Does Health Insurance Cover Dental?

A senior woman having a dentist appointment.

Understanding how dental insurance works and whether it’s included in your health plan can help you make informed decisions about your care.

This guide breaks down:

Why more people in the UK are exploring health insurance with dental cover.
What dental insurance typically includes.
How to claim and get reimbursed for dental treatment.
Whether dental cover is included in standard health insurance policies.

The growing interest in dental cover in the UK

Access to NHS dental care has become more limited in recent years. Just over half of adults in England are registered with an NHS dentist, and the number drops below half for people aged over 55, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Because of this, more people are looking into private dental insurance to help manage costs and ensure they can get treatment when they need it.

Find out more about private dentist costs.

What is private dental insurance?

Private dental insurance helps pay for some of your dental treatment costs, whether you go to a private dentist or use the NHS. You pay a regular premium for your policy, and you can make a claim if you need to pay for dental care.

How does dental insurance work?

Not sure how dental insurance works? Here’s a simple step-by-step breakdown:

Get a policy: Choose a dental insurance plan and pay for it monthly or yearly.
Book your appointment: Contact your dentist and arrange a date and time for your treatment.
Pay the dentist: After your treatment, you’ll usually pay the dentist on the same day.
Make a claim: After you pay for your dental treatment, send a claim to your insurance company.
Get reimbursed: If your claim is approved, your insurer will pay you back some or all of the cost. How much they pay you back depends on the treatment type and your policy limits.

What is covered by dental insurance?

What’s included in your dental insurance depends on your provider and the level of cover you choose.

Most dental insurance plans cover things like:

Regular check-ups
X-rays
Hygienist visits
Treatments such as fillings, crowns, bridges, implants, dentures, root canals and gum disease care
Tooth extractions
Emergency treatment (e.g. broken tooth or denture repairs)
Accidental damage (within a set timeframe)
Oral cancer care.

Is dental insurance included in standard private health insurance?

Dental insurance isn’t usually automatically part of a private health insurance plan. It’s often an optional add-on which you can choose when you upgrade your policy.

Explore the conditions private health insurance typically covers in our guide.

What’s the difference between dental accident cover and dental emergency cover?

Dental accident and dental emergency cover sound similar, but they protect you in different situations:

Dental accident cover. This helps if you injure your mouth or teeth in an accident, like getting a tooth knocked out while playing sports.
Dental emergency cover. This is for urgent dental problems, such as a bad toothache, a broken filling or an infection that needs quick treatment.

What are the limits and exclusions to dental cover?

Dental insurance doesn’t cover everything. Here are some common things that might not be included in your policy:

Cosmetic treatments: Procedures like teeth whitening or veneers are usually not covered because they’re not medically necessary.
Pre-existing conditions: Any dental problems you had before your policy started may not be included.
Braces and orthodontics: These are often considered cosmetic, so they’re not always covered. Some insurers might pay for them if they’re needed for medical reasons.
Optional treatments: Things like gum reshaping or tooth contouring that you choose to have for appearance, not health, are usually excluded.

Adding dental care to your health insurance policy

With Saga, you can add dental care to your health insurance by opting into our Health Cash Benefits Cover. Selecting this option means you can claim for up to £200 dental care per person, per policy year and up to £200 dental emergency per person, per policy year. When you claim either of these benefits, you won’t pay an excess and your No Claim Discount isn’t affected.

Explore more ways to improve your health insurance cover with Saga.

Who underwrites Saga Health Insurance?

Saga Health Insurance is a unique product designed by us specifically for our customers and it is only available through us. Together with our underwriter, Bupa Insurance Limited, we are committed to providing high levels of quality, service and choice. That's why we offer a range of policies that can be tailored to suit your needs and budget.