NCD, underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife Bright DPO — plans 1000 and 1500Every benefit below is transcribed from the NCD dental plan summaries NCD-MLBright1000-DPO and NCD-MLBright1500-DPO (MetLife L0225046671 and L0225046670, last updated 7 May 2026). Benefits, amounts and riders vary by state; the policy issued to you governs.
Nothing waits. Benefits start the day the cover does Included
Preventive, basic and major work are all payable immediately from the start date of an individual’s benefits. There is no waiting period on any of the three, which is unusual in this market and is the main reason to look at this plan at all.
What rises instead is the share the plan pays. A crown is covered from day one — at the first year percentage.
What the plan pays, by type of work Included
Preventive work (Type A) is paid at 90% in year one and 100% from year two. Basic work (Type B) is paid at 50% in year one, 60% in year two and 70% from year three. Major work (Type C) is paid at 10% in year one and 20% from year two. The percentages are the same in network and out.
Major work at 10% in the first year means the plan pays a tenth of it. This design rewards holding the plan before the work arrives.
Choose the calendar year maximum Included
$1,000 or $1,500 per person, per calendar year. That is the most the plan pays in a year, across everything.
The deductible Included
$100 per calendar year, applying to an individual, on basic (Type B) and major (Type C) work. Preventive work is not subject to it.
Type A, preventive — and how often Included
Examinations 2 times in 12 months (1 every 6 months). Problem-focused examinations are combined with the examinations limit. Cleanings 2 times in 12 months (1 every 6 months).
Type B, basic — and how often Included
Fluoride 1 time in 12 months for a dependent child under age 14. Bitewing X-rays 1 time in 12 months. Sealants 1 per molar in 60 months for a child under age 14. Space maintainers 1 per lifetime for a child under age 14. Amalgam fillings, 1 replacement per surface in 24 months. Emergency palliative treatment, labs and other tests, and general services carry no specific frequency or age limitation.
Resin composite fillings are covered, but the plan excludes coverage for composite fillings on molars — so a white filling at the back of the mouth is not paid for on this plan.
Type C, major — and how often Included
Root canal 1 per tooth per lifetime. Periodontal surgery 1 per quadrant in any 36 month period. Scaling and root planing 1 per quadrant in any 24 month period. Periodontal maintenance, 2 periodontal treatments in 1 calendar year, includes 2 cleanings (total comb: 2). Full mouth X-rays once in 60 months. Consultations 1 in 12 months. Crowns, crown buildups and post cores, prefabricated crowns, inlays and onlays, fixed bridges and dentures are each 1 per tooth or 1 in 10 calendar years. Denture rebases and relines 1 in 36 months, denture adjustments 1 in 12 months, repairs and recementations 1 in 12 months, tissue conditioning 1 in 36 months, occlusal adjustments 1 in 12 months.
Pulp capping, pulp therapy, pulpotomy, apexification and recalcification, general anesthesia, periapical and other X-rays, non-surgical periodontics, soft and connective tissue grafts, simple and surgical extractions and other oral surgery carry no specific frequency or age limitation.
No implants on this plan Not covered
Implantology, including repairs, is excluded outright. If implants are the work you are planning, this is the wrong plan in this family — the Elite and Complete plans cover them and this one does not.
A tooth you had already lost before you were covered Not covered
The first denture fitted to replace one or more teeth that were missing before the insurance started is excluded, as is an implant-supported prosthetic for the same teeth. Congenitally missing natural teeth are the exception.
This is the clause that most often surprises somebody buying dental cover with a gap they already have. Read it before you assume the gap is covered.
No orthodontia, at any age Not covered
Orthodontia services or appliances are excluded, and so is the repair or replacement of an orthodontic appliance. If braces or aligners are what you are looking for, none of these plans pay toward them.
Use a dentist in the network, or any dentist you like Included
In network the plan pays its share of the MetLife PDP Plus PPO Network fee the dentist has agreed to accept. Out of network it pays the same share of the Maximum Allowable Charge, which is a schedule MetLife sets — so an out-of-network dentist may charge more than the plan measures its share against, and the difference is yours.
The plan pays the same percentage either way. What changes is the figure the percentage is taken of.
MetLife Bright DPO — plans 1000 and 1500 on its own page, with its own enrollment link.
Does this apply in your state?
This company's documents name no states at all. They say the products are not available in all states and leave it there, so we publish no availability claim for them in either direction — we are not going to guess, and a guess is what gets an application declined after you have filled it in.
