Two Exams and Two Cleanings a Year, on a Preventive Plus Plan
And None of It Draws Down Your Annual Maximum
On a plan built around a Preventive Plus benefit, routine care does not draw your annual maximum down. The whole maximum is still sitting there for the filling you did not plan on.
Ameritas PrimeStar dental and vision • Basic and major services are covered at a lower level in the first policy year • Plan designs, benefit schedules and annual maximums vary by plan and by state — yours is the one in your policy and certificate
Waltoria Financial is an independent insurance agency. Dental and vision plans are private insurance sold by a carrier — they are not Marketplace coverage, not Medicare, and not a government program, and nothing on this page is an official communication from any government agency. Benefits, limitations and exclusions are governed by the policy and certificate issued to you, not by this page.
What People Ask Before They Buy Dental
Dental is one of the few coverages with no season and no gatekeeper. Most of the hesitation is about things that turn out not to be true.
"When is the enrollment season for dental?"
There isn't one. Dental and vision are not Marketplace products and carry no annual enrollment window, so the month you happen to be reading this is a month you can apply in.
"Do I have to leave my dentist?"
No. The network buys you a discount, not permission. Staying in network changes what a visit costs; it does not decide who you are allowed to see.
"My employer dropped dental. Where does it come from now?"
The same place it comes from for the self-employed — you buy it directly, in your own name, and it stays with you through a job change instead of ending with one.
"Is vision part of the dental plan?"
No, it is a separate plan you can add. Most people arrive for dental and decide about vision once it is already in front of them, which is the right order to look at it in.
From the Day You Apply to Your Second Policy Year
Coverage starts fast, and the benefit levels move on a schedule. Both of those are worth knowing before you apply rather than after. Plan tiers, annual maximums and benefit schedules vary by plan and by state; the schedule that applies to you is the one in your policy and certificate.
The day you apply — no season to wait for
There is no November 1 and no January 15 on this side of the house. The application is short, and it can be made in any month of the year.
The day after — coverage begins
No waiting period stands between the application and the start of coverage. Coverage begins the day after you apply.
Your first policy year — the schedule you are actually on
Preventive visits run from day one. For basic and major services, the first policy year has its own coinsurance level, and it is lower than the level that applies later — the higher percentages printed on plan summaries are second-year numbers, not month-one numbers. We put both columns of your plan's schedule in front of you before you apply, so a crown in month one is never a surprise.
Your second policy year — the step up
Benefit levels move to the plan's second-year schedule. If you already held qualifying dental coverage before you applied, the Credit for Prior Coverage provision can put you on those second-year levels from day one instead. Bring your prior policy number to the checkup and we will find out whether it applies to you.
What a Dental and Vision Checkup Covers
Six things, in about half an hour. We work from your plan's actual benefit schedule rather than from a brochure, because the brochure is written for everyone and the schedule is written for you.
Where your dental coverage comes from today
An employer plan, a spouse's plan, a plan that just ended, a discount card that is not insurance, or nothing at all
Whether your dentist is in network
The network buys a negotiated price, not permission. We tell you which of those two you are looking at before you decide anything
How preventive visits sit against the annual maximum
On a plan built around a Preventive Plus benefit, routine exams and cleanings do not draw the annual maximum down
Prior dental coverage you may get credit for
Credit for Prior Coverage can move you onto second-year benefit levels sooner. We check whether your old policy qualifies rather than assuming it does
Whether a vision plan is worth attaching
Sized against how often you actually replace frames and lenses, not against whichever bundle reads as the better deal
What the policy and certificate actually say
Benefits, limitations and exclusions are defined in the documents issued to you. We read your plan's schedule with you rather than summarising it on a web page
Vision Is an Attach, Not a Second Decision
Almost nobody goes shopping for a vision plan. They come for dental, and vision is already sitting there — so the only question worth asking is which of the two is worth its premium to you.
Select Vision
The lower-premium of the two. Frames and lenses refresh on the longer cycle — every other benefit period rather than every one.
Choice Vision
Costs more each month and refreshes frames and lenses every benefit period rather than every other one. Worth it if you actually replace a pair that often.
We quote both plans against your ZIP code rather than publishing a monthly figure that may not be yours. Covered services and materials are set by the plan's benefit schedule, can differ by state, and can change over time — we confirm the schedule that applies to you before you apply.
The dental and vision plans described on this page are Ameritas products, and Ameritas is the only carrier named here. Which plans are open to you depends on the plan and on where you live, and we tell you that before you apply rather than after.
Where This Starts
Dental and vision sit inside the Health Benefits Checkup, alongside the rest of the ancillary picture. One conversation, about half an hour.
Health Benefits Checkup
The ancillary side of your coverage, read off the actual benefit schedules — dental and vision first, and the rest of the ancillary picture while we are already in it.
- Where your dental coverage comes from today, and what ends if a job changes
- Whether your dentist is in network, and what that changes about the price
- Whether prior coverage qualifies you for Credit for Prior Coverage
- Whether a vision plan is worth attaching, and which of the two fits how you buy glasses
No-cost consultation
If we recommend a product, we earn commission from the carrier — you pay nothing extra. Numbers in writing before anything is signed.
No Season, No Waiting Period, No Reason to Sit on It
A Health Benefits Checkup is a no-cost consultation. We look at where your dental coverage comes from today, whether your dentist is in network, what prior coverage might credit toward, and whether a vision plan earns its premium.