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Guardian® Dental Insurance Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 9.8 / 5 ()
164 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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Guardian Direct is a division of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, which is among the largest mutual insurance companies in the nation. Founded in 1860 and headquartered in New York, Guardian offers a wide array of products, including dental insurance. Guardian employs numerous agents across the country and holds a superior rating with the BBB and excellent ratings for financial stability.

Guardian Direct® Dental Insurance - Overview

Guardian Direct's dental insurance is part of a series of comprehensive individual insurance products offered on guardiandirect.com, including accident, critical illness, vision and pet insurance. 

Guardian Direct dental insurance plans can cover regular exams, cleanings, x-rays, root canals, crowns, implants, and braces. Consumers can choose from a number of Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans or a Dental Health Maintenance Organization (DHMO) plan based on their needs, budget, and state.  


 

Qualification

Consumers interested in dental insurance from Guardian Direct can enroll immediately through their fast, safe and secure website guardiandirect.com.  Guardiandirect.com also provides a provider lookup to help find a dentist in the Guardian network or confirm their existing dentist is a part of the network. 

After providing their zip code, applicants are shown the plans that are available for them in their area.  To purchase, they need only enter who needs to be covered, home address, phone number, gender, birthdate and email address along with a valid form of payment.  


Plans

Through Guardian Direct, consumers have access to three tiers of PPO dental insurance plans. The first, Bronze, is for people who are only expecting to get cleanings and the occasional filling. The second, Silver, works best for those who anticipate needing dental work beyond the occasional filling. And the third, Gold, is best suited for people who want the maximum amount of coverage possible. In the states of FL, IL, NY, and TX, DHMO plans are also available. The PPO plan tiers' offering is as follows:

Coverage

Preventive services include the most routine dental services, such as oral exams, cleanings, and X-rays.

Basic services include dental services, such as fillings and simple extractions.

Major services include more complex dental services such as crowns, oral surgery, and implants.

 

GUARDIAN DIRECT PAYS

PLAN BENEFITS

GOLD ADVANTAGE

SILVER ADVANTAGE

BRONZE ADVANTAGE

Preventive Services

100%, No Waiting Period

80%, No Waiting Period

100%, No Waiting Period

Basic Services

70%, After 6 Month Waiting Period

50%, After 6 Month Waiting Period

50%, After 6 Month Waiting Period 

Major Services

50%, After 12 Month Waiting Period

50%, After 12 Month Waiting Period 

0% (Not Covered)

Implants

50%, After 12 Month Waiting Period

50%, After 12 Month Waiting Period

0% (Not Covered)

Child (under 19) Orthodontia

50%, After 12 Month Waiting Period

0% (Not Covered)

0% (Not Covered) 

DEDUCTIBLES

 

 

 

Preventive Services

$0 In-Network

$50 Out-of-Network

$0 In-Network

$50 Out-of-Network

$0 In-Network

$50 Out-of-Network

All Other Dental Services 

$50

$50

$50

MAXIMUM PAYOUTS

 

 

 

Total Benefit Maximum

1st Year Max: $500

2nd Year Max: $750

3rd Year Max: $1,000

4th Year & Beyond Max: $1,500

1st Year Max: $500

2nd Year Max: $750

3rd Year Max: $1,000

4th Year & Beyond Max: $1,000

1st Year Max: $1,000

2nd Year Max: $1,250

3rd Year Max: $1,500

4th Year & Beyond Max: $1,000

Implant Maximum

Lifetime Max: $1,000

Lifetime Max: $700

Not Covered

Child (under 19) Orthodontia Maximum

Yearly Max: $500

Lifetime Max: $1,000

Yearly Max: $500

Lifetime Max: $1,000

Not Covered

Dental Insurance at Guardian Direct

Guardian Direct's easy online enrollment process, comprehensive plan breakdown, and supplementary research material all make for a solid choice of dental insurance. After consumers answer a few questions designed to determine which plans best suit them, they can begin the enrollment process. Since Guardian Direct is highly rated by the BBB, consumers should have confidence that the company can meet their dental insurance needs.


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164 Customer Comments & Reviews

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qledford
10/23/2021
Individual dental plans ALL fall short of expectations. These cannot in any way be compared to employer sponsored group dental plans. Why? Simply because the 'principal of adverse selection' applies. In other words, those usually buying individual dental insurance plans need more than simply preventative dental services. Guardian does meet its contractual obligations. The issue though, is customer understanding. If one's provider is not 'in' network, as is typical of every individual dental plan, one will be paying additional 'out of pocket' costs. As a professional in the field, I personally do not recommend individual dental plans. Even with the best of them, unless perh...Read More


erictlewis
10/21/2021
Guardian dental insurance sucks, we are supposed to get 2 free cleanings a year, I yet to get anything free. We had to pay and pay and pay and Guardian always has an excuse why they don't pay, they are a rip off


G
Gregory C
10/13/2021
Total Scam. Report them to the Better Business Bureau. I did today.


thomasrico11
10/1/2021
If you read the reviews, I agree with all of them. Tell me Guardian Direct, how can you say you have a 5 star rating? Please show the good reviews and the names of the people who wrote them.


sprotz53
9/26/2021
As others have stated, Guardian is a TOTAL scam. You pay them diligently but when it is time for them to pay, you are met with delays and excuses. Save your premium payments in order to pay your dentist because Guardian will never give up a dime!


fukinfishing
9/23/2021
Warning, this company is a sham - do not purchase! They do not pay according to the pay schedule! Not even remotely close! They claim to pay 100% OOP but actually pay around 34%! Do not get insurance through this company. Con, scam, sham!


mrgone1022
9/22/2021
Company focus on profits at the expense of patients stay clear of them if you can. Should be banned from dental insurance


mawmawjiffy
9/15/2021
Horrible very misleading especially on coverage and I’m paying for the so called best? If your lucky enough to find a dentist your waiting period is way too long and your not gonna get anyone who’s any good! I’ve been having to go to the ER for excruciating pain because I need extractions and NO Oral surgeon within 100miles takes my insurance! It’s gonna cost over $4K and I won’t even reach my $2K yearly maximum, it really sucks being poor and on a fixed income we finally get dental back what for????


N
Nicole
9/1/2021
Since we were purchased by a new company we had to switch to Guardian. Our coverage offers 4 cleanings a year, which sounded like a great selling point and we thought that we might have even better coverage than before.. but that’s about where their “great” coverage stops. I’ve been having an issue with an existing crown for over a year (documented during all of my visits) and in the last few months the pain got really bad (causing headaches if I don’t take Tylenol or advil throughout the day.) My dental office has now submitted a claim to Guardian on 3 separate occasions, with additional documentation and photos/x-ray each time. I even had them refer me to an endodontist and hav...Read More


B
Bonnie
8/30/2021
This company sucks! Customer service has no idea what they are doing. I got a different answer every time. My dentist jumped thru hoops to try to get approval for a medically necessary procedure. 1st request I have made in 20 years! My dentist said he never had any other insurance turn down this procedure.



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