Certain studies have pointed out that overall health may be associated with good dental hygiene.¹  Some employers cannot afford to offer a dental benefits plan, which can result in a financial burden for employees. A smart alternative is an employee-pay, or voluntary, dental benefit program. MetLife has the knowledge and innovation to help you find such a program that fits your financial strategies while providing a high degree of customer satisfaction and value to your employees.

Preferred Dentist Program (PDP)

Voluntary dental plans offered by MetLife feature the MetLife PDP. The PDP is a leading dental PPO with nearly 21 million covered lives². It is a 'point-of-service' PPO that takes a managed-care approach to dental plans. The PDP is a nationwide network of more than 100,000 participating dentist locations.

All dentists who participate in our PDP agree to accept MetLife’s negotiated fees as payment in full. Typically, these fees are 10-35% less than the average charges in their community. When visiting in-network dentists,   our negotiated fees extend to all covered services, even to non-covered services and services provided after the annual benefit maximum has been exceeded.

With the MetLife PDP, employees do not need to select a primary dentist nor receive approval to see specialists. Employees always have access to the dentist of their choice, in- or out-of-network, at the time of service.

An integral part of MetLife's PDP is our industry-recognized Quality Initiatives Program, beginning with strict provider selection criteria, and focusing on education and continued communication to help maintain a large stable provider network.

For a glimpse at the PDP section of our web site (aimed at employees), including online provider searches with mapping capability, program information, claim forms, and dentist application information,  click here. 

Voluntary Dental Products

For companies with more than 10 employees, MetLife offers a variety of voluntary dental plan designs, primarily through our PDP. For larger companies, MetLife can even help implement a voluntary option to existing dual and multiple option programs. Certain plan features are also variable to help provide the mix of benefits that best meets your employees' needs.

All voluntary dental products are supported by MetLife's service platform, providing communication, enrollment and customer service support to help achieve the participation levels needed to keep your plan stable. We handle the implementation and enrollment tasks with a minimum of employer involvement, reducing your administrative burden.

Full Service Dental for Retirees

With Full Service Dental for Retirees, employers can enrich their retiree benefits with minimal administration and no benefit expense to their company. MetLife handles marketing, enrollment, customer service, recordkeeping and billing. Retirees pay the entire premium.

Dental coverage is seen as a valued benefit by employees of all ages, and today’s retirees, who in general, are living longer and healthier lives than previous generations are looking for continued access to affordable dental benefits. Our new Full Service Dental for Retirees was designed to provide employers with a turn-key way of satisfying retirees’ need for reasonably priced dental benefits, while giving employees the assurance of knowing that, when they retire, they continue to have access to dental benefits.

A Concern for Employees' Privacy

At MetLife, we are dedicated to protecting employees’ right to privacy.  Please see “A Concern for Your Privacy” on the group dental page for employees. Or  click here.

Like most group dental policies, MetLife group policies contain certain exceptions, waiting periods, reductions, limitations and terms for keeping them in force. Please contact us for costs and complete details.

¹ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 2000.

² MetLife data as of September 2006