PPO Plan Review · Ameritas

Ameritas PrimeStar Care Complete: the plan that grows.

Zero waiting periods on everything — implants included. Coverage starts the day you do, and every benefit gets stronger in year two. Best for treatment that can't wait, at ~$60/month.

Verified June 12, 2026 against the Ameritas Summary of Dental Benefits & Coverage · Compare all six plans

Ameritas PrimeStar Care Complete at a glance

Ameritas PrimeStar Care Complete is an individual PPO dental insurance plan from Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. costing about $60 per month with a $50 deductible and an annual maximum of $2,000 in year one, rising to $3,500 in year two and beyond.

It has no waiting periods on any category. In network: preventive care pays 100% from day one (and doesn't count against the annual maximum), basic care pays 80% in year one rising to 90% in year two, and major care — including crowns, root canals, dentures, oral surgery, and implants — pays 20% in year one rising to 50% in year two. Implants carry a benefit of $1,000 in year one, rising to $1,500.

It does not cover orthodontics or whitening. It is best for people who need treatment to start immediately and plan to keep the plan, because every coverage number improves in year two.

The CoverCapy verdict

"One of the strongest long-term PPO plans on our shelf for patients expecting crowns, root canals, or restorative work — because it's the only one that covers everything from day one, then rewards you for staying."

Where it wins

  • No waiting periods, period. Every other 50%-major plan here makes you wait 6–12 months.
  • It grows: basic 80%→90%, major 20%→50%, max $2,000→$3,500, implants $1,000→$1,500.
  • Cleanings don't touch your cap — the full maximum stays for real treatment.
  • Strong day-one basics: 80% on fillings immediately.

Where it doesn't

  • Year-one major pays 20% — that's the price of not waiting.
  • Implant benefit caps at $1,000 in year one — a big implant year pays more on Mutual of Omaha or Humana if you can wait.
  • No orthodontics (see Guardian) and no whitening.
  • Out-of-network rates drop hard — verify your dentist first.

How we score it

Scored against the other five plans on CoverCapy's verified shelf, using the carrier's published benefit schedule.

Waiting-period friendliness
10
Long-term value
9.5
Crown coverage
8.8
Coverage strength (overall)
8.5
Network flexibility
8.4
Implant coverage
7.2

Method: each category is rated against the strongest plan on the shelf for that category. Implant score reflects the $1,000 year-one benefit versus Humana's $2,000/yr and Mutual of Omaha's uncapped-within-max payout. Verified June 12, 2026.

Year one → year two: the loyalty curve

You don't need to read a paragraph. The bars say it: keep the plan one year and every number gets better.

Preventive (cleanings, exams)
100%100% · off-cap
Basic care (fillings)
80%90%
Major work (crowns, root canals)
20%50%
Annual maximum
$2,000$3,500
Implant benefit
$1,000$1,500
Year one — covered from day one, no waitingYear two and beyond

What it actually saves, in dollars

Typical in-network fees, after the $50 deductible. Percentages are how insurers talk; dollars are how bills arrive.

Filling

Typical fee$250
Plan pays · year 1~$160 (80%)
Plan pays · year 2+~$180 (90%)
You pay about $90 in year one — from day one, no wait.

Crown

Typical fee$1,400
Plan pays · year 1~$270 (20%)
Plan pays · year 2+~$675 (50%)
Urgent: you pay ~$1,130 now — vs. everything on a 12-month-wait plan. Can wait? ~$725 in year two.

Implant

Typical fee$4,500
Plan pays · year 1~$890 (20%, ≤$1,000)
Plan pays · year 2+$1,500 (benefit max)
Smart play: extraction + prep in year one, implant in year two — $1,500 back on the better schedule.

Estimates from the carrier's published coinsurance — not a quote; fees vary by office and state. Run your own numbers for these and 20+ more procedures →

Before you activate: verify your dentist accepts Ameritas

This is the step carrier websites can't do for you — and the one that decides whether this plan is brilliant or useless. CoverCapy checks the dentist you actually want against the Ameritas Classic PPO network, by name, ZIP, or city.

i.Search your dentist — or browse verified Ameritas PPO dentists near you.
ii.We confirm network status with the office, not just a stale directory.
iii.Then activate — knowing your first appointment is actually covered.

Can I use any dentist?

Yes — it's a PPO. But the same crown costs very different money depending on the chair. In network, Ameritas dentists have agreed to fees commonly 25–50% below retail, and the plan pays its strongest rates (80–90% basic, 20–50% major). Out of network, the plan's share drops sharply (basic 60–70%, major 10–30%) and the office can bill you the gap above the allowed fee — that's balance billing, and at crown prices it's real money.

