Dental Insurance

What is Dental Insurance?

In the US Dental Insurance is designed to pay any costs incurred from the policy holder having dental work done. In the UK this is the same, but things are slightly more complicated thanks to our National Health Service, NHS, system. The idea behind dental insurance is a monetary one, it’s intended to protect people from financial hardship should they need any major work done on their teeth.

The most recent information on dental insurance which was gathered in 2006 by the National Association of Dental Plans shows that 57% of the United States population have their own dental insurance policies.

Dental Insurance is rarer in the UK than it is in the US due to a different attitude towards dentistry, with cosmetic dentistry in particular not being as popular here as it is in the US, but also because the NHS offers most UK dental patients sufficient assurance that their teeth will be taken care of in the event of an emergency, which is precisely what the NHS was set up to do. There are still plenty of Dental Insurance products on the UK market however, and as the popularity of cosmetic dentistry such as the fitting of Davinci and Lumineer veneers grows a desire to take out dental insurance is also expected to grow too.

Sound Advice

Often private medical insurance plans in the UK incorporate dental care, so if you are thinking of taking out a dental policy it is a good idea to get more cover for your money and shop around. Equally, if you already have a private medical plan you should know in detail what is and isn’t covered by your policy so you don’t purchase an additional dental plan which you may not need.

Often US dentists are not happy about being involved in dental insurance work because they have to do more paperwork and are usually paid less, in the UK however, dentists are paid the same regardless of whether they work on a private patient or an NHS patient. In fact, the UK dentists who provide NHS services are paid the same for working on an NHS patient as a private patient, the difference is that they charge the customer less and the government foots a proportion of the bill; whereas, for private dental work the customer pays the full amount themselves either from their own pocket or through a dental insurance policy.

It is worth saying that some dentists work on both private (and dental insured) and NHS patients and others just specialise in one of the two. So, a small tooth filling from a Private Dentist might cost £79, but if you use the NHS you can have the same treatment for £44 and in many cases it could even be the same dentist performing the filling, as some dental practices take both NHS and private patients.

Why is Dental Insurance Required?

People want to feel secure and know that if they chip a tooth or lose one prematurely they can get instant access to the funds they need to pay for dental repairs. Because of this, people who take out dental insurance policies are more likely to have already made an investment on their teeth cosmetically and want to maintain and take care of that.

What Does Dental Insurance Cover?

Dental insurance usually covers a huge array of different treatments but policies do vary so check. Almost all policies cover emergency dental care for chipped teeth, cracks and loose teeth. Other work such as braces, bridges, dental crowns, root canals, tooth extractions, hygiene cleans, large and small fillings, x-rays and other procedures are usually included, especially where they’re intend to repair teeth rather than improve them cosmetically. Things such as whitening and veneers may not be included in UK dental plans if your teeth are technically healthy; in fact all cosmetic treatments are unlikely to be included other than the aforementioned repair work.

What are the Benefits of Dental Insurance?

The benefits of having dental insurance in the UK are questionable because the NHS provides subsidised care and private practices often provide payment plans for people who can’t afford to pay for all of their treatment in one lump sum, spreading the cost over a longer period. Often insurers will try to reel you in with free electric toothbrushes and other gimmicks but the most important thing will always be the cover which the plan provides.

Some UK dental plans offer £4,000 in a one off payment to those diagnosed with mouth cancer but other than that there isn’t often anything special which is covered. Plans also cost in the region of £10 a month, so if you’re unlikely to spend more than £120 a year on dentistry it may not be a worthwhile investment.

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