Dental insurance explained

In this article

How dental insurance works Private vs NHS dental insurance Dental insurance policies compared

Do you really need dental insurance? Alternatives to dental insurance

How dental insurance works

With most dental insurance policies you pay your dentist for any treatment received and then claim the money back from the insurer.

Dental insurance policies cover maintenance such as check-ups, scale and polish, and X-rays as well as treatments such as fillings, root canals and crowns at NHS practices, private clinics, or sometimes both. Cosmetic dental work, such as teeth whitening, is generally excluded.

Private vs NHS dental insurance

Before buying dental insurance, check if you have a local NHS dentist (the NHS has an online dentist finder tool).

Some dental insurance policies only cover you for NHS dentists but others cover some private treatment, too.

NHS-only policies tend to be cheaper, and have other advantages.

Most NHS-only dental insurance policies will pay out an unlimited amount towards treatment on the NHS over a policy year.

All of the private policies we looked at set maximum benefit levels for check-ups, scale and polish/hygienist visits and treatment and most also set caps on the percentage that they would pay towards it.

Find out more: the cost of different dental treatments explained

Dental insurance policies compared

These tables show the starting annual premium for dental insurance policies covering maintenance and treatment for a 60-year-old.

Policies are arranged alphabetically - not by premium or the quality of cover. Check 'more info' to see what the maximum proportion of the dental cost can be claimed under the plans for different types of treatment.

Provider	Policy name	Annual premium For a 60 year old	Maximum claim for check-ups Includes scale and polish	When can I make a check-up claim? How long you have to hold the policy before you make a claim	Maximum claim for routine treatment?	When can I make a routine treatment claim? How long you have to hold the policy before you make a claim	Maximum claim for emergency treatment?
Axa PPP More info You can claim back 100% of costs, up to the claim limit. Emergency treatment covers up to 4 incidents per year. Available after 1 month from start of policy. You get up to £12,000 towards one course of oral cancer treatment charges, up to 18 months following diagnosis. Available if mouth cancer diagnosed before, or within 90 days after, the commencement date of the policy or for which tests or consultations began within those 90 days, even if the diagnosis is not made until later. You get a hospital cash benefit of up to £60 per night for up to 30 nights.	Core cover	£119.58	No limit	1 month	No limit	1 month	£200
Boots More info You will pay your NHS dentist the published patient charge for the applicable band. You will then claim this full cost from your Boots dental plan. You get a hospital cash benefit of up to £100 per night for NHS treatment to a maximum of £5,000 (50 days).	Core plan	£137.64	£500	3 months	£500	3 months	£500
Bupa More info 100% reimbursement for all NHS treatment charges. Payouts are based on NHS dental cost bandings in England and Wales. Prices may be different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Emergency treatment is available 14 days after the start of the policy. There's no annual limit for oral cancer treatment, available six months after the start of the policy.	Dental Cover 10	£168.85	Local NHS limits	Immediately	Local NHS limits	4 months	Not covered
Dencover More info You can claim back 100% of costs, up to the claim limit. Emergency treatment is available after 15 days from the start of the policy. There is a £2,500 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment for the lifetime of the policy, available after 60 days from the start of the policy.	NHS	£84.00	£23.80	Immediately	£130.40	60 days	£425
WPA More info You can claim back 100% of costs for check-up and routine treatments. You can claim back 75% of emergency treatment. Maximum of 2 emergency claims of up to £250 per policy term. There is a £10,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 90 days of holding the policy. You get a hospital cash benefit of up to £200 per night for up to a maximum of £2,000.	Level 1	£167.34	No limit	30 days	No limit	30 days	£250

All information correct of July 2021.

