Guardian dental insurance reviews, quotes, pros and cons 2024


Based on Guardian dental insurance reviews, It offers plans for nearly every budget with Lots of in-network dentists. In the rest of the article, we will review different plans, coverages, and quotes for Guardian Direct Dental Insurance. Also, we will list the pros and cons of Guardian dental insurance.

Paying for dental care can be an issue. Almost 60 million people in the U.S. rely on Medicare for their health insurance. However traditional Medicare does not cover dental or vision care. Individual dental insurance can supplement your Medicare coverage and help you pay for preventive care, as well as major dental services.

Rapid Guardian dental insurance reviews

The Guardian Direct Company is one of the largest insurance companies in the world having been founded in New York way back in 1860. It offers a wide range of products and services, including life insurance, disability income, annuities, investments, and dental and vision coverage. Guardian is the 6th largest dental provider in the US with 6.4 million participants as of February 2015. They get Aa1 rate from Moody’s and AA+ from S&P and Fitch.

Guardian Direct Dental Insurance offers a Diamond plan that is loaded with valuable features and at a good price. The plan has an annual maximum payout for services (with some exceptions) of $1,500. Preventive care is covered at 100% without a waiting period. Basic care (such as fillings) is covered at 80% without a waiting period. Implants, dentures, and orthodontics are covered at 50%, but you have to wait 12 months.

Teeth whitening is covered at 50% (after 6 months). The plan has a 2-month waiting period for Major care (such as oral surgery and crowns) which is long compared to top competitors. The annual maximum of only $500 for orthodontia, along with a lifetime max of only $1,000.

In general, dental insurance can be worth it if you have significant dental needs or anticipate needing expensive work in the future. However, it’s important to consider the cost of premiums and deductibles when deciding whether it is worth it for you.

Guardian direct coverages

It’s very common to assume that dental care is included in your medical health insurance but it typically doesn’t cover vision or dental care. Typically, the only dental treatment that medical insurance covers is treatment for serious dental injuries that occur as part of another injury or injuries that happened in an accident. You need to have secondary insurance to cover dental procedures that aren’t medically necessary.

When you’re trying to figure out if your medical insurance will cover your dental care it’s helpful to think of it as primary vs secondary insurance. Your medical care is the primary insurance that will likely only cover major damage sustained in an accident and your dental insurance is the secondary that will typically cover the cost of basic dental care(1).

So what dental care will medical insurance cover? What is secondary dental insurance and do I need it? If you’re in a car accident and you hit your face on the steering wheel and knock out several teeth medical insurance or car insurance might pay for some of that treatment but you would need to have a dental insurance plan that covers implants to have pay for the cost of replacing the lost teeth.

Medical insurance may also pay for some devices that help your teeth but also have medical value like mouth guards, sleep apnea appliances, TMJ appliances, or biopsies. Secondary dental insurance is additional insurance that helps cover things like emergencies and fill in the gaps in your existing coverage.

Guardian dental insurance reviews 2024
direct quotes
Guardian Dental Insurance reviews

Guardian dental insurance coverages list:

  • Preventive Care is covered at 80%-100% based on plans, without a waiting period, and Available on Day 1 of your coverage. It covers Oral exams, cleanings, and X-rays.
  • Basic Care is covered at 50%-8%0 with a 0-6-month waiting period based on your selected plans. It covers fillings and simple extractions.
  • Major Care is covered at a 50% 12-month waiting period. It covers crowns, complex extractions, oral surgery, and more.
  • Implants and dentures are covered at 50% with a 12-month waiting period.
  • Orthodontia is covered at 50% with a 12-month waiting period. It applies to members under age 19 only.
  • Teeth Whitening is covered at 50% with a 6-month waiting period.

Guardian direct dental insurance quotes and plans

Starter Plan(Starting at $15/mo)

Guardian Direct Dental insurance Starter Plan includes Preventive Care and Basic Care coverages. It has $0(In-Network) and $50(Out of Network) deductibles for Preventive care and $50 for All Other Dental Services. Maximum Payouts of starter plan increases over the years:

  • First year: max $500
  • Second year: Max $800
  • Year 3+: Max $1000

Core Plan(Starting at $19/mo)

Guardian dental insurance Core Plan includes Preventive Care, Basic Care, Major Care, and Implants and dentures coverages. It has $0(In-Network) and $50(Out of Network) deductibles for Preventive care and $50 for All Other Dental Services. Maximum Payouts of the Core plan increase over the years( Except for Implants Lifetime max $700):

  • First year: max $500
  • Second year: Max $800
  • Year 3+: Max $1000

Achiever Plan(Starting at $29/mo)

Guardian dental insurance Achiever Plan includes Preventive Care, Basic Care, Major Care, Implants and dentures, and Orthodontia coverages. It has $0(In-Network) and $50(Out of Network) deductibles for Preventive care and $50 for All Other Dental Services. Maximum Payouts of the Achiever plan for Dental Implants is a lifetime max of $1000 and for Orthedontia is a yearly max of $500 & lifetime max of $ 1000. Achiever plans Maximum Payouts for other coverages increases over the years:

  • First year: max $1000
  • Second year: Max $1300
  • Year 3+: Max $1500

Diamond Plan(Starting at $37/mo)

Guardian dental insurance Diamond Plan includes Preventive Care, Basic Care, Major Care, Implants & Dentures, Orthodontia, and Teeth Whitening coverages. It has $0(In-Network) and $50(Out of Network) deductibles for Preventive care and $50 for All Other Services. Diamond Plan maximum Payouts for coverages are:

  • Dental Implants is LifeTime max $1000
  • Orthodontia is yearly max $500 & lifetime max$1000
  • Teeth Whitening is yearly max $500
  • other coverages are a yearly max of $1500

Guardian Dental Insurance reviews

Based on some Guardian dental insurance reviews, Guardian Direct has affordable prices, good customer service, and good policies and coverages. But Other Guardian dental insurance reviews show that real customers didn’t like claims, customer service, and waiting periods.

