Delta Dental

Our Mission To Advance Oral Healthcare

As the first company to specialize in dental benefits, we are passionate about oral health and its importance to future generations. Our core purpose is the advancement of oral health care to our customers, partners and consumers through the dental benefits programs and philanthropic efforts of our 39 independent member companies.

Dental Insurance Plans

Dental insurance helps protect you from unexpected dental expenses and makes it easier to afford to keep up the regular checkups, cleanings and other preventive treatments you need to keep your mouth healthy. Like medical insurance, dental insurance provides benefits for a specific rate or premium. Different plan designs offer various levels of coverage and different choices in which dentists you can visit.

The major differences between dental insurance plans:

• the choice of dentists
• your out-of-pocket costs
• how dental treatments are paid

Most types of insurance, like a dental PPO, DPO, DHMO or prepaid plan, rely on a network of dentists. These participating dentists agree to perform services for patients at pre-determined rates and usually will submit claims for you. You’ll usually pay less when you visit a network dentist.

Most (but not all) traditional indemnity or fee-for-service insurance products do not provide a network feature, so you may have to pay for services up front, file your own claims, and wait for the insurance carrier to reimburse you. However, there are advantages such as having the freedom to visit the dentist of your choice.

Our History of Dental Benefits Expertise

In 1954, dentists who recognized the need to increase access to oral health care formed dental service organizations in California, Oregon and Washington. Led by Washington Dental Service (WDS), we began to create the future definition of dental benefits with employee benefits programs for organized labor unions.

In 1966, these local organizations joined in the creation of Delta Dental Plans Association in order to coordinate dental benefits programs for customers with employees in multiple states. A year later, WDS partnered with the International Association of Machinists, creating the first multi-state dental benefits program and beginning a cycle of continued growth and expansion for Delta Dental.

To meet the needs of clients with out-of-state subscribers, WDS worked with other Delta Dental member companies and Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association members, continuing to serve its clients this way through the late 1980′s.

When Delta Dental of California was chosen as the dental benefits carrier for the Office of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (OCHAMPUS) program, other Delta Dental member companies agreed to share their dentist data in order to centralize the administration of this large account. This change resulted in the creation of the National Provider File (NPF), and the establishment in 1990 of DeltaUSA—the company responsible for overseeing our dentist data and enabling the administration of national business.

Today, Delta Dental Plans Association is comprised of 39 independent Delta Dental member companies operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. And, as the largest and most experienced dental benefits carrier in the country, we provide coverage to more than 59.5 million people enrolled in more than 97,000 groups