurance plans.
Explore & Enroll in Renaissance Dental plans
Is your dentist in network with Renaissance Dental?
Renaissance Dental has an extensive network of partner providers. Follow the link for a provider search tool to check if your favorite dentist is in network.
Insurance for Everyone
Insurance for Everyone (IFE) makes it possible to compare and shop for individual insurance plans from multiple carriers. Its platform includes both dental and vision insurance along with other types of coverage. Availability and plan options vary by state, so enter your ZIP code and date of birth to see the plans available to you.
Explore & Enroll in dental plans through Insurance for Everyone
How do I choose an individual dental plan?
While having health insurance may be required, dental insurance remains a personal decision. As with anything in the insurance world, always always do your research and read the details carefully. There are some good products out there, but there are a whole lot of bad ones that will not offer the coverage you need or will charge an arm and a leg for very little benefit.
If you take the time to read the fine print, you’ll realize that with waiting periods, maximum limits, and exclusions, it’s very hard to get more out of your dental insurance than you put in. In fact, for most, monthly dental insurance premiums exceed the out-of-pocket cost for routine checkups and cleanings.
Here's what to pay attention to when selecting an individual dental plan:
Pricey dental premiums: Let's do some simple math to see how much benefit you'll get out of a dental plan. The average premium is around $50 per month, or $600 a year. Your cleanings may be covered for a $75 copay right away. With the average cleaning and routine checkup coming in around $160 on average, that doesn't make a lot of sense. If you need orthodontics, great! You'll probably need to wait 24 months for that to be covered and then it caps at $1,500 for coverage. That means you paid $1,200 to only get a $1,500 benefit.
Max limits: The true value of dental insurance lies in any major work that is performed such as root canals, fillings, and crowns. However, most plans have a cap of around $1,500/ year for coverage.
Waiting periods: Another thing you'll want to look carefully at when purchasing dental insurance is the waiting periods. For example, most individual plans won't cover fillings for the first six months of a policy and may not offer coverage for certain other procedures for up to 18 months. Insurance companies use this waiting period to protect themselves from having people sign up to use benefits, and then quickly drop the insurance once the work is completed.
Remember, not all dental plans are bad deals. You just have to do your homework and pay attention. Take Command has done some research and partnered with several companies that have quality dental insurance products: Guardian, Renaissance Dental, and Insurance for Everyone.
How to get set up with dental insurance
Dental care isn't just about gum health and plaque and cavities. A trip to the dentist is preventative care for your health.
Did you know that your dentist can detect about 120 different signs and symptoms of non-dental diseases during a routine examination? In fact, dentists can detect serious medical issues early:
- Anemia
- Crohn’s Disease
- Dementia
- Diabetes
- GERD
- Gum disease
- Heart disease
- Intense stress (hello teeth grinding)
- Oral cancer
- Osteoporosis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
And one more thing to consider: regular preventive dental care can lower your blood sugar levels, which actually helps you manage your overall health (and healthcare costs). Sweet!
Questions?
We are here to help you navigate this insurance adventure and figure out what works best for you. Chat with us at the bottom of this screen or email support@takecommandhealth.com for help!
- This post was originally published in 2022 and has been updated in 2026 to reflect Take Command's current dental partners.
