What does UK private dental health insurance cover?
In the UK, there are two main levels of cover you might want to consider when taking out a dental insurance policy:
- A policy that covers the cost of NHS treatment: e.g routine examinations, extractions, cleaning and polishing, emergency dentistry and treatments, up to and including crowns, bridges and dentures.
- A policy that also covers private treatment: this may include various types of cosmetic work, teeth whitening, veneers and fast-track access to private dentists.
Does private health insurance cover dental?
This will depend on the policy but, in most cases, private medical cover won’t include dental treatment by default. This is either taken out as an add-on or as a separate policy, so if you wantprivate health insurancewith dental cover included, speak to a specialist advisor who can guide you towards the best product for your needs.
Make an enquiryto speak to one of the expert advisors we work with.
How dental insurance works
In most cases you pay a premium set by the insurer. When you visit a dentist for a check-up or treatment, you pay the costs as normal, then bill the insurance company afterwards.
As long as your dental work is included in the policy, you will be reimbursed at the percentage agreed (typically 50-75%) but up to 100% on certain plans) in the timeframe set out by the insurer.
Another type of dental cover you might encounter is called a ‘discount scheme’ or cashback plan, which is not strictly insurance, but it offers a percentage off the cost of any treatment you incur while paying into the scheme.
How much does it cost?
The cost of your premium will depend on various factors, including:
- The level of cover you choose (e.g. NHS only or NHS and private)
- Whether you want cosmetic work included
- The length of waiting period
- The excess you select and other optional features you choose to include
- Your state of health, age and other lifestyle factors such as whether you smoke.
The best way to ensure you get the most affordable premium is to work with an independent advisor who has access to the whole market. They will be able to gather quotes for the cover you want and compare policies based on the level of cover they offer and the price of the monthly premium.
Make an enquiryto speak to one of the experts we work with and they will find the most competitive and cost-effective solution for your circ*mstances.
Do I need private dental insurance?
If your oral health is generally good and you only visit the dentist for check-ups and a regular scale-and-polish, you’ll probably be better off paying the NHS charges directly, as these are likely to be lower than the premiums on a private dental plan.
However, dental emergencies can happen at any time, and even if you stick to NHS treatment this can result in unexpected bills – so you may prefer to pay into one just in case. Also, most practices offer NHS and private treatments, many patients pick and choose from both ‘menus’, which also leads to higher costs.
If you know you’ll want the flexibility and convenience of private treatment, or if you want anything cosmetic or other non-essential extras (which includes white fillings and fairly common treatments as well as more ad hoc work such as veneers and teeth whitening), dental insurance should leave you better off than if you were to simply pay out of your own pocket.
Does private health insurance cover braces?
If you’re insuring any children on your dental plan, orthodontic work including braces will usually be covered for under 18s. For adults, this will generally be considered an extra that attracts a higher premium, but it is absolutely possible.
If you’re looking to make improvements to your smile sometime soon, the specialist advisors we work with can help you find the best private health insurance for orthodontics.
Feel free tomake an enquiryand we’ll be in touch shortly to discuss your requirements.
Other treatments and procedures you might want to include on an enhanced policy may include:
- Implants:It can be harder to find private health insurance for dental implants, but some policies will pay out towards them in the right circ*mstances. Don’t forget, for these more expensive treatments, you could quickly max out the benefit limit of your plan.
- Wisdom teeth: As a type of extraction, clinically indicated removal of wisdom teeth should be covered by most plans, whether you have treatment on the NHS or go private.
Can you get private health insurance dental cover with no waiting period?
The ‘waiting period’ refers to the length of time after signing up for a policy before you can make a claim. This is intended to stop people from gaming the system by taking out insurance before a planned procedure in order to make a claim only to immediately cancel the plan.
Most policies come with a waiting period, which can be anything up to six months. However, there are some dental plans on the market that offer immediate cover, although these will usually attract a higher premium than those that do not.
Speak to an expertto find out which insurers are offering plans with no waiting period if this is something you want.
Speak to an expert on private health and dental insurance plans
The experts we work with will be delighted to help you find the best private health cover for dental. Call us today on 0808 189 0463 ormake an enquiryand we’ll be in touch soon to discuss your needs and match you up with a suitable advisor.
All the advisors we work with are independent financial advisors with access to insurance providers across the entire UK. They have the knowledge, tools and experience to make sure you get the cover you need at the best available price, saving you time, hassle and money.