Tell us your state and we will check it and send you the documents that apply to you. Call (424) 295-0627, or use the form at the bottom of this page. You can also check availability yourself on this company's own enrollment page — the links are at the top of this page and again in the costs section below.
Confirm this one before you sign
This does not appear in the sales brochure, and it changes what the policy is worth to you. Ask for it in writing, in the policy and the outline of coverage for your state, and do not take our word or anyone else's for it.
- Who can buy it, and how long it lasts The eight plan summaries we hold set out what each plan pays and how often. They do not state an issue age, an underwriting question or a renewal term, so nothing about any of those is published here. Ask for the certificate of coverage for your own state before you sign. Where the plans are written is a separate question and it is answered above.
Required disclosures from NCD, underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
Dental insurance policies featuring the Preferred Dentist Program are underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY 10166. Like most group benefits programs, benefit programs offered by MetLife and its affiliates contain certain exclusions, exceptions, waiting periods, reductions, limitations and terms for keeping them in force. You may be financially responsible for copayments, deductibles, or any other amounts in excess of those MetLife is required to pay for covered services as described in your dental certificate and/or policy. Ask your MetLife representative for costs and complete details.
Payment for out-of-network services is based on the lesser of the dentist’s actual fee or the Maximum Allowable Charge (MAC). The out-of-network Maximum Allowable Charge is a scheduled amount determined by MetLife.
This brochure provides a brief summary of benefits. For a complete listing of benefits, exclusions, and limitations, please refer to the certificate of coverage. In the event of discrepancies contained in this brochure, the benefits, terms, and conditions contained in the certificate documents shall govern.
Products are not available in all states. Please call (800) 485-3855 to verify current state availability.
Services which are not dentally necessary, those which do not meet generally accepted standards of care for treating the particular dental condition, or which we deem experimental in nature. Services for which a covered person would not be required to pay in the absence of dental insurance. Services or supplies received by a covered person before the insurance starts for that person. Services which are neither performed nor prescribed by a dentist except for those services of a licensed dental hygienist which are supervised and billed by a dentist and which are for scaling or polishing of teeth or fluoride treatment. Services which are primarily cosmetic. (For residents of Texas: Services which are primarily cosmetic unless required for the treatment or correction of a congenital defect of a newborn child).
Services or appliances which restore or alter occlusion or vertical dimension. Restoration of tooth structure damaged by attrition, abrasion or erosion unless caused by disease. Restorations or appliances used for the purpose of periodontal splinting. Counseling or instruction about oral hygiene, plaque control, nutrition and tobacco. Personal supplies or devices including, but not limited to: water piks, toothbrushes, or dental floss. Initial installation of a Denture to replace one or more teeth which were missing before such person was insured for Dental Insurance, except for congenitally missing natural teeth. Decoration or inscription of any tooth, device, appliance, crown or other dental work. Missed appointments.
Services covered under any workers’ compensation or occupational disease law. Services covered under any employer liability law. Services for which the association of the person receiving such services is not required to pay. Services received at a facility maintained by the Policyholder, labor union, mutual benefit association, or VA hospital. Services covered under other coverage provided by the Policyholder. Services, to the extent such services, or benefits for such services, are available under a government plan. This exclusion will apply whether or not the person receiving the services is enrolled for the government plan. We will not exclude payment of benefits for such services if the government plan requires that Dental Insurance under the group policy be paid first.
Temporary or provisional restorations. Temporary or provisional appliances. Prescription drugs. Services for which the submitted documentation indicates a poor prognosis. The following when charged by the dentist on a separate basis: Claim form completion; infection control such as gloves, masks, and sterilization of supplies; or local anesthesia, nonintravenous conscious sedation or analgesia such as nitrous oxide. Dental services arising out of accidental injury to the teeth and supporting structures, except for injuries to the teeth due to chewing and biting of food. Caries susceptibility tests. Precision attachments associated with fixed and removable prostheses. Adjustment of a denture made within 6 months after installation by the same dentist who installed it. Duplicate prosthetic devices or appliances. Replacement of a lost or stolen appliance, cast restoration or denture. Intra and extraoral photographic images. Fixed and removable appliances for correction of harmful habits.
Implantology, including repairs. Appliances or treatment for bruxism (grinding teeth), including but not limited to occlusal guards and night guards. Treatment of temporomandibular joint disorder. This exclusion does not apply to residents of Minnesota. Orthodontia services or appliances. Repair or a replacement of an orthodontic appliance. Implant Supported Prosthetics to replace one or more teeth which were missing before such person was insured for Dental Insurance, except for congenitally missing natural teeth