Generally dental insurance isn't a good deal.
At my current company, there are three levels. Company-paid, which only works for 5 dentists. The slightly upgraded plan, which has maybe 20-30 dentists. And the PPO plan, which covers any dentists.
Once I started at this company (hubby's doesn't have dental), I used the company-paid one for emergencies, and then we paid out of pocket because our chosen dentists were not on the cheap plan. Paying cash means we got a discount from the dentists.
We pretty much go 2x a year. I've had friends with dentists who insist on 3x a year, even though their insurance only pay for 2x. Nope.
So, the advantage to the company-paid plan is that when hubby needed a root canal, our dentist was able to look through "the list" and recommend a good dentist.
Once kid #2 turned 2, we then had 4 people going to the dentist 2x a year. That's when it became financially beneficial to upgrade the dental plan. The annual premiums are $900-1000.
Each dentist visit is $200-$250. So, let's call it $225x8. That's $1800. Because our dentists (one adult, one pediatric) are not "in network" we are covered at 80%, not 100%. Still coverage is $1440 a year, more than our premiums.
And that's just basic service. If we have a crown, a root canal, a filling, etc., it covers that partially too. Calendar year max per person at $1500.
Math-wise, it worked out when we added the 4th member. Didn't really work out before that.