Dental Plan Support

Through membership, access specialized expertise and resources to
make informed decisions and work productively with dental plans.

Answers to your questions

The first step to going out of network with a dental plan is to evaluate the potential impact on the practice. Secondly, you will want to develop a system for notifying the plan and patients that you’ll be an out-of-network provider.

CDA members can sign in to access a helpful resource on What You Need to Know About Dropping Dental Plan Contracts.

Due to anti-trust laws, CDA does not provide or collect any fee schedule information. Call or email a CDA analyst who can suggest a few sources where you can purchase a fee schedule based on your location.

If the treatment is truly a non-covered service, a contracted dentist can charge the full office fee. California law allows a dental plan to reimburse dentists at their contracted rate for services that the plan would normally cover but is not covering due to treatment done outside of the plan frequency, when the patient has exceeded their annual maximum, if a waiting period applies and has not been met, or when the plan can apply an alternative benefit.

First, determine if the denial is due to dental plan payment policy guidelines by reviewing the plan’s provider manual or clinical criteria. If the denial is not due to policy, review the EOB Explanation of Benefits (EOB) for steps on how to file a formal appeal with the plan. The plan has to acknowledge and make a determination on a formal appeal within 45 days.

Members can sign in to access a comprehensive Dental Benefit Plan Handbook, including guidance on Understanding the Claim Appeal Process.

If you are an in-network provider, the terms of your contact likely require you to comply with the plan’s request to perform a post payment audit/review. If you are an out-of-network provider, you are not contractually obligated to provide records for a post-payment review, and you can decline the request.

Dental benefit plan handbook

Learn the basics of contracts, benefit coordination, billing, claims and audits.

Resources for members

Evaluating a Dental Benefit Plan Checklist
Verification and Explanation of Coverage
Understanding the Claim Appeal Process
Understanding Dental Benefits Plan Audits

Sign in to access all member resources for navigating appeals, audits, billing, carrier-specific needs, claims, contracts and coordination of benefits.

Essential Updates for 2026

Learn about CDT codes and advocacy wins in our 1-hour C.E. webinar.

Expert Advice

One-on-one guidance is included your membership and just one call or email away.

Lisa Byers

Dental Benefits Analyst

Miguel Mariona

Associate Analyst, Dental Benefits

Hear from your peers

A practice owner blindsided by plan leased networks
A new owner who’s also out of network for Delta Dental
A multi-practice model with resiliency and business skills
Keep connected to members’ perspectives and share your own through our workgroups, surveys and social community.

Expand your network of support

Streamline billing and claims processing

eAssist, CDA’s Endorsed Services partner, supports members revenue cycle management and practice productivity. 

Connect to advocacy, emerging news and reform efforts.

Connect to advocacy, emerging news and reform efforts.

Dental benefit plans in the news

Member to Member: Practice models & payer decisions
September 3, 2026
For this California dentist, dropping dental plans was necessary for practice’s long-term sustainability

Dr. Jennifer Chiang discusses her path from associate dentist to practice owner in California and why she chose exit all dental plan contracts to sustain her practice.

June 17, 2026
Audit will evaluate state’s contract with Delta Dental of California

California's 600,000 employees and retirees are having trouble using their Delta Dental benefit, and an audit supported by CDA and approved by the Legislature seeks to understand why.

cover image for article
May 28, 2026
Blindsided: Practice owner details the pitfalls of dental plan leased networks 

Dr. Zeynep Barakat details how unknowingly contracting with leased networks led to incorrect fees, delayed care and patient frustrations.

Dental benefit plans in the news

February 3, 2026

Two lawsuits are moving forward against Delta Dental: A class-action lawsuit that alleges Delta Dental misrepresents out-of-network coverage and a lawsuit concerning the ongoing antitrust litigation against Delta Dental. Here’s what dentists should know about the two cases. 

November 4, 2025

CDA’s resource library, along with phone and email guidance from specialized analysts, provides valuable support for each step of adding an associate.

October 21, 2025

Dental plan reform continues to lead CDA’s advocacy agenda with another successful CDA-sponsored bill that will benefit California dentists and their patients.

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