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Guardian Direct® Dental Insurance Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.9 / 5 (Excellent)
159 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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159 Customer Comments & Reviews

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dfelizondo
1/11/2021
Terrible service. I signed up for 2021 on 12/14/2020, and up to this date (1/11/2021), the plan is not reflected in my account, so I can not make an appointment with my dentist. To their convenience, they promised they will make it retroactive to Jan 1st, but that will work only on their favor, charging the bill for the full month, rather than prorated for the number of days for which my plan was really available for my dentist and me to make an appointment. I have been wasting my time in calls, and they don't resolve the problem; right now, I have 50 min waiting and they answer, talk for 5 seconds asking me to wait to be transferred to another person, and put me on hold again. The webpage... Read More


tlynwiez
12/18/2020
WORST dental insurance ever! I had this because that's what was offered at my work. i didn't have a waiting period, had a procedure approved. my work decided to switch insurance at beginning of year. I called guardian for weeks, and not one person there was competent, I was switched from one agent to the next, called 15 times. on hold for hours each time. All I wanted to do was continue with them and pay for plan myself rather then my work pay, so my procedure would be completed. BUT ABSOLUTLY not they said if I continue with them there would be a 9 month waiting period, ridiculous, I was already receiving insurance from them. I never had to wait with any company, especially if i was... Read More


rebeccawesteren
11/18/2020
This is the worst company for anything customer/ consumer-related! Just awful! NO THANK YOU, GUARDIAN! YOU ARE NOT CUSTOMER, NOR CONSUMER FRIENDLY! A DISGUSTING COMPANY! GROSS! BUT OF COURSE, YOU ARE FROM TEXASS!


shawntallard
11/10/2020
Worst experience with an insurance company I've ever had! I filed a complaint with the BBB and with the FTC against them. They first denied a claim for my Son's $1,801.00 dental bill for reason "X". Both I and the dental office provided them proof that Guardian's reason "X" was incorrect. Frankly, "X" reason seemed made up because nothing Guardian was provided by the dental office or me said anything about reason "X" being a part of the treatment plan or circumstances around it. Guardian denied the claim a second time again for reason "X". Dental office and I each tried a 3rd time with Guardian rep Chelsea saying they would pay the claim if we provided documentation "Y" and "Z" as... Read More


J
Jonathan
10/30/2020
Why can’t you mail ID cards? Does this really save that much money? If so, I hope savings are passed down to the customers... Also, it took 3-4 calls to customer service to register/login/get ID cards. Not impressed with app or website - lots of errors. Only bright part of experience so far was with customer service representatives. I can tell they did all they could.


D
Deborah s
10/20/2020
I’ve been trying to get a dental claim from an appt in July reimbursed plus a pre auth for another future request. My dentist says they have submitted it you tell me it’s not submitted. I call back and forth and get nothing done. We are paying for this insurance since July 1 I believe. Yet getting nothing in return


Lana M
10/8/2020
They transfer you to another country. You get put on hold for hours and then hung up on. This is my 12th call to them with NO help or response. They have NOT paid claims from over a year ago for regular dental care. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!


A.w. B
6/26/2020
After years of Delta Dental, I let the broker convince to get Guardian. Major mistake. First time I've ever heard that only $84.00 was sufficient to get teeth cleaned. Delta paid cleaning 100% for only $2 more a month. Won't make that mistake again.


R
Robb
5/19/2020
This company does not cover crown replacement if your crown isnt old.


Kim W
5/15/2020
Please steer clear of this Dental insurance company. I had a plan through my employer and got a pre-authorization on a crown gathering information on what my out-of-pocket would be so I could budget for it. 8 months later I got notification that Guardian had changed the initial code submitted by my dentist to an alternative code which resulted in an additional out of pocket of $163 which I never agreed to. When I called to inquire about this, Guardian lied to me and told me that my dentist had never contacted them in the 8 months following the service when indeed my dentist had made 3 contacts with them. Guardian representatives took no responsibility and offered no recourse or... Read More



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