Health Calculators
Dental cost per year calculator.
Enter your premium, check-ups, other planned work and your plan terms. You get your total for the year with insurance, the same year with no insurance, and the difference. Prices and plan terms are yours; nothing is sent or stored.
Your year
Year total
Fill the form and press Calculate year.
How the year is worked out
With insurance: twelve months of premium, plus the part of check-ups the plan does not cover, plus the part of other work the plan does not cover. For other work the plan pays its percentage of the price above the deductible, and stops once its total payments reach the annual maximum. This tool counts what the plan paid for check-ups toward that maximum. Without insurance: check-ups plus other work at full price. These definitions are general: the deductible is what you pay for covered services before the plan starts to pay, coinsurance is the percentage you pay after the deductible, and an annual limit caps what the plan pays in a year. Your own plan may count things differently, so check its booklet.
Worked example. Premium $40 a month = $480.00. Two check-ups at $200 are covered 100%, so you pay $0.00. Other work of $1,200 with a $50 deductible and 80% coverage: the plan pays 80% of $1,150 = $920.00, so you pay $280.00. Total with insurance: $760.00. With no insurance: $400 + $1,200 = $1,600.00. Difference: $840.00 in favour of insurance.
When the maximum bites. Same plan, but $4,000 of other work: the plan has $400.00 used on check-ups, so only $1,100.00 is left, and you pay $2,900.00 of the $4,000. Total with insurance $3,380.00 against $4,400.00 with none.
Sources (each opened 2026-10-08): HealthCare.gov Glossary: Deductible; HealthCare.gov Glossary: Coinsurance; HealthCare.gov Glossary: Annual limit. The prices, premium and percentages in the form are example inputs, not published averages.
On Canada's public plan, see the Canadian Dental Care Plan eligibility checker.
FAQ
How do I work out my dental cost for the year?
Add the premiums for twelve months, the part of check-ups your plan does not pay, and the part of other work it does not pay after the deductible and annual maximum. This calculator does that from the numbers you enter.
Is dental insurance worth it?
It depends on your plan and the work you need. Compare the two totals above: if the insurance total is lower, the plan pays off for that year. In a year with only check-ups the premium can cost more than it returns.
What is a dental annual maximum?
It is the most the plan pays toward your care in a plan year. After it is reached you pay the full price of covered work until the plan year resets.
Does the deductible apply to cleanings?
Plans differ. This tool applies the deductible only to other work and not to check-ups, so check your own plan.
Why does my plan paperwork show different numbers?
Plans use set fee schedules, waiting periods, frequency limits and different percentages for basic and major work. This tool uses one percentage for other work, so treat the result as an estimate.
Disclaimer
General information and arithmetic on numbers you enter, not dental advice. Your dentist decides what treatment you need and when. Plans, prices and results differ from the simple model used here.