The teeth are often seen as an indicator of health for the rest of the body. Some estimates suggest that around 5 million people in UK visit a dentist every year with a toothache. The importance of teeth cannot be over-estimated. Even for a routine check up at the dentist can be very expensive. Finding a dentist on the NHS can be very difficult and in many cases it depends on where you live. Most NHS dentist do not take on new patients and the ones on the list have to wait for long even for dental emergencies. Even for NHS dentist most people pay a proportion of the treatment anyway. If you have dental insurance you can claim for your treatment whether you go privately or whether you go via NHS. With private dental insurance you can choose any dentist in the UK and be treated in a place of your choice.
The dental treatment can be categorised as below
Routine Dental Treatment
- Routine dental problems are the ones that can be performed in a dentist’s chair either by a registered dental surgeon or by a hygienist
Emergency Dental Treatment
- This includes severe toothache, heavy bleeding, extreme pain, swelling or haemorrhaging
Dental Accidents or Injuries
- It includes dental treatment following a dental injury
- In-patient or out-patient treatment for specialist consultations
- Surgeon fees, anaesthetists fees, hospital charges
- A dental injury is an oral impact or an external blow to the face, teeth or the jaw
Serious Dental Problems
- Treatment of oral cancer
- Treatment for the fracture of jaws and facial skeleton
- Treatment of cyst, ondotome or tumour of the mouth or jaw
- Surgical removal of roots
- Treatment of serious dental abscess
- Surgery of temporomandibular point
- Treatment of chronic periapical infection
- Reconstruction surgery including plastic surgery following a dental injury or oral cancer
Following are the different kinds of dental insurance plans available in the market
Dental Insurance Plans
- In case of dental insurance plans the more you pay the more comprehensive the plan would be
- A dental insurance plan will usually cover for the treatment of crowns, root canal work, bridges, dentures and other laboratory work
- The insurance plans also cover emergency dental treatment
- However the insurance plans will not cover cosmetic treatment, orthodontic treatment such as braces and implants, or oral cancer or other serious dental infections such as abscesses
- The dental insurance policies usually don’t pay for the full cost of the treatment
- Some insurers set a limit on the amount covered over a twelve month period and others will only pay 75% of the treatment cost over a twelve month period
- Dental insurance cover only starts some 3 to 6 months after you have arranged it
Dental Maintenance Plans
- A dental maintenance plan provides dental insurance cover for check ups, fillings, extractions and X-rays
- In this kind of plan you pay a monthly premium rather than paying for dental treatment every time you visit the dentist
- The amount you pay every month is determined by the health of your teeth, this is decided by your chosen dentist
- The agreement of dental maintenance plans is between your dentist and yourself whereas the insurance company acts in an administrative capacity
- This type of treatment is most suited for people who have healthy teeth and just need treatment to keep them healthy
Health Cash Plans
- If you do not need full dental cover you could go for health cash plan that includes dental treatment
- This plan gives you a lump sum which goes towards the cost of your dental treatment rather than paying for the treatment itself
- The amount you get depends on how comprehensive the health cash plan is in the first place
- Premiums for this kind of insurance are generally paid via direct debit on a monthly basis
It is essential to understand that there is no standard dental insurance policy. Just about every dental insurance policy if different from the other. Always check the terms and conditions and read the small print thoroughly before committing to a policy.
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