Aspen Dental Savings Plan: Costs, Discounts & Worth It

Anyone who has sat in a dental chair wondering how to pay for a crown or a root canal already knows the feeling: insurance is expensive, and going without it leaves you exposed to the full bill. The Aspen Dental Savings Plan promises a middle path — a $49 annual membership with no waiting periods, no deductibles, and immediate discounts on most services.

Annual membership fee: $49 ·
Discount range on services: 10%–30% ·
Free exams and X-rays: Included from day one ·
Waiting period: None ·
Administered by: Membersy LLC

Six key figures that define the plan at a glance, one pattern: the trade-off is simplicity versus depth. Low upfront cost and instant access replace the broad coverage of traditional insurance.

The trade-off: For $49 you get immediate access to discounted rates and free preventive care, but you carry the full cost of every procedure yourself — the plan simply lowers the retail price.

Does Aspen have dental plans?

What is the Aspen Dental Savings Plan?

• The Aspen Dental Savings Plan is a discount membership program that members pay an annual fee to join, then receive reduced rates on dental services at any Aspen Dental location.
• It is explicitly not insurance — the official Member Terms and Conditions from Membersy state in bold: “The Plan is NOT INSURANCE”.
• Members pay the discounted rate at the time of service; there are no claim forms to submit and no reimbursement waiting period.

How is the plan different from insurance?

• Dental insurance typically charges a monthly premium ($25–$50), applies an annual deductible ($50–$150), caps annual benefits at $1,000–$2,000, and imposes waiting periods of 6–12 months for major procedures (Aspen Dental comparison).
• The savings plan charges a single $49 annual fee, has no deductible, no waiting period, and no annual cap — but it does not pay any portion of your bill; it simply reduces the provider’s retail fee by 10–30%.
• The VFW partnership FAQ describes the plan the same way: “a discount dental plan and is not insurance” (VFW — Aspen Dental Plan FAQ).

Who administers the plan?

• The plan is administered by Membersy LLC, a third-party dental benefits administrator that operates discount plans for multiple provider groups (Membersy Terms).
• Membersy handles enrollment, membership records, member support, and the online member portal at aspendentalplan.com.

What does Aspen Dental use for financing?

What payment methods does Aspen Dental accept?

• Aspen Dental accepts cash, credit/debit cards, and most dental insurance plans. For uninsured patients, the practice offers its own savings plan and also works with third-party medical financing companies.
• The savings plan is a prepaid discount program, not a loan — members pay the $49 annual fee and receive immediate discounts at checkout (Aspen Dental).

Are there third-party financing options?

• CareCredit is a healthcare credit card that offers deferred-interest and extended-payment plans for dental procedures. Unlike the savings plan, CareCredit is a line of credit that must be repaid with interest if not paid within the promotional period.
• Some patients also use personal loans from banks or credit unions to cover larger procedures such as dentures or implants.

How does the savings plan compare to financing?

• The savings plan costs $49 per year with no borrowing or interest. Financing options spread the cost over time but add interest unless paid within a 0% APR window.
• For a $2,000 implant procedure, a patient with the savings plan at a 20% discount pays $1,600 out of pocket. A CareCredit cardholder paying over 12 months at 0% APR pays ~$167 per month. The right choice depends on cash flow versus total cost.

The pattern: Aspen Dental’s menu of options — savings plan, financing, insurance — covers three distinct patient profiles. The savings plan is built for the cash-pay patient who wants a predictable, low annual cost and no surprises.

How do I fix my teeth if I don’t have money?

What free or low-cost dental care options exist?

• Nearly 77 million Americans lack dental insurance, according to the National Association of Dental Plans, and cost is the number one reason adults avoid the dentist. For those with very limited income, several alternatives exist beyond discount plans.
• Community health centers operate on a sliding-scale fee based on income and family size — a single patient earning under $20,000 per year may pay as little as $20–$40 for an exam (HRSA Health Center Locator).
• Dental schools offer treatment at 50–70% below private-practice rates, performed by supervised students (American Dental Association).
• Medicaid covers dental services for low-income children in every state, and 34 states plus D.C. provide at least limited adult dental benefits (Medicaid.gov).

How does the Aspen Dental Savings Plan help?

• For the uninsured patient who does not qualify for Medicaid and earns too much for sliding-scale clinics, the $49 plan unlocks immediate 10–30% discounts at every Aspen Dental location with no paperwork and no waiting period (Aspen Dental).
• New patients without any coverage can also get an exam and X-rays for $29 without joining the plan (Aspen Dental pricing page), making the first visit affordable regardless.

What are community health centers and dental schools?

• Community health centers are federally qualified facilities that provide primary and dental care on a sliding fee scale — they cannot turn away patients based on ability to pay. Over 15,000 health center sites serve more than 30 million patients annually.
• Dental schools provide low-cost care while training the next generation of dentists. A full-mouth restoration that might cost $8,000 in a private practice could cost $2,500–$4,000 at a dental school, though treatment times are longer because procedures are reviewed by instructors step by step.

Is Aspen Dental Savings plan worth it?

Pros and cons of the Aspen Dental Savings Plan

How does it compare to dental insurance?

Seven differences, one pattern: insurance pays a share of the bill after you hit your deductible; the savings plan lowers the starting price but expects you to pay the rest.

When does the plan make financial sense?

