Aspen Dental Savings Plan and dental discount plans vs insurance
The Aspen Dental Savings Plan costs $49 a year, plus $29 for each added family member, and gives free exams and X-rays, 30% off cleanings and 20% off crowns, bridges and implants at participating Aspen Dental offices only. More broadly, a dental discount plan is a membership, not insurance: you pay an annual fee of about $80 to $200 and get 10% to 60% off at participating dentists, according to Real Dental Costs. Unlike dental insurance, which charges a monthly premium of about $8 to $90 and caps payouts at $1,000 to $2,000 a year, a discount plan usually has no waiting period, deductible or annual maximum.
Prices are national ranges from the sources listed below. Your price depends on your provider, location and case; confirm the cost with your provider before treatment. How we get these prices
| Item | Low | High | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount plan, annual fee[3] | $80 | $200 | $140 | |
| Discount plan, savings off dental fees[3] | 10% | 60% | Varies by plan, dentist and procedure | |
| Example: Aspen Dental Savings Plan[2] | $49 a year | $29 per additional family member; Aspen Dental offices only | ||
| Dental HMO, monthly premium[3] | $8 | $25 | $16 | |
| PPO with $1,000 to $1,500 maximum, monthly premium[3] | $19 | $60 | $35 | |
| PPO with $3,000 maximum, monthly premium[3] | $38 | $70 | $44 | |
| Indemnity plan, monthly premium[3] | $40 | $90 | $55 | |
| Insurance annual maximum[1][3] | $1,000 | $2,000 | Discount plans usually have no maximum | |
| Insurance deductible, per person[1][3] | $50 | $100 | Discount plans usually have no deductible |
How dental discount plans work
A dental discount plan, also called a dental savings plan, is a membership plan, not insurance.[1]
- You pay an annual fee up front instead of a monthly premium.[1]
- You visit a participating dentist and show your discount card. You get no discount outside the network.[1]
- You pay the discounted fee directly to the dentist at the visit. If the usual fee for a filling is $200 and your plan gives 40% off, you pay $120.[1]
Discounts vary by dentist and service, and most but not all services are included. Networks can be smaller than insurance networks, with fewer specialists such as endodontists, oral surgeons and orthodontists.[1] Check the discount for the procedures you expect to need before you join.
Aspen Dental Savings Plan
The Aspen Dental Savings Plan is a discount plan sold by Aspen Dental for use at its own offices. It costs $49 a year, plus $29 a year for each additional family member, and the discounts start the same day you enroll.[2] Listed discounts:[2]
- Exams and X-rays: 100% off
- Preventive cleanings: 30% off
- Crowns, bridges, implants, gum disease treatment and dentures: 20% off; basic dentures are listed at $300 to $400
- Fillings: 15% off
- Motto clear aligners: 10% off
Limits to check before you buy:[2]
- Aspen Dental general dentists only. Specialty services are not covered, and you get no discount at other dental offices.
- Age: most Aspen Dental locations do not treat patients 16 or younger, so the family add-on may not help young children.
- Auto-renewal: the plan renews every 12 months unless you cancel before the renewal date.
- No Medicaid: Aspen Dental says it does not accept Medicaid, and the plan is built for people without insurance.
If your dentist is not an Aspen Dental office, a general discount plan with a wider network or a membership like the Care Anytime benefit below may fit better. For procedure prices to compare against, see dentures cost without insurance and dental crown cost.
How much other dental discount plans cost
Real Dental Costs puts discount plan fees at about $80 to $200 a year, with savings of 10% to 60% at participating dentists; both are in the table above.[3] Each plan works only at the participating dentists in its own network, so check that yours is listed before you join.[1]
Dental discount plans with no waiting period
Discount plans usually have no required waiting period, so you can use the discount the day you join.[1] Dental insurance typically has these waiting periods:[3]
| Care | Typical insurance coverage | Typical waiting period |
|---|---|---|
| Preventive (exams, cleanings, X-rays) | About 100% | None |
| Basic (fillings, simple extractions) | About 80% | 3 to 6 months |
| Major (crowns, bridges, dentures, root canals) | About 50% | 6 to 12 months |
| Orthodontics | About 50%, separate lifetime maximum | 12 to 24 months |
Many insurers waive basic and major waiting periods if you had 12 months or more of prior comparable coverage.[3]
Dental discount plans vs insurance
| Discount plan | Dental insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | One annual fee | A monthly premium |
| Who pays the dentist | You, at the discounted fee | The plan pays a share |
| Waiting periods | Usually none | Common for basic and major work |
| Deductible | Usually none | Yes, per person |
| Annual maximum | Usually none | Yes, a yearly cap on what the plan pays |
| Pre-existing conditions | Usually discounted too | Check the plan |
Discount plan terms from Delta Dental[1] and Real Dental Costs[3]; insurance terms from Real Dental Costs.[3] The dollar amounts for each are in the table at the top of this page.