The rule of thumb we give at the counter: pick the dentist first, then the plan. If your dentist is in the Ameritas network, this page's math works. If not, compare the shelf against a plan they do take.

Your path, start to chair

The fine print, on demand

Everything above is enough to decide. Everything below is here when you want to check our work.

Full coverage schedule (in-network and out-of-network)
CategoryIn-network Y1In-network Y2+Out-of-network Y1 / Y2+
Preventive & diagnostic100%100%80% / 80%
Basic (fillings, simple extractions)80%90%60% / 70%
Major (crowns, root canals, dentures, oral surgery)20%50%10% / 30%
Implants20% · $1,000 max50% · $1,500 maxmajor OON rates apply
OrthodonticsNot covered

Source: Ameritas Summary of Dental Benefits and Coverage (SDBC), plans effective on or after 08/01/2025. Percentages shown as plan-pays.

Deductible & annual maximum rules
  • $50 deductible per person per benefit year, combined for basic + major; waived for preventive; max three deductibles per family.
  • Annual maximum: $2,000 in benefit year one, $3,500 in year two and beyond.
  • Preventive and diagnostic services do not count against the maximum — rare, and quietly valuable.
  • The year-two upgrade follows your benefit-period anniversary, not the calendar year.
Implant rules
  • Covered from day one at major-work rates: 20% year one, 50% year two+.
  • Implant-specific benefit: $1,000 year one, $1,500 year two+, deducted from the annual maximum.
  • For bigger single-year implant payouts (if you can wait), compare Humana Extend 5000 and Mutual of Omaha.
Limitations & exclusions worth knowing
  • Exams and cleanings: 2 per benefit period; bitewing X-rays: 1 per period; full-mouth X-rays: 1 per 5 years.
  • Fillings: 1 per tooth surface per 2 years. Crowns and partial dentures: replacement limited to 1 per 5 years.
  • Root canal benefits on permanent teeth only. Scaling/root planing: 1 per quadrant per 2 years.
  • No orthodontics, no whitening. Plan terms vary by state — confirm on your official quote.
Network & out-of-network mechanics
  • Any licensed dentist is allowed; in-network (Ameritas Classic PPO) fees run 25–50% below retail.
  • Out of network, reimbursement is based on the plan's allowed amount and the office may balance-bill the difference — how that math works.
  • Verify your dentist before enrolling; it's the single highest-leverage step on this page.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ameritas PrimeStar really have no waiting periods?

Yes — the carrier's benefits disclosure states it plainly: there is no waiting period on any category, including major work and implants. The trade-off is coinsurance: major work pays 20% in year one, rising to 50% from year two.

How does the plan grow in year two?

Four numbers improve at once: basic care rises from 80% to 90%, major work from 20% to 50%, the annual maximum from $2,000 to $3,500, and the implant benefit from $1,000 to $1,500. It's built to reward keeping the plan.

Does it cover implants?

Yes, from day one at the major-work rates (20% year one, 50% year two+), under an implant-specific benefit of $1,000 in year one and $1,500 from year two. For a big implant year, compare Mutual of Omaha (no implant-specific cap) and Humana ($2,000/year) — they pay more per implant but make you wait 6–12 months.

Does it cover crowns?

Yes — from day one, at 20% in year one and 50% from year two. On a typical $1,400 in-network crown that's about $270 back in year one and about $675 in year two. No other plan on the shelf pays anything on a crown in the first months of a policy.

Do cleanings count against the annual maximum?

No — preventive and diagnostic services are excluded from the cap, preserving the full $2,000 (year one) or $3,500 (year two+) for actual treatment.

Who should pick Ameritas over Humana or Mutual of Omaha?

Someone who needs treatment to start now — filling, extraction, crown, root canal, even implant work — rather than after a 6-or-12-month wait, and who plans to keep the plan into the stronger year-two schedule. If your case is one big implant and you can wait, the high-cap plans pay out more.

How this review was built: every percentage, maximum, and exclusion on this page was verified on June 12, 2026 against the Ameritas Summary of Dental Benefits and Coverage (SDBC) for plans effective on or after 08/01/2025, and is stored in CoverCapy's plan database. CoverCapy is an independent concierge dental network — not a broker — and earns no commission on activation. We tell you who should skip this plan, and we verify dentist acceptance before you commit.