It’s wedding season! A time for romance, celebration, and big, healthy smiles. But in the middle of all the fun, don’t forget to take care of your dental and vision benefits.1, 2 The good news is you have options. Here are the most common questions and answers about updating coverage after you say “I do.”
Not necessarily. Getting married is considered a qualifying life event, which means you’re allowed to make changes to your benefits if you want to. But you don’t have to switch if your current plan still works best for you.
Whether you and your spouse continue to have separate plans or combine coverage, understanding your options can help you make the best choice for your oral health and your budget. Here’s what you need to do:
Review your current coverage
Start by checking your and your spouse’s existing dental and vision plans. Look at the benefits, costs, deductibles, and coverage details to see how they compare.
Decide if you’ll be on the same plan
It may seem like you need to have the same plan once you are married, but there are actually a few different options depending on what’s right for your new family.
You can:
Keep your individual plans. This can be helpful if each plan offers specialized benefits, like orthodontic coverage or lower costs for specific procedures.
Add a spouse as a dependent on the other’s plan. This can simplify billing and, depending on your situation, can cost less than two individual plans.
Enroll in dual coverage, where both spouses are listed on both plans. It can be complicated coordinating payment between two plans, but in some instances, it may also help reduce treatment costs.3 Learn more about how dual coverage actually works here.
Check enrollment deadlines
Marriage is a qualifying life event, which means you typically have 30-60 days to update your dental benefits after the wedding. Be sure you don’t miss the deadline.
Contact your employer or insurance provider
If your dental plan is through work, notify your HR department to update your coverage. If you have an independent plan, reach out to your provider to make adjustments.
Update your dentist and doctors
You’ll be sent an updated insurance card once any changes you make are complete. Show the new card to your dentist, optometrist, or doctor before your next visit so they can update their system. Then, you and your spouse are free to kick back, smile, and enjoy your new life together.
| Option | How it works | Best for | Things to consider |
| Keep Individual Plans | Each spouse stays on their own plan | Couples who like the special benefits of their current coverage (e.g. orthodontics, low costs for certain services) | May mean paying two separate premiums; billing is less streamlined |
| Add spouse as a dependent | One spouse joins the other's plan as a dependent | Couples looking to simplify coverage and possibly lower overall costs | Check if the combined plan offers the coverage you both need |
| Dual Coverage (Both on Both Plans) | Both spouses enroll in each other's plans | Couples who want the widest coverage and potential cost savings | Coordination of benefits can be complex, not always the most cost effective |
Most dental plans have waiting periods for new members before they cover certain procedures, and if you're the spouse being added to the plan you're considered a new member. This is a general breakdown of what has a waiting period and what doesn't:
Preventive Care: Most plans cover preventive services like cleanings and annual exams with no waiting period.
Basic Procedures: There's often a 3- to 6-month waiting period for basic services like fillings or simple extractions.
Major Procedures: The waiting period for major dental work, such as crowns, bridges, and dentures, is typically 6 to 12 months or more.
Waiting periods may be waived if you had a similar dental plan with no gap in coverage just before enrolling in the new one. This is known as a "prior coverage waiver."
Dual coverage, where you and your spouse each have your own dental or vision plan, doesn't mean you get double the benefits. It works through a process called "Coordination of Benefits" (COB). Here's a simplified breakdown:
Primary Plan: This plan pays first. It's usually the one you get through your own employer.
Secondary Plan: This plan pays second. It's typically the one you get as a dependent on your spouse's plan.
After the primary plan pays its portion of the bill, the remaining balance is sent to the secondary plan. The secondary plan may then cover some or all of the rest, which can significantly reduce or eliminate your out-of-pocket costs.
Some plans have a "non-duplication of benefits" clause, which prevents the secondary plan from paying if the primary plan has already covered as much or more than the secondary plan would have. You should check your plan documents to see if this clause applies.
Yes, most dental plans have waiting periods for new members before they cover certain procedures. This is to prevent people from signing up just to get a costly procedure and then dropping the insurance.
Preventive Care: Most plans cover preventive services like cleanings and annual exams with no waiting period.
Basic Procedures: There's often a 3- to 6-month waiting period for basic services like fillings or simple extractions.
Major Procedures: The waiting period for major dental work, such as crowns, bridges, and dentures, is typically 6 to 12 months or more.
Waiting periods may be waived if you had a similar dental plan with no gap in coverage just before enrolling in the new one. This is known as a "prior coverage waiver."
Not necessarily, but it depends on your new plan's network. To see if your current dentist is in-network with a new plan, you can:
Check your insurance provider's website. They usually have a "Find a Doctor" or "Provider Search" tool.
Call your dentist's office directly and ask which insurance plans they accept.
Call the insurance company's customer service number.
Yes. In most cases, household income is one of the main factors used to determine eligibility for financial assistance programs, such as premium tax credits for health insurance purchased through the federal Marketplace.
It's important to keep in mind where you have purchased your dental and vision benefits from:
Employer-sponsored dental or vision plans usually don’t offer income-based assistance — your premium costs are set by your employer’s plan.
Individual or family dental/vision plans purchased directly from an insurer (such as Delta Dental of Tennessee or VSP) are typically not income-based either.
Marketplace health plans may include pediatric dental or vision benefits, and your household income can affect whether you qualify for subsidies that help lower your monthly premium.
If lowering costs is a priority, it’s always a good idea to compare plans side by side and ask your provider about any discounts or programs available.
Marriage is a major milestone, and it’s a great time to review your benefits. Whether you keep your current plans or combine coverage, making sure you and your spouse are protected means one less thing to worry about as you start this new chapter together.