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Guardian Direct® Dental Insurance Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.9 / 5 (Excellent)
157 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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157 Customer Comments & Reviews

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seanthompsonla
4/15/2020
Guardian is a joke. They want to collect the premiums but don't want to pay for benefits. Total clown show. Avoid.


D
dd2450
3/11/2020
This company is a TOTAL waste of time and money. They SAY they will pay 50% of certain services but one their 'dental experts" look it, they pay NOTHING. Don't waste your time and money.... Crooks and thieves.


Maurice M
3/3/2020
We have this insurance through my job, the worst insurance ever!, never really had to use it but when I planned to do so by having extra money come out of my pay so I can cover my part, had my dentist send over the cost for work needed done and was told (ok) sure we'll cover this much ... was told today after work has started that this insurance will NOT! pay anything! I'm so angry right now that I can't see straight! I cant wait to drop this bum of a company during renewal next year, but until then I'm gonna fight my butt off to cut these premiums down to nothing, I will NOT pay for something and it not do anything for me!


Erin S
2/20/2020
Guardian is a TERRIB LE company. In November during open enrollment, my school district changed to Guardian. At the time, I contacted guardian to research what pediatric dentists were in the area for my 4 year old because she had a cavity I needed fixed. They gave me a list of pediatric dentists. In January when my insurance began, I contacted a dentist, but I was told in order to see the pediatric dentist I needed a referral. I got the referral. I thought all was well. I made my appointment. They could not see me for 3 weeks. Finally at 10am the day of my appointment, I get a phone call from Guardian stating that the dentist was no longer covered. I contacted guardian and they... Read More


William W
1/11/2020
I was recently recommended by my dentist to see a periodontist and the periodontist concluded I have gum disease. The cost of said procedure was 6600 dollars, guardian claimed they would only pay 900 cause a dental consultant they had didn't believe the procedure was necessary. This comes from someone who hasn't seen me just a hired hack.


D
diansier
12/10/2019
Went to dentist for a toothache. Tooth cracked so my regular dentist sent me to an endodontist, since it seems dentists can no longer provide comprehensive services. The endodontist had to refer me to an oral surgeon since my tooth is cracked and I need an extraction. I had to pay OOP for the endodontist vist which makes no sense since it was a required visit and referral from my regular dentist. Terrible and unfair policy.


amyself73
12/10/2019
Zero stars would be more appropriate! $189 cleaning/x-rays and they paid $5.20. After out of network deductible, charges beyond customary, and 80% after deductible they paid basically nothing. Also, the only in network providers in my county (which isn't a rural area) were a low income clinic, pediatric only clinic, chain clinic and one individual doctor. This is a complete money racket given they have basically no in network providers then don't pay because of charges being over and beyond customary expenses.


crh77jdh71
11/7/2019
I was FORCED to mark a star, but really they don't deserve any stars....My husband is in the process of getting crowns. The first claim is being denied because the insurance company states they aren't needed. We have been going to this dentist for many years and trust his knowledge in our care. We have followed all the procedures to ensure his teeth do need crowned. The x-rays were sent to the insurance company, yet they asked for them again. The dentist sent them in again. I called on 10/28/19 and was first told the claim was denied because we met our $1000 annual maximum, which we have met $0......Zachary said he would reprocess the claim and we should see the updated EOB in 24-48... Read More


Richard W
11/6/2019
I did not have a good experience with this insurance. Purchased it through the government website for insurance. Apparently I failed to select a "primary care" provider when I signed up. I was not notified, instead a provider was selected for me, again I was not notified. So, I went to a different provider, one in-network and closer to my home. I went twice there twice this year, the last time was in October. Soon I was notified that since I went to a different in-network provider than the one that was assigned to me, they will not cover the costs of those visits. They were very happy to accept my premiums though, and told me I would be covered going forward.


juliealyon29
11/5/2019
I have no idea how this company is rated 4.8 stars. My employer switched to Guardian this year and they are a nightmare to deal with, everything is denied even when you have the "best" plan. My dentist decided to come up with his own insurance plan to try and get away from dealing with Guardian. It's too bad we can't re-elect benefits until July 1st because I'd rather have no coverage than have Guardian at least then I'd stop getting denial letters and just know I had to pay everything out of pocket. How frustrating, buyer beware.



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