Dental Health Insurance : Is It Essential For Best Oral Hygiene?

A dental health insurance plan is a method of making private treatment available to more people by offsetting some of the costs

. We all know that regular visits to the dentist are essential for good oral hygiene, but with all the furore about the non-availability of places at NHS dentists, many of us have had to consider dental insurance. But is this approach to dental health care cost-effective? It seems that it depends very much on your existing state of oral health and consequently how much treatment you will need going forward.

Following changes imposed by the government which standardised costs for dental procedures under the NHS, many, many dentists withdrew from the NHS, leaving a shortage of capacity for new NHS patient enrolment at dental practices. This left many with visiting a private dental practice as the only option for primary dental health care., and costs for such visits can be prohibitively high. There are various types of dental insurance cover, and the more common plans are outlined below:

Dental Cash Plans

Dental Cash Plans are regarded as the cheapest insurance plan for dental health. Premiums can be as low as 2 per week, with the insurance paying towards both private and NHS treatments, But, with a typical dental cash plan there will be a fairly modest annual limit on claims, with the policy holder having to find the balance of any treatment costs. As with any insurance policy this limit will be based on the level on premium paid in by the patient.

General Dental Insurance Cover

This type of cover may be the best option for those visiting the dentist for twice yearly check-ups, and usually with an existing good to excellent oral health. General dental insurance cover is charged at a flat rate based on the amount of cover required, and no pre-assessment is necessary. At a minimum level, your check-ups and emergency treatments will be covered. The down side of this type of policy can be an upper limit on the number of claims per year, and a ceiling on the percentage of the cost of each treatment reimbursed. If you have an unexpected requirement for major dental work, you may find yourself with insufficient cover with general dental insurance.

Capitalisation Cover

With capitalisation cover, the patient must be examined by a dentist before the level of premium to be paid is set. The plan cannot commence before this oral health assessment has been completed. Quite simply stated, the better the state of the your teeth and gums, the lower the premium will be. Your premium will be decided for your dental care for the following year, and treatment costs will be covered no matter how many treatments that you will have.

Do You Really Need Dental Health Cover?

It is quite evident from the above that if your general dental health is good, if you have a solid and regular oral hygiene programme at home, and if you only go to the dentist twice a year for check-ups, then it is unlikely that you require dental health insurance. However, unforeseen emergencies and treatments do crop up, and by investing in a low cost dental plan you will give yourself some peace of mind. Your dentist will be able to help you by discussing the options for a dental health plan that is right for you based on your dental history, the current state of your mouth, and a projection of how things look for the future in your individual case.

by: Peter Flatman

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