Provider	Policy name	Annual premium For a 60 year old	Maximum claim for check-ups Includes scale and polish	When can I make a check-up claim? How long you have to hold the policy for before you can make a claim	Maximum claim for routine treatment?	When can I make a routine treatment claim? How long you have to hold the policy before you can make a claim	Maximum claim for emergency treatment?
Axa PPP More info You can claim 100% of check-up, x-ray costs, and scale and polish costs and 50% towards the cost of private dental treatment that aims to repair damage or cure a dental problem. A sub limit of £500 applies for crowns, bridges, dental implants, inlays and onlays. Emergency treatment covers four incidents per year, available after one month of holding the policy. There is up to £12,000 towards one course of oral cancer treatment per person, received within 18 months following diagnosis. Available if mouth cancer diagnosed before, or within 90 days after, the commencement date of the policy or for which tests or consultations began within those 90 days, even if the diagnosis is not made until later. There is a hospital cash benefit of £60 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 30 nights.	Premium cover	£256.04	£175	3 months	£1,000	3 months	£200
Boots More info Will refund the amount stipulated in the benefit schedule, regardless of the amount charged by the dentist, for the specified treatment. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after six months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £100 a night for NHS treatment, with a maximum annual limit of £5,000 (50 days).	Private Level 1	£201.24	£750	3 months	£750	3 months	£1,000
Boots More info Will refund the amount stipulated in the benefit schedule, regardless of the amount charged by the dentist, for the specified treatment. There is a £10,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after six months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £100 a night for NHS treatment, with a maximum annual limit of £5,000 (50 days).	Private Level 2	£292.80	£1,000	3 months	£1,000	3 months	£1,500
Bupa More info You can claim 100% of check-up, x-ray and scale and polish costs. You can claim 75% of Restorative dental treatment costs. Emergency treatment available after 14 days of holding the policy. There is a no limit for oral cancer treatment, available after six months of holding the policy.	Dental Cover 20	£414.71	£150	Immediately	£700	4 months	£600
Dencover More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 80% of scale and polish costs. You can claim 55% of routine treatment costs. Emergency treatment is available after 15 days of holding the policy. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 60 days of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Silver	£126.00	£30 for check-ups and x-rays, £35 polish	Immediately	£210	60 days	£850
Dencover More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 80% of scale and polish costs. You can claim 55% of routine treatment costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £210 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 15 days of holding the policy. There is a £7,500 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 60 days of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Gold	£192	£55 for check-ups and x-rays, £65 polish	Immediately	£410	60 days	£850
Dencover More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 80% of scale and polish costs. You can claim 55% of routine treatment costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £310 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 15 days of holding the policy. There is a £10,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 60 days of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Platinum	£264	£80 for check-ups and x-rays, £95 polish	Immediately	£610	60 days	£1,100
Dencover More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 80% of scale and polish costs. You can claim 55% of routine treatment costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £410 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 15 days of holding the policy. There is a £12,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 60 days of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Diamond	£336	£105 for check-ups and x-rays, £125 polish	Immediately	£810	60 days	£1,100
Simplyhealth More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs and 75% of scale and polish costs, up to annual claim limit. Emergency treatment is available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after three months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Level 1	£114.60	£45 for check-ups and x-rays, £35 polish	Immediately	£200	3 months	£500
Simplyhealth More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 75% of scale and polish costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £200 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Level 2	£191.04	£75 for check-ups and x-rays, £65 polish	Immediately	£400	3 months	£500
Simplyhealth More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 75% of scale and polish costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £300 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Level 3	£270.72	£105 for check-ups and x-rays, £95 polish	Immediately	£600	3 months	£500
Simplyhealth More info You can claim 100% of check-up and x-ray costs, 75% of scale and polish costs. Under routine treatments, a maximum of £400 can be used to cover crowns, bridges, root canals and bridge treatments. Emergency treatment is available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a £5,000 one-off single payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 3 months of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £50 a night for NHS treatment, for a maximum of 20 nights.	Level 4	£346.44	£135 for check-ups and x-rays, £125 polish	Immediately	£800	3 months	£500
WPA More info You can claim 75% of check-up, x-ray costs and scale, polish and emergency costs. Emergency treatment a maximum of 4 claims of up to £250 a year, available after 14 days of holding the policy. There is a £20,000 payment for oral cancer treatment, available after 90 days of holding the policy. There is a hospital cash benefit of £200 a night for NHS treatment, to a maximum of £2,000.	Level 2	£237.06	£250	30 days	£250	30 days	£250

All information correct of July 2021.

Do you really need dental insurance?

Dental insurance may seem like a good investment, but it's worth weighing up the pros and cons against how often you visit the dentist each year, whether you visit a NHS or private clinic, and your overall oral health.

The average household spends around £140 a year on medical, optical and dental services, according to the Office for National Statistics - less than the annual premium of many dental insurance policies.

Pros

Emergencies

Dental emergencies or accidents can be expensive as well as painful. Dental insurance policies will typically cover accidents and emergencies, and some will also cover you for emergencies if you're overseas.

Large operations

Complex treatments, such as crowns, dentures and bridges, fall under NHS Band 3, costing £282.80 (or up to £384 in Scotland or Northern Ireland, or £203 in Wales, as of 2021). However, if you go to a private clinic, the cost could be far more.

Dental insurance is one way to cover the cost - though there are other options worth considering. See our list of alternatives below.

Option to pay monthly

If you’re worried about large bills, many dental insurance providers allow you to pay monthly.

Cons

Free dental care on the NHS

NHS dental treatment is free for everyone aged under 18 (or 19, if in full time education), pregnant women and mothers of children under 12 months, as well as many people on low income benefits.

Long waits before you can claim

The policies we looked have a one to four-month qualifying period during which you can't claim for routine treatment.

However, some will let you claim immediately for check ups.

Caps on the cost of payouts

Many policies do not pay out for the full cost of private treatment - capping both the total cash amount they'll pay and the percentage of the overall charge for treatment.

So for example, suppose you've had a £150 procedure carried out, and your policy has a cash limit of £200. If the policy also caps its contribution at 55%, it will pay out just £82.50 - and you'll pick up the rest.

You can find out each policy’s claims limits in the table above.

Limited cancer cover

Cover for cancer is often an expense insurers are willing to pay out for the once - being excluded from the policy after the first claim.

Alternatives to dental insurance

Dental insurance isn't necessarily the cheapest way to pay for dentistry work.

Self-insuring

Rather than pay an annual premium to an insurer, why not pay the same amount into a savings account?

The benefit with this option is that unused money remains yours - and the less you draw on it, the bigger your reserve fund becomes for emergencies.

The downside, of course, is that your capacity to pay for treatment entirely depends on your savings - which could be heavily depleted if you need to pay for treatment early or need multiple procedures carried out in a short space of time.

Paying by credit card

You can spread out the cost of major dental treatments by up to 21 months (at the time of writing) by paying with a 0% interest purchase credit card.

Bear in mind that you'll still have to make minimum repayments every month.

Dental plans

With a dental payment plan, you pay a regular monthly amount instead of settling the bill after a treatment.

Find out more: read our guide to how dental plans work.

Health cash plans

Health cash plans cost less than many insurance policies. You pay a premium to receive a cash sum for treatment. This may not cover the total bill, but it reduces it to a more manageable amount.

Private health insurance

Many private health insurance policies also cover dental treatment, although premiums can be high.

Find out more: See our complete guide to health insurance.