Dental Plans

The dental plan options that are available to you vary by geographic location. You may choose any dental plan that is available in the county where you live or work. With both of the plans, you may make your choice of dentists at the time of service.

Delta Dental PPO in the Twin Cities and Duluth areas and Delta Dental Premier in Greater Minnesota are the plans with networks available to most employees, are the most widely used options in those areas, and factor most in the rate calculations.

Delta Dental PPO

• Base plan for the Twin Cities and surrounding area, and Duluth zones
• Low-cost, network-only plan with more than 1,800 participating dentists and specialists in Minnesota and border communities
• Must visit a dentist participating in the Delta Dental PPO network to receive benefits, except in the case of an out-of-area emergency
• National Delta Dental PPO network offers more than 113,000 participating dentists across the country
• Check with the dental office to confirm that your dentist participates in the PPO option before enrolling in this plan

Delta Dental Premier

• Base plan for the Greater Minnesota zone
• Flexible plan with access to the broad Delta Dental Premier network as well as the more cost-effective Delta Dental PPO network
• Out-of-network benefits are also available
• Delta Dental Premier network has more than 2,800 participating dentists in Minnesota and border communities and more than 154,000 participating providers in the country.
• Seeing a dentist in either of the Delta Dental networks will help you make the most of your benefits and can result in lower out-of-pocket costs

You’ll want to select a plan that is available in the region either where you live or work. See the Dental Plan Availability Table for detailed information.

Research the plans to see which one meets the needs of you and your family. Since the plans cover the same types of dental care services, you’ll want to pay attention to out-of-pocket costs and whether your current dentist in in your plan’s network. You can find out if your dentist is in a given plan by calling their customer service number or visiting the dental plan’s website.

Delta Dental
651-406-5916
800-448-3815
1-888-853-7570 (TTY)
www.deltadentalmn.org/uofm

Use the 2024 Guide for Benefits Enrollment (pdf) to learn more about your options.

If you want to do a deeper dive in your research, the 2024 Dental Summary of Benefits (pdf) has the details on the full range of benefits in your dental plan.

New Employees Enrolling in a Dental Plan

You have 30 days from your date of employment or your newly benefits-eligible job to enroll in a dental plan through MyU. Your dental coverage starts on the first day of the month following your first day in your new job.

Do I Have to Sign Up for a Dental Plan?

No, if you don’t need dental coverage with the University, you can waive coverage. But if you change your mind and want dental coverage, you’ll have to wait until the annual Open Enrollment each November or if you have a family status change.

New Employees Enrolling Eligible Dependents

If you have a family, you can add your legal spouse and your dependent children from birth through age 25 (up to 26th birthday) to your coverage. If you have any questions about eligibility, go to the Benefits Eligibility section for the full definition of eligible dependents.

The University will ask you to verify that your dependents are eligible. Typically, it means sending copies of your marriage certificate, birth certificate, or tax forms. 

Need More Information?

Check the schedule for the New Employee Benefits Enrollment Workshop if you would like help enrolling in your benefits.