We may earn a commission from links on this page, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Prices and plan details checked October 22, 2026. By Lorenzo Beux.
Short answer: a dental savings plan costs about $50 to $240 a year, including setup fees, and cuts dentist fees by 10% to 60% at participating dentists, usually starting within one to two business days. For big work like crowns, root canals or dentures, Careington Care 500 and Aetna Dental Access show the deepest published discounts. For implants, Aetna Vital Savings lists a fixed implant fee instead of a flat 20% off. The right plan is the one your dentist accepts, so check that first.
Dental savings plans are not insurance. A plan gives you discounts only at participating dentists. It does not pay the dentist for you, and you pay for all services at the discounted rate. Prices, discounts and dentists vary by plan and ZIP code.
Our picks
- Deepest discounts on major work: Careington Care 500 Series. Sample crown fee $524 instead of $1,468 (64% off).
- Largest network, fast start: Aetna Dental Access. More than 213,000 listed locations and active in about 2 business days.
- Implants: Aetna Vital Savings. Sample implant fee $1,412 instead of $2,200 (36% off), plus vision, hearing and prescription extras.
- Orthodontics and cosmetic work: CignaPlus Savings. 20% off braces and aligners, average savings of 37%, usable within 72 hours.
- Lowest yearly fee: Humana Dental Savings Plan through Sam’s Club, at $49.92 a year, but with a later start date and smaller discounts.
The plans at a glance
| Plan | Yearly fee (individual / family) | Published discount | Starts | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careington Care 500 Series | $184.95 / $219.95 + $20 setup | 20%–60% | 1–2 business days | Careington network |
| Aetna Dental Access | $154.95 / $209.95 + $20 setup | 15%–50% | About 2 business days | 213,000+ locations |
| Aetna Vital Savings | $184.95 / $219.95 + $20 setup | 15%–50% | 1 business day | 161,000+ locations |
| CignaPlus Savings | $184.95 / $219.95 + $20 setup | Average 37% | Within 72 hours | 110,000+ listings |
| DenteMax | $154.95 / $209.95 + $20 setup | 10%–40% | 1 business day | 61,000+ dentists |
| Humana Dental Savings (Sam’s Club) | $49.92 / $69.96 | 20%–40% | 5–90 days, 1-year term | Humana network |
What you would actually pay: sample fees by plan
Discount ranges like “15% to 50%” tell you little. What matters is the fee you pay for the work you need. Each plan publishes a sample fee schedule using standard dental procedure codes (CDT codes). Here are the fees each plan lists for common treatments. The “usual fee” is the plan’s own example of a dentist’s normal price, so it differs slightly from plan to plan.
| Treatment (code) | Careington 500 | Aetna Dental Access | Aetna Vital Savings | CignaPlus | DenteMax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult cleaning (D1110) | $33 (76% off) | $58 (58%) | $42 (48%) | $76 (33%) | $56 (53%) |
| Check-up (D0120) | $18 (78%) | $27 (67%) | $22 (51%) | $44 (35%) | $28 (53%) |
| Deep cleaning, per quadrant (D4341) | Not listed | $167 (54%) | $120 (66%) | $207 (32%) | $152 (59%) |
| Porcelain crown (D2750) | $524 (64%) | $852 (42%) | $588 (59%) | $891 (34%) | $704 (51%) |
| Molar root canal (D3330) | Not listed | $694 (56%) | $566 (48%) | $801 (39%) | $683 (49%) |
| Simple extraction (D7140) | $71 (77%) | $76 (75%) | $52 (64%) | $148 (36%) | $86 (64%) |
| Wisdom tooth, soft tissue (D7220) | $128 (77%) | $183 (68%) | $108 (66%) | $270 (44%) | $188 (47%) |
| Full upper denture (D5110) | $752 (63%) | $968 (53%) | $801 (47%) | $1,350 (24%) | $840 (60%) |
| Implant placement (D6010) | 20% off | $1,531 (35%) | $1,412 (36%) | 20% off | $1,938 (20%) |
| Adult braces (D8090) | $2,615 (30%) | $3,499 (6%) | $3,490 (27%) | 20% off | Not listed |
Three real-number examples for year one
These examples add the plan’s yearly fee and $20 setup fee to the treatment cost, using each plan’s published sample fees.
| Scenario | Usual fees | With the plan (including yearly and setup fees) | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkups only: 2 check-ups, 2 cleanings, 1 set of bitewing x-rays (Aetna Dental Access) | $534 | $200 + $174.95 = $374.95 | About $159 |
| A broken molar: root canal, core build-up and crown (Aetna Dental Access) | $3,410 | $1,693 + $174.95 = $1,867.95 | About $1,542 |
| One implant: implant placement and implant crown (Aetna Vital Savings) | $3,454 | $2,082 + $204.95 = $2,286.95 | About $1,167 |
If you only need checkups, the savings are real but modest, and a low-fee plan or a dental school clinic may be enough. The bigger the treatment, the more a plan pays off, because there is no yearly maximum on discounts.
How a dental savings plan works
- You pay a yearly membership fee to the plan.
- You visit a dentist in the plan’s network and show your member card.
- You pay the dentist the plan’s discounted fee at the visit. Nothing is billed to the plan and there are no claims.
- There is no yearly maximum, no deductible and no waiting period for the discounts once the plan is active.
- Conditions you already have are not excluded.
A savings plan is not insurance. It does not pay any part of your bill; it lowers the price. Lab fees are often charged in full, and work started before you joined may not be discounted unless the same dentist finishes it.
