Dental Insurance for College Students

Why do students need dental insurance?

While brushing and flossing every day can help support your oral health, it may not be enough to prevent dental issues entirely. By getting a dental insurance plan, you may be more likely to:

• Keep up with preventive care: Routine cleanings and checkups can help you prevent dental issues and identify potential problems before they become more serious and expensive.
• Afford major dental expenses: As a student, you may have a limited budget. Luckily, dental insurance can help you manage the cost of emergency dental care and major procedures, like oral surgery and crowns.
• Establish healthy habits: The sooner you start establishing healthy dental care habits, the easier it will be to maintain them in adulthood as your life gets more complicated with increased responsibilities.

What does dental insurance for college students typically cover?

Coverage varies by plan, but dental insurance for students can often help cover preventive care, basic services and major procedures. For example, Aflac’s network dental insurance plans cover up to:

• 100% of preventive care, such as routine cleanings, exams and X-rays
• 80% of basic services, like fillings and simple extractions
• 50% of major services, like crowns, bridges and oral surgery

Meanwhile, our supplemental dental insurance can help cover costs your primary plan doesn’t cover. You can also add vision and hearing coverage to your dental insurance with our Dental, Vision and Hearing (DVH) insurance plans.

Dental insurance options for students

As a student, you may have more dental insurance options than other individuals. For example, you can obtain coverage by:

• Staying on a parent’s plan: If you’re still covered through a family dental plan, you may be able to remain on it while in college. Just keep in mind that dental coverage rules vary by insurer. While the Affordable Care Act extends medical coverage to age 26, dental plans aren’t required to follow the same rules. Some plans only cover dependents until age 19, while others extend coverage to ages 22 or 26.²
• Getting university-provided dental insurance: Many colleges offer student dental insurance plans through private insurers. These plans are often designed with students’ budgets in mind.
• Shopping for marketplace or private dental plans: If you want to maintain the same dental coverage during and after school, you may prefer to purchase your own plan. Private insurers like Aflac offer dental insurance for students with flexible coverage options.
• Considering supplemental dental insurance: Supplemental dental insurance can help cover costs your primary plan doesn’t cover. These plans pay cash benefits directly to you (unless otherwise assigned). For example, your primary plan could help pay for a root canal, while your supplemental coverage could help you afford additional expenses related to the procedure.