History of Dental Select: How it All Began

October 21, 2020

Dental Select’s story goes back to 1989, with Dental Select’s founder, Brent Williams. At the time, Brent worked hard to achieve a successful secure career in accounting but saw the need for making dental plans affordable for everyone. Brent also recognized frustrations from consumers and dental offices over refused and delayed payment of claims. So, Brent Williams packed up his life into the back of a Dodge van and moved to the United States from Canada. With only $2,000 in his pocket, he started piecing together his dream of changing the dental plan industry forever.

The early days of Dental Select are filled with stories of sacrifice, hard work and risk. Brent founded the company in a small apartment. As he was able to garner some sales revenue, Brent expanded Dental Select to a small, furnished office with no money for a down payment and no money for salaries. He hired a receptionist and had to cover her first paycheck using a credit card. Although the company’s growth during the first years was slow and steady, Brent stayed focused on his goal and eventually nurtured the small company to grow from a few employees to a hundred employees.

And the rest is history. In the thirty years since, we’ve grown from the small beginnings of only a dental discount program to offering group and individual plans with over 470,000 members across our dental and vision products. With a few branding refreshers and one corporate office upgrade in between, we’ve also grown beyond the state of Utah to offer nationwide plans. And in 2020 were acquired by Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. And while the company has come a long way, it’s still a young and hungry group committed to that original vision of simple and affordable access to care for all.

To read more about our plans, click here.