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Guardian Direct® Dental Insurance Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.9 / 5 (Excellent)
160 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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160 Customer Comments & Reviews

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Lena B
11/22/2024
Not sure where these reviews are coming from! Up until 2 years ago, Guardian used customer service reps who spoke English and was easy to access. The EOBs were clear and easy to understand with the dentists' name and date of service and procedure written out in plan English. Trying to save money/make more money, Guardian has offshored and the people don't seem to have proper technology to look things up, find claims, etc. Also, difficult to get a hold of someone when we call. Talking to people who don't speak English well is like pulling teeth since they keep repeating same nonsense when I had a totally different question. Now the EOB doesn't always arrive and the website isn't... Read More


toddallenbundy
6/21/2024
I am having a problem with Guardian Dental Insurance. I had two dentists that said I needed an extraction, I was pre approved by Guardian, then after the procedure they started coming up with reasons not to pay. AETNA INSURANCE PAID IMEDIATELY WITH NO QUESTIONS on the same claim!!! What is interesting is that their internal doctor did not know I had pre-approval. I pointed this out after two months of phone calls back and forth and suddenly it was paid. Sound a little fishy? It was, just look at all the complaints on the Better Business Bureau: Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America | Complaints Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org › profile › insurance-companies I'm... Read More


andreatimmers7
5/20/2024
The worst customer service Outright lies. Stay away from them. They keep billing my old employer. I haven't worked there in 2 years!


brandacce
9/29/2023
this is not the good dental insurance. I must voice out: it is the worst and very unreasonable plan cancellation policy. my policy is monthly, but they request the auto payment I can't cancel from portal. 1. not cover a lot, 2. many dentist office don't accept it 3. auto payment can't be cancelled even the plan is on monthly plan


brandacce
9/29/2023
this is not the good dental insurance. I must voice out: it is the worst and very unreasonable plan cancellation policy. my policy is monthly, but they request the auto payment I can't cancel from portal. 1. not cover a lot, 2. many dentist office accept it 3. auto payment can be cancelled even the plan is on monthly plan


J
J
8/9/2023
Absolutely horrible service. They have cost me so much money it's unbelievable. They've hung up on me. They refuse to pay a claim they said would be covered at 40%. I've been on the phone with them for hours now.. Avoid this insurance company at all costs. The current agent won't transfer me to a manager.


M
Mouse1999
7/12/2023
Husband's company changed to Guardian Insurance for dental. They don't give you a card to give your dentist for billing, so I had the card of the prior insurance company in my wallet and gave that to the dentist. Of course, the old company doesn't pay and I leave the bill for my husband. He gets mad and prints out an 11 page handout from is Company website saying Guadian doesn't issue cards. I guess I am supposed to carry 11 pages in my wallet! Anyway, I found a piece of cardboard in the garbage and taped the Guardian name and the group number onto the cardboard for my wallet. This whole simplification of process on their side, wasted my time, my husband's time and my dentist's time.


createlena
4/10/2023
Some of their plans say they cover 100% out of network. What they really cover is 100% of is what they calculate the total cost should be for the dental care, they do not cover 100% of what you are actually billed. Recently paid $120 for a basic dental exam for my daughter and they reimbursed $42.


kboyd1362
4/4/2023
Called to get the status of a patient's claim and was not only given information that didn't make any sense but Logan the rep I spoke to turned around and hung up on me. Now have been on hold to speak to a manager for over 30 minutes. Great customer service!!!! Not


David B
3/28/2023
Guardian Direct has my dentist listed as "in network" on their healthcare.gov page and reported I had coverage for my dentist, even provided a letter to my dentist's practice confirming I was covered. When bills were submitted for payment, I suddenly wasn't covered and my dentist was "out of network." Scummy!



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