Dental Insurance Disscusion

wollix

I have just lost my NHS exemption for dental treatment and am wondering nervously what I am in for
I am 52 and have a lot of crowns which are on the whole trouble free but one in particular is out and I have just been referred to the hospital for root canal treatment there
I am currently facing the same filling being redone for the third time (its tricky)
overall at the moment I seem to be in there every 6weeks or so with something ...
I am long standing with my dental practice and pleased with them. it is NHS (James Hull if that means anything to anyone)
I am single, children over 18 or left home, self employed and low income, taking the max from the working tax credit people
should I pay as I go on the NHS or take out insurance and if so what is sensible?
any advice welcome
thanks

Roberta1

Hello All,

I've read this thread and Martin's article with interest but haven't been able to draw any conclusions for my own situation. Can any of you guys help?

I've been with Denplan for about 15 years, have had loads of work done and am a Band E customer. I pay about £36 per month, which I feel is not a bad cost for what I have done

HOWEVER I am not at all happy with my dentist. It is a very busy practice and appointments are hard to come by. Recently they have been unable to resolve a problem when I have been in pain due to lack of available appointments (long story!).

I am considering going elsewhere and have found that other dentists will only offer me a Denplan contract with conditions e.g. certain teeth are excluded from treatment