What Is a Dental Membership Plan?
Updated June 2026 · 4 min read
A dental membership plan is an individual dental office's own in-house plan. You pay that one practice directly — usually $300–$400/year — and it typically includes your cleanings and exams plus a discount (around 15–25%) on other work. It only works at that specific office. That makes it different from a dental savings plan, which is a national discount card (~$99–$149/year) you can use at a large network of dentists.
How a Dental Membership Plan Works
A dental office sets up its own plan and sells it straight to its patients. You pay the office an annual fee, and in return you usually get:
- • Your preventive care included — typically two cleanings, two exams, and routine X-rays per year, bundled into the fee.
- • A discount on everything else — fillings, crowns, root canals — usually somewhere around 15–25% off that office’s normal price.
- • No insurance paperwork — no claims, no deductibles, no annual maximum. You just pay the office directly.
The catch is right there in the design: it only works at that one office. Move, travel, or switch dentists, and the plan has no value anywhere else. One real consumer-facing example of this model is Aspen Dental, a national chain that sells its own in-office Savings Plan you use at its locations.
Membership Plan vs. Savings Plan
| Feature | Dental Membership Plan | Dental Savings Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Who you pay | One specific dental office | A national plan (Careington, DentalPlans.com) |
| Where it works | Only that one practice | Any dentist in a large national network |
| Typical annual cost | $300–$400/individual | $99–$149/individual |
| What you get | Cleanings/exams included + ~15–25% off other work | 10–60% off the dentist’s fee schedule |
| Portable if you move? | No — you start over | Yes — same plan, new in-network dentist |
Want the full cost breakdown across routine care and major work? Read Dental Savings Plan vs. Dental Membership Plan: Which Is Cheaper? →
A Note on Membersy, Kleer, and “Clerri”
If you've searched membership plans, you've seen the names Membersy and Kleer. They merged and now operate as Clerri — and the important thing to know is that Clerri is business software for dental practices, not a consumer product. It's the technology dentists use to build and run their own membership plans. You don't sign up with Clerri as a patient. You get a membership plan through a participating dental office that happens to run it on that software. The relationship is always with the dentist.
So Which Should You Get?
A membership plan makes sense if you're genuinely loyal to one dentist, you're staying put, and that office's plan is well-priced. For most other people — anyone who wants flexibility, travels, or might switch dentists — a dental savings plan is usually cheaper and far more flexible, because it works across a large national network instead of a single chair.
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