Denplan

Traditional insurance policies

Offered by about a third of practising dentists in the UK, ‘Denplan’ is a payment plan designed to help patients budget for routine treatment and ongoing preventative health care. It works by charging monthly premiums based upon an initial oral assessment. The plan is separated into five categories, from A to E, in which A designates teeth which are in good condition and E, those at the other end of the spectrum. Premiums are calculated by the category you are allocated to, and the kind of Denplan product you’re using.

The Denplan product which is most often used is Denplan care, and it covers crowns, bridges, fillings, X-rays and oral hygiene. Depending on the category of your teeth, you could be paying as little as £10 or as much as £30 for some category E adults. There are some additional charges such as laboratory costs. If you don’t like the sound of premiums which are based on the state of your teeth, then you might want to consider looking at some of the more traditional insurance policies. Insurance providers like Universal Provident, Boots and WPA, base their premiums upon how old you are, rather than your oral health. Their coverage can be split broadly into four areas. These are: basic treatments like a scale and polish, dental emergencies, dental injuries, such as when teeth have been damaged by a fall, and serious dental problems like oral cancer.