Dental Insurance and Dental Plans

29/12/2015

Who are they for?

Those wanting to pay dental fees via a regular monthly amount rather than often unexpected unplanned lump sums
Those looking to move to private dentistry and away from NHS dentistry
Those looking for peace of mind with regard to emergency dental treatment and dental cover when abroad
Those struggling to pay dental bills or potentially struggling to pay dental bills

Here we will look at the different types of dental plans that you can have and the main companies offering them in the UK, we are not affiliated with any companies and so will not recommend one over another but will give you the facts for you to make your own informed decision and hope we can help!

Dental Plans

1. Dental Insurance plan

Monthly plan set up separate to your dental practice where you pay a monthly premium to the insurance company
Here you will pay your dental fees up front and then make a claim by filling out a claim form to be reimbursed
Companies often have a range of these based around the level of dental cover you want/desire and are priced accordingly starting from as little as £5 per month
This works a lot like any other insurance policy
Your dental condition is not assessed prior to being accepted for one of these policies
These are available to National Health Service and Private patients

The most basic dental insurance policies will cover your NHS dental costs (with some restrictions), for more about dental fees in the UK and for who is exempt from fees in the UK please see our article on dental fees.

Clinically unneccessary treatment (treatment wanted but not needed), cosmetic treatment and treatment within the first few months of the policy is usually not covered, some cover a percentage of the costs but not the full amount. Usually age does not affect the cost of the policy and they are renewed annually in most cases.

Bupa - Unique in that they offer insurance policies for everyone as well as capitation plans within their dental centres (find Bupa dental centres here), fees vary from £10-£28 so see their site for more info.
Dental Cover 10

100% reimbursement for all NHS charges.
No annual limit on oral cancer treatment and paid in full

Dental Cover 20

For private patients, will pay upto £150 per year for exams and cleaning;
Pay upto 75% of your private treatment costs upto £700 per year and upto £600 for emergency treatment,
Covers upto £5000 per year for dental injury (external impact e.g. car accident)
No annual limit for oral cancer treatment

NHS LEVEL POLICY

DenCover is underwritten by AXA PPP
They offer a number of different policies but the second tier silver policy at £6.99 per month is our most reasonable starting point for Health Service cover.
They have limits and excesses which is why the premiums are so low.
They will Covers check ups and x rays upto £30
Then Cover 55% of dental work upto £210, £850 for worldwide emergencies, £5000 for accidents and £5000 for oral cancer

NHS LEVEL POLICY

AXA PPP Healthcare - AXA PPP healthcare are another leading provider of health insurance and offer almost equal best value National Health Service policy without any excesses.
£10.26 per month for all ages - It pays out for all NHS routine treatment for those aged over 18 (child treatment is free on the NHS)
Will pay £200 per incident worldwide and upto £12,000 for oral cancer
One month qualifying period which is low and like others does not cover treatment already identified as needed

PRIVATE LEVEL POLICY

£20.55 per month;
This covers all NHS work and 50% private upto £1000 per person per year
They will cover £125 per year for routine private treatment
Good worldwide and emergency cover also

NHS LEVEL POLICY

This is a shared ownership health service level policy from simplyhealth
premium is £8.68 per month and cover is slightly more than Dencover
upto £40 for exams and cleans and 50% the cost of treatment upto £200 is covered.
Otherwise very similar to Dencover.

NHS LEVEL POLICY

WPA - A leading Health and dental insurance provider and currently only £10.25 per month upto age 49 and then £12.93 if over 50 years old.
Cover 75% for dental emergencies and not the full amount
£10,000 towards oral cancer costs included
1 month qualifying for check-ups and cleaning but 3 month qualifying period for actual treatment.
Currently offering 2 months free premiu

PRIVATE LEVEL POLICY

From £15.07 per month, £18.93 for over 50's
This is a shared ownership policy which covers upto £125 for NHS work and £1000 for restorative health service work but will also cover 75% of private costs upto £250 and 75% private emergency costs.

1. NHS cover

£9.75 per month and covers NHS treatments only
The reimbursement is for cost in England and Wales even if treated in Northern Ireland or Scotland.
Upto £500 for routine dental treatment and emergency dental treatment.

£100 per night benefit for hospital cash benefit.

2. Private level 1

£14.25 per month, upto £750 per year treatment costs
£1000 worldwide accidental dental injury and hospital cash benefit,

£5000 oral cancer treatment limit.

3. Private level 2

£20.25 per month, upto £1000 for private treatment costs
£1500 worldwide cover, hospital cash benefit
£10,000 oral cancer benefit but has a 6 month qualifying period for oral cancer cover.