Positive Guardian direct dental insurance reviews

  • I like Guardian dental. I went to the dentist for a full exam, cleaning, and X-rays, and when I asked the guy at the counter what my bill was, he said nothing. Guardian paid it all. Now you can’t beat that!
  • For years I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to afford any dental insurance, so this has been a huge relief. It’s affordable and it helps me get the care I need.
  • Great customer service and a good selection of policies.
  • Reasonable rates for decent dental and vision coverage.
  • I’m a retiree and found Guardian Direct for both my vision and dental coverage. I chose the plans that I felt were best for me and my needs. Low and behold, the plans I picked (at an affordable rate) are perfect. I couldn’t be happier. Saved me a lot of money in the long run.
  • Guardian does great in providing essential services and is reasonably priced!
  • I haven’t been with you too long, but I am very pleased with the service. You take care of everything, and the help paying for the dental bill is huge! You fit my budget and I look forward to a long commitment with your company.
  • It’s great to be able to have affordable dental care. I’ve had no issues with Guardian. Everything has been paid, and all questions answered. I would definitely recommend Guardian.

Guardian dental insurance’s negative reviews

  • I signed up for Guardian Direct Dental Insurance through the healthcare.gov website because my dentist was listed as “in network” for their plan. Turns out, when it comes time to pay, he isn’t. Further, they claim that it’s not their responsibility that he was listed as covered. Big surprise, healthcare.gov says it is their responsibility. My only recourse is to sue.
  • Their doctor 3000 miles away from you will deny your claim …. Without even looking at your mouth and without even taking the doctor’s note that my doctor has sent to them saying it needed to be done and they still denied the claim.
  • This company has an F rating on BBB and my own personal experience is that they initially just deny a claim with invalid reasons given. A routine dental exam which according to their summary plan detail is covered 100% with no waiting period was denied due to the waiting period.
  • I recently (January) had a crown placed for a cracked molar. About three weeks later the tooth right in front of it broke in half. A few weeks after the second crown was done I received a bill stating Guardian wouldn’t pay for leveling the tooth…because it was “cosmetic”. Hello, a piece of tooth slid off like an ice shelf falling from an iceberg! Is it cosmetic? All my other dealings with Guardian have been good but this was ridiculous. Cosmetic, give me a break!

Positive Guardian dental insurance reviews 2

  • Have encountered a number of problems with premium payments which I am certain were caused by your billing department. After weeks of trying to resolve the issues, I spoke to your Customer Service personnel and fortunately was put in touch with Karla.
    What took many weeks of going back and forth with your personnel with no correct results, it was Karla who analyzed the problem and took the necessary steps to resolve the issue.
  • She was patient and assured me and my husband that she would get to the bottom of the problem which she did. They contacted us in a few days as she promised you would do and assured us that the problem was solved. She is an excellent employee of your Company and I hope you will pass on this review to her.
  • Enrollment was quick and easy. Didn’t have to talk to anyone. Enrolled about 3 months ago. Had our first dental appt yesterday for the family and everything went smoothly. Limited out-of-pocket expenses. Great company.
  • My sign-up experience was easy and fast. I had a question and the person I called at Guardian Direct was very helpful. Great service. Highly recommend.

Guardian dental insurance negative reviews 2

  • It would be good if there was a number or email for questions. I had a difficult time figuring out the coverage, as different from what I thought it would be, i.e. full coverage of routine annual or semiannual exams.
  • I have been in Guardian for over 5 years now. They are an average company. Their benefits are pretty much the same as the rest of the dental insurance industry. There are no perks for being a long-term customer.
  • I’m not a fan of the waiting periods. I pay for insurance I am supposed to be able to use it. Therefore I think a 365-day wait period for major services is excessive and a terrible way to try and keep customers
  • Worst Dental insurance company ever! The customer reps have no customer service experience, they are disrespectful, very rude, and entitled! The higher-ups make excuses for their nasty customer service reps. They talk down to customers! The worst! Stay far away! You can get better insurance and service somewhere else.
  • Trying to get answers is impossible! Trying to find out my coverage and why services were not covered! Not enough explanation of insurance information then being told, you know what you signed up for, when it wasn’t explained at all! Horrible!
Guardian direct dental insurance pros and cons 2024-2025
pros and cons of Guardian direct dental insurance

Guardian dental insurance pros and cons

Guardian dental insurance pros&cons: PROS

  • Wide variety of dental plan types
  • Lots of in-network dentists
  • Additional Insurance Available
  • Guardian’s dental cost estimator makes it easy to get an idea of various dental procedure costs
  • No deductible if you stay in the network
  • Plans start at $15 a month
  • Good financial stability
  • No waiting period for preventative care and basic dental coverage

Guardian dental insurance pros&cons: CONS

  • Major services have a long waiting period
  • Not available in all states
  • Dental Discount Plans May Not Be Available
  • Must select a primary care dentist
  • The mobile app is below par