• For a patient who needs two cleanings, a filling, and a crown in a single year, the math favors the savings plan over insurance if the insurance premium alone exceeds the $49 fee plus the discounted cost of work.
• A third-party estimate suggests cleanings receive roughly 30% off and crowns about 20% off under the plan (Dental Savings Guide). On a $1,200 crown, that saves $240 — five times the annual membership fee.
• For patients needing multiple major procedures (implants, full dentures), traditional insurance with a $1,500 annual max may still leave $3,000+ in out-of-pocket costs, making the discount plan’s lack of a cap a potential advantage — though the discount percentage is lower than insurance’s typical 50% copay.

Why this matters: The decision comes down to your procedure mix. If you mainly need cleanings, X-rays, and an occasional filling, the savings plan beats insurance every time. If you anticipate root canals, crowns, or dentures, run the numbers on both a discount plan and a mid-tier PPO before committing.

What is the average cost of a full denture?

How much do full dentures cost at Aspen Dental?

• A full set of conventional dentures typically ranges from $1,000 to $3,000 per arch — meaning $2,000 to $6,000 for a full mouth — depending on material quality and customization (Aspen Dental pricing page).
• Premium dentures with implant retention can exceed $10,000 for a full mouth.

How can the savings plan reduce denture costs?

• At a 20% discount (mid-range of the plan’s 10–30% band), a $2,000 denture arch costs $1,600 — saving $400 on the first arch alone, or nearly eight times the $49 annual fee.
• The plan’s free exams and X-rays also eliminate the $100–$250 diagnostic fee that typically precedes denture fabrication.

Are there more affordable alternatives?

• Dental schools often provide dentures at 50–70% below market rates — a set of full dentures might cost $500–$800 per arch (American Dental Association).
• Some nonprofit clinics, such as those affiliated with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics, offer denture services at deeply reduced rates on a sliding scale.
• Medicaid covers dentures for adults in approximately 20 states, though provider availability varies widely.

The trade-off: The savings plan delivers meaningful savings on dentures for cash-pay patients who want a quick, predictable process at a single provider chain. Dental schools and public clinics are cheaper but involve longer wait times, less scheduling flexibility, and variable quality standards.

How can I cancel the Aspen Dental Savings Plan?

What is the cancellation policy?

• Members can cancel at any time by calling customer service or through the online member portal at aspendentalplan.com.
• There is no cancellation fee, but the membership is non-refundable after the initial purchase — meaning you forfeit the remainder of the annual term (Membersy Terms).

Are there any fees or penalties?

• No penalty beyond the non-refundable annual fee already paid. The plan does not auto-renew without the member’s consent, so cancellation is a one-time action.

How do I contact customer service?

• The official plan website is aspendentalplan.com, where you can log in, manage your membership, and find contact information.
• Customer support is available by phone through the number listed on the member portal. Standard business hours apply.

The implication: The cancellation policy is straightforward and consumer-friendly by industry norms — no exit fees, no paperwork hassle. The only sting is the non-refundable fee, which is standard across nearly all discount medical and dental plans.

What do verified facts and open questions tell us?

Confirmed facts

• Plan costs $49 per year with $29 dependent add-ons (Aspen Dental)
• Members get free exams and X-rays (Aspen Dental)
• Discounts of 10–30% apply to all other services (Aspen Dental)
• No waiting period, no deductible, no claim forms (Aspen Dental)
• Plan is not insurance — it is a discount membership administered by Membersy LLC (Membersy Terms)
• Plan launched in February 2023 (Dental Products Report)
• New uninsured patients can get an exam and X-rays for $29 without the plan (Aspen Dental pricing page)

What’s unclear

• Exact discount percentages per individual procedure (e.g., how much off a filling vs. a crown) are not publicly itemized — only the 10–30% range is disclosed (Aspen Dental)
• Whether discount rates are uniform across all 1,000+ Aspen Dental locations; the terms note that “retail fees and member savings may vary by plan, provider, and/or dental office location” (Aspen Dental)
• Long-term member satisfaction and average total savings per year are not tracked or published by any independent third party (Reddit community)

“The Aspen Dental Savings Plan is a discount dental plan. The Plan is NOT INSURANCE.”

— Membersy LLC, official Member Terms and Conditions (PDF)

“Enjoy immediate access to member-only discounts on your dental care needs including free exams & x-rays, plus 10-30% off all other services.”

— Aspen Dental, savings plan page (Aspen Dental)

“Aspen Dental launched a new membership program … members can get free exams and x-rays plus up to 30% off most other dental services.”

— Dental Products Report, industry coverage (Dental Products Report)

The pattern across all three sources is consistent: the plan is a discount membership, not a risk-transfer product. Marketing language emphasizes “savings” and “access,” while the fine print consistently flags that this is not insurance and that exact discounts vary.

For the roughly 77 million uninsured Americans who face dental care costs they cannot predict from one visit to the next, the Aspen Dental Savings Plan offers something real: a $49 ceiling on your annual cost to access discounted care, with no surprises. But it is not a cure-all. Patients facing major restorative work should pair it with careful procedure-by-procedure price shopping, and for the lowest-income households, sliding-scale clinics or Medicaid remain the only realistic path. The decision is clear: if you have steady income, need routine to moderate care, and want a predictable, low-cost way to avoid full retail prices, the plan works. If you are living near the poverty line or facing $10,000 in implant work, look beyond a discount card.

Frequently asked questions