The annual maximum is the main trap with insurance for major work. A crown billed at $1,400 and covered at 50% uses $700 of benefit, and an implant can use a whole $1,500 maximum in one visit.[3]
Which is cheaper for you
- Mostly cleanings and checkups: insurance usually wins, because two covered cleanings, exams and X-rays a year usually cost more than the premium.[3]
- Fillings: insurance at about 80% coverage usually still pays off after the deductible.[3]
- Crowns, implants or several procedures in one year: a discount plan with no annual cap often beats insurance once the maximum runs out.[3]
- Care needed right away: a discount plan has no waiting period.[1]
Care Anytime dental discounts
Care Anytime membership includes a dental discount benefit. The dental page lists:[4]
- 20% to 50% savings on most dental procedures, including routine exams, unlimited cleanings, dentures, root canals and crowns
- 20% savings on orthodontics, including braces and retainers, for children and adults
- A 20% reduction on specialists’ normal fees for endodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics, where available
- Visits to any participating dentist, with the option to change providers at any time
Sample savings from that page, based on 2021 FAIR Health data for Los Angeles, Orlando, Chicago and New York City:[4]
| Procedure | Regular cost | Plan cost |
|---|---|---|
| Routine checkup | $85 | $33 |
| Adult cleaning | $140 | $63 |
| Composite filling, front tooth | $220 | $98 |
| Single-tooth extraction | $282 | $109 |
| Molar root canal | $1,535 | $777 |
| Crown, porcelain fused to noble metal | $1,557 | $804 |
| Complete upper denture | $2,273 | $1,067 |
The plan is not insurance and does not pay providers; members pay for services and receive a discount from participating providers. It is not available in Vermont or Washington.[4]
What to check before you join
- Is your dentist in the network? You get no discount elsewhere.[1]
- What is the discount on the work you need? It varies by service and dentist.[1]
- What does a procedure cost after the discount? Compare that with your price under insurance, using the procedure guides in dental costs without insurance.
- Are specialists included? Networks may have fewer endodontists, oral surgeons and orthodontists.[1]
Frequently asked questions
How do dental discount plans work?
You pay an annual membership fee, show your card at a participating dentist and pay a pre-negotiated discounted fee directly at the visit. Delta Dental's example: if the usual fee for a filling is $200 and the plan gives a 40% discount, you pay $120.
How much do dental discount plans cost?
Real Dental Costs puts discount plan fees at about $80 to $200 a year, averaging $140. Aspen Dental's savings plan, which works only at participating Aspen Dental offices, costs $49 a year plus $29 for each additional family member.
Are there dental plans with no waiting period?
Yes. Delta Dental says discount plans usually have no waiting period, and Aspen Dental says its plan's discounts start the day you enroll. Dental insurance usually covers preventive care with no wait, but basic work typically waits 3 to 6 months and major work 6 to 12 months.
Is it cheaper to get dental insurance or a discount plan?
It depends on your care. Real Dental Costs says insurance usually wins for preventive-only care, while a discount plan often wins for major work or several procedures in one year, when an insurance plan's $1,000 to $2,000 annual maximum runs out.
Do discount plans cover pre-existing conditions?
Delta Dental says that under a discount plan, usually all services, including those for pre-existing conditions, receive some level of discount.
Is the Aspen Dental Savings Plan insurance?
No. It is a discount plan: you pay Aspen Dental's reduced fee yourself at a participating Aspen Dental office, and the plan does not pay a claim. It covers services from Aspen Dental general dentists only, not specialists.
Is a dental discount plan insurance?
No. Delta Dental describes it as a membership plan that gives discounted costs on dental services. The plan does not pay the dentist; you pay the reduced fee yourself.
Sources
- Delta Dental. What Is a Dental Discount Plan?. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Aspen Dental. Aspen Dental Savings Plan. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Real Dental Costs. Dental Insurance Guide: Premiums, Coverage, Waiting Periods. Accessed October 30, 2026.
- Care Anytime. Dental Discounts: Sample Savings. Accessed October 30, 2026.