2. Capitation Plan

Monthly payment plan set up through your dental practice
You have a clinical assessment of your mouth first and then a plan is discussed with your dentist based on your clinical need
The fee per month will be higher if you are more likely to require lots of treatment in the future and lower if not
Depending on which plan you choose, the costs or part of the costs are covered by the premiums and so you do not have to pay up front for treatment and then claim the fee back from a company
This will only be possible for private patients most likely.
Companies include: Denplan, Bupa, Quality plan (Northern Ireland), Practice plan (England) and any other in house plans your individual practice may host.
Quite often these plans will cover your check ups, hygiene visits, x-rays, emergency treatments and worldwide cover and then offer a discount on all other treatments typically 10-20%.

Here are some of the more established companies offering capitation plans and what you should expect:

As Discussed above Bupa have their own dental centres so have the scope to offer you a tailored dental plan which they call the Bupa Dental Health Plan

This includes 2 check ups and 2 hygienist visits per year and all X-rays, 20% discount on all treatment
Upto £400 per dental emergency upto £1000 per year again
Oral cancer unlimited and paid in full. visit a bupa dental centre or call them to find out more
Cost varies from £10-£28 so call on 0800 606 570 or email them here

Denplan is a household name in dental cover and offer their private basis services through dental practices or sometimes through your occupation. Their plans range from £13-£38 and are set up with your dental practitioner depending on your dental health/risk. In summary they offer:

Denplan essentials - monthly fee is set with patient to cover check ups, hygiene visits, x rays and preventative advice and therapy
Denplan care - a plan which covers all necessary treatment except lab fees and covers check ups and hygiene visits but like all of the others, it doesn't cover sedation fees or cosmetic treatment fees.
Plans for children - for those who cannot access an NHS dentist or would prefer private care for their whole family.
Membership plans - discounts on treatments decided by your dentist and worldwide cover arranged by denplan.

QUALITY PLAN is based in Northern Ireland and will be arranged through your dentist. Cost again will range from around £10-£38 and their levels of private cover include the following:

dental membership plan - standard plan with discounted treatments
full care plan - fee set depending on clinical need
children's dental plan
student dental plan
dental hygiene plan,
these vary considerably but tend to include exams, X-rays, hygiene visits and worldwide emergency and out of hours dentist cover.

PRACTICE PLAN is based in England and again arranged through your dentist on a private basis. It is similar to quality plan NI and typically plans on offer are:

Adults and children's plans covering exams and hygienist visits and usually 10 or 20% off treatments
membership and insurance schemes - patients are members of the practice privately and is typically discounted treatment
Family plans - allows entire family to make one payment a month to cover their exams and hygiene visits and give discount off treatment.

So What Does it all mean?

To Clarify..... dental insurance and dental plans may be suitable for some patients and not for others.

For those happy to accept NHS standard treatment and who are exempt from paying any fees or have fees capped due to other forms of exemption then these are an expensive option although they do offer worldwide and out of hours emergency care.
For Paying Health Service patients who require very occasional treatment and who have good oral health and good oral hygiene then again you may well be better off paying as you go.
For Paying Health Service patients who require treatment at most visits to the dentist then the core health service insurance options are often the best option for you and allows you to spread your treatment cost across the year.
For Paying Health Service patients who prefer private options when having treatment undertaken or who require treatment at most visits to the dentist then the mid range options such as those by Boots and Bupa.
For Private Patients then the Capitation plans are the best in our opinion as you do not need to pay the fees upfront like you do with the insurance policies as you are covered with your monthly payments. These give you peace of mind, are tailored to your dental needs and the full care package will cover all your restoration and treatment costs also.
One important feature of all the insurance policies and capitation plans is the emergency cover included worldwide to give further peace of mind.(please check this included in your policy before agreeing)

Summary

In summary it is entirely upto you, the patient. Like a lot of other insurance policies, the majority of these may not give you a massive saving on your treatment costs on average but they allow you to pay a manageable monthly amount so you do not end up having to pay a lump sum for treatment as well as giving you peace of mind with emergency, worldwide and oral cancer cover.

What best suits you?:

Pay as you go, dental insurance or capitation plan?

1. Are you a Health service patient and happy to remain a Health service patient?
Yes (Go to Qu.2), No (go to. Qu.3)

2. Do you usually require treatment at the dentist or have you had lots of treatment in the past?
No - Pay as you go, Yes - Health service dental insurance

3. Would you prefer to stay a health service patient but have private treatment when needed
Yes - Private cover plan like Bupa Dental 20, No (Go to Qu.4)

4. Would you prefer prefer a tailored plan where your monthly fee means you don't have to pay anything else out when you see the dentist as opposed to claiming back fro the insurance company?
Yes (Go to Qu. 5), No - Private Dental Insurance

5. Would you rather pay extra to cover all costs?
Yes - Capitation Full Care, No - Capitation Membership plans

For Capitation plans you need to speak to your dental practice in order to set one up or you can call Bupa about their dental centres, especially if you don't currently have a dentist

As Ever, any questions; ask our dentists here

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