Guide · Updated June 2026 · 6 min read

Is the Aspen Dental Savings Plan Worth It? An Honest Look (2026)

If you've visited an Aspen Dental office, you've probably been offered their in-house savings plan at checkout. It costs $199–$349 per year depending on your location, and the pitch is simple: pay the annual fee and get a free exam, X-rays, and cleaning, plus 15% off everything else at Aspen. Sounds good — but is it actually worth it? We ran the numbers and compared it to the best third-party dental savings plans.

The short answer: for most patients, no. Aspen's plan locks you to their offices, charges $199–$349/year, and only gives 15% off after the free first visit. National plans like Careington cost $99/year and work at 200,000+ dentists — often with deeper discounts. Here's the full breakdown.

Quick Answer

Aspen Dental's savings plan costs $199–$349/year and gives one free visit plus 15% off — but only at Aspen offices. A national plan like Careington ($99/year, 200,000+ dentists) costs less, works everywhere, and often gives deeper discounts. If you're already committed to Aspen, the plan has some value. Otherwise, a third-party plan is almost always the better deal.

What Is the Aspen Dental Savings Plan?

The Aspen Dental Savings Plan is an in-house membership program offered directly by Aspen Dental. Unlike a national dental savings plan, it only works at Aspen Dental offices — roughly 1,000+ locations across the US. Here's what you pay and what you get:

•Individual plan: ~$199/year
•Family plan: ~$349/year
•Extra household member: +$29/year each
•Free visit: One exam, X-rays, and cleaning per year
•Ongoing discount: 15% off all other Aspen services
•Works at: Aspen Dental offices only — not other dentists

The plan has no waiting periods and no annual maximum — which is standard for dental savings plans. The catch is that the discounts are locked to Aspen Dental locations and the discount depth (15%) is shallow compared to what national plans typically offer (20–60%).

The Breakeven Math: Does It Actually Save You Money?

This is where the plan falls apart for most people. Aspen's plan costs $199–$349/year and gives you 15% off everything after the free first visit. To break even on the plan cost alone (ignoring the value of the free first visit), you need to spend enough at Aspen for 15% to cover the annual fee.

Breakeven calculation:

• Individual plan ($199/yr) ÷ 0.15 = $1,327 in Aspen services needed to break even
• Family plan ($349/yr) ÷ 0.15 = $2,327 in Aspen services needed to break even

That means you need to spend $1,327+ at Aspen Dental in a year just to recoup the plan cost through the 15% discount. And remember — Aspen's fees are typically above the national average. So you're paying above-average prices, getting a modest discount, and still potentially paying more than you would at a regular dentist with a third-party plan.

Compare that to Careington 500 at $99/year. A single cleaning at a participating dentist typically costs $50–80 with the plan. One visit and you've already broken even — and you can use it at 200,000+ dentists nationwide, not just one chain.

Why Third-Party Plans Win for Most People

National dental savings plans like Careington, Aetna, and Cigna offer several advantages over Aspen's in-house plan:

Careington 500 — $99/year

• 200,000+ participating dentists nationwide
• 20–60% off all procedures
• No waiting period, no annual maximum
• Works at many Aspen Dental locations too

Aetna Dental Access — $150–180/year

• 200,000+ dentist locations
• 15–50% off procedures
• Strong urban coverage
• No waiting period, no annual maximum

The key difference: these plans work at thousands of different dental offices. You're not locked to one chain, you can keep your current dentist (if they participate), and the discount percentages are often deeper than Aspen's flat 15%. For the same or less money, you get more flexibility and often better savings.

Who Might Still Want Aspen's Plan?

To be fair, there are a few scenarios where the Aspen Dental Savings Plan makes sense:

1.You're already committed to Aspen. If you're mid-treatment at an Aspen office, already have an Aspen dentist you like, or there are no other dental offices nearby, the plan gives you a small discount on work you were going to get anyway.
2.You value the free first visit. The exam, X-rays, and cleaning included in the plan are worth roughly $200–350. If you were going to Aspen anyway for that first visit, the free visit effectively covers most or all of the plan cost.
3.No alternatives nearby. If Aspen is the only dental office within a reasonable distance and you have no interest in switching, the plan at least takes a small edge off the higher Aspen pricing.

But for the vast majority of patients — especially anyone who has a regular dentist or lives in an area with multiple dental offices — a national plan like Careington is the smarter buy.

Compare Aspen's Plan to a National Savings Plan

See how Aspen's in-house plan stacks up against Careington, Aetna, and other options — with real pricing and a procedure-by-procedure breakdown.

Full Aspen vs Savings Plan Comparison →Read the Careington Review →