The plans, one by one
Careington Care 500 Series: deepest discounts on major work
Careington publishes the largest discounts of the plans we checked: 76% off a cleaning, 64% off a porcelain crown and 63% off a full upper denture in its sample schedule. Specialists are 20% off. It adds savings on prescriptions, LASIK and VSP vision. Watch out: implants, bridges, veneers and whitening are a flat 20% off rather than a fixed fee, and the plan is not sold in Vermont or Washington. Careington also sells plans directly from $129 a year or $12.95 a month.
See Careington Care 500 details
Aetna Dental Access: largest network, fast start
Aetna Dental Access lists more than 213,000 dental locations and is one of the cheaper paid plans at $154.95 a year. Sample fees are strong across the board: $694 for a molar root canal (56% off) and $1,531 for an implant (35% off). Braces are the weak spot, with only 6% off in the sample adult fee. It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
See Aetna Dental Access details
Aetna Vital Savings: best for implants
Vital Savings uses the Aetna Dental Access network and lists fixed fees for implant work: $1,412 for the implant and $670 for the implant crown. It also has the lowest sample fee for deep cleaning ($120 per quadrant). Extras include up to 40% off glasses and contacts, up to 60% off hearing aids and 10% to 40% off prescriptions. It starts in one business day.
See Aetna Vital Savings details
CignaPlus Savings: orthodontics and quick use
CignaPlus advertises an average saving of 37% and takes 20% off braces and aligners for adults and children. It can be used within 72 hours of joining. Its sample discounts on routine and major work are smaller than the others (34% off a crown, 24% off a denture), so it fits best if orthodontics is your main need or your dentist only takes Cigna.
DenteMax: lower fee, smaller network
DenteMax costs $154.95 a year and lists more than 61,000 dentists. Sample fees are good on dentures ($840, 60% off) and bridges, but implants get only 20% off. Check that a dentist near you is in the network before you pay.
Humana Dental Savings Plan: lowest yearly fee
Sold through Sam’s Club, this plan costs $49.92 a year for one person or $69.96 for a family, with 20% to 40% off. The trade-offs: you choose a start date 5 to 90 days out and sign up for a full year. Good for routine care when you are not in a hurry.
How to choose in four steps
- Start with your dentist. Ask which savings plans they accept. If you do not have a dentist, search each plan’s network by ZIP code.
- Price the work you need. Ask the dentist’s office for the plan fee for your exact procedure codes, which are on any treatment estimate.
- Add up year one. Treatment fees + yearly fee + setup fee. Compare that with paying cash and with insurance (premiums, waiting periods and yearly maximum).
- Check timing and refunds. If you are in pain, pick a plan that starts in 1–2 days. Look for a money-back window, such as the 30 days Aetna Dental Access offers.
Savings plan or dental insurance?
Dental insurance usually pays 100% of preventive care, 80% of basic work and 50% of major work, after a deductible, up to a yearly maximum often between $1,000 and $2,500. Major work often has a waiting period. A savings plan has none of those limits but never pays part of the bill. If you need a crown or a root canal soon, a savings plan usually costs less in the first year. If you mainly want free checkups for years, insurance can win. We run the numbers in dental savings plan vs insurance.
When a savings plan is not the best choice
- Your dentist is not in any plan’s network and you do not want to switch.
- You qualify for Medicaid dental benefits or a community health center with sliding fees. See dental care without insurance.
- You only need one cleaning a year. A dental school clinic may cost less than a plan.
- Your employer offers dental insurance at a low premium.
What the treatments cost without a plan
Full price guides: dental implants, crowns, root canal, dentures, bridges, deep cleaning, extraction, wisdom teeth removal and fillings. If you need coverage fast, see dental insurance with no waiting period.
How we compared these plans
We opened each plan’s official page on October 22, 2026 and recorded the yearly fee, setup fee, start time, network size and the sample fee schedule the plan publishes. We compared plans by the fee you pay for common procedures, not by advertised percentages. We did not test dentist availability in every ZIP code, and fees at your dentist may differ. No plan paid to be included or ranked. Gum Theory may earn a commission if you join a plan through some links; this does not change the price you pay or our picks.
FAQ
Is a dental savings plan worth it?
It is worth it when you need more than routine care in the next year. In our examples a plan saved about $159 on checkups alone, but about $1,540 on a root canal, build-up and crown.
How fast can I use a dental savings plan?
Most plans sold on DentalPlans.com start in one to two business days. CignaPlus can be used within 72 hours. The Humana plan through Sam’s Club starts on a date you pick 5 to 90 days out.
Do savings plans cover implants and braces?
They discount them; they do not cover them. Implant discounts range from 20% to about 36% in the sample fees we checked, and braces from 6% to about 57% depending on the plan and age.
Can I use a savings plan with insurance?
Some people use a plan for work their insurance does not cover or after reaching the yearly maximum. The two do not combine on the same bill, so ask your dentist how they handle it.
Can I cancel?
Aetna Dental Access on DentalPlans.com lists a 30-day money-back guarantee; check each plan’s terms. The Humana plan through Sam’s Club is a one-year commitment. Read the terms before you buy.
Are there hidden fees?
Expect a $20 setup fee on plans sold through DentalPlans.com, and lab fees that may be charged in full by the dentist.
Dental savings plans are not insurance. They provide discounts at participating providers. You pay the provider directly at the time of service. Prices, discounts and availability vary by plan, provider and ZIP code. This page is for information only and is not dental or financial advice.
Sources
- Careington Care 500 Series, DentalPlans.com (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- Aetna Dental Access, DentalPlans.com (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- Aetna Vital Savings, DentalPlans.com (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- CignaPlus Savings, DentalPlans.com (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- DenteMax, DentalPlans.com (checked Oct 22, 2026)
- Humana Dental Savings Plan, Humana
- Careington direct plans, Careington
- What is a dental discount plan, Delta Dental
- Dental savings plans vs dental insurance, DentalPlans.com