7 Facts you should know about getting dental insurance

February 28, 2022

I’m sure you’ve heard of dental insurance, health insurance and dental insurance are slowly increasing in popularity, with people feeling it will help them to get the best treatment. There are still many questions surrounding dental insurance, such as: what is the best dental insurance? Is dental insurance worth it? Is there NHS dental insurance or is there only private dental insurance? You’ve probably heard of multiple common dental insurance options such as Bupa dental care and blue cross dental insurance. We’re going to cover the 7 things you need to know about dental insurance.

1. What is UK dental insurance?
Much like any type of insurance you pay a certain amount per month that in return gives you a certain level of cover per year. This can cover things like check-ups and hygiene appointments, fillings and other general treatments.

2. If you have dental insurance you can use your insurance to pay for private or NHS treatment. It is worth checking what plan you have and what is covered under this plan, but most don’t stipulate whether you need to use the NHS or a private dentist. Some cheaper plans will be geared towards NHS treatments as the costs will be based on the bands of treatment within the NHS.

3. If you’re thinking about getting dental insurance, make sure you’re not already covered. Whilst you may not have any one of the dental plans available, if you have private health insurance, you may already have a level of coverage. Some health insurance plans have dentistry covered, even if it’s just to a basic level. You may even find that your employer offers you a health or dental insurance as part of your employee benefits.

4. You are unlikely to get cover for pre-existing conditions. Much like any insurance plan, pre-existing conditions are off-limits. Most dental insurance companies will ask for you to have had a check-up within 12 months, to have a true reflection of your up-to-date dental health. Each policy will be different, so you must always check the small print.

5. Your dentist may have what’s called a capitation plan, the aim of these is that you can spread the cost of your check-up and hygiene appointments, but these also come with insurance. Your dentist may have spoken to you about these, but make sure you’re not paying over the odds. You should always review your plan yearly to ensure you’re not paying for more treatment than you need. Some patients report having monthly plans worth £30 a month plus, when in reality they may only need a plan at half the cost, speak to your dentist about reviewing your package yearly.

6. Dental insurance is typically preventative focused. If you opt for dental insurance hoping for huge savings on restorative and cosmetic dentistry, you may be disappointed, although you may get discounts on treatments through your insurer, their typical qualifying treatments for a payout are general dentistry.

7. Unused money does not roll over. This is important to remember because if you are not using the cover provided you will be paying over the odds for your dental care. Instead of opting for dental insurance, some people set up a savings account with a direct debit of a certain amount per month. When it comes to a savings account and dental insurance comparison, the main benefit of a savings account is that if you don’t use that money you can roll it over to the next year, however, you must remember this won’t come with the other benefits of dental insurance, but that is something you have to weigh up based on your personal needs.