Bay Area dental practices face a health insurance decision that most generic benefits guides don't address well: their teams are staffed differently, their hygienists often work part-time across multiple offices, and the Bay Area hospital landscape means the HMO versus PPO choice has real consequences for employees with existing specialist relationships. This guide covers how California's community-rated group plans work, why the carrier question matters more in this market than most, and what the three main options: group plans, ICHRA, and level-funded actually look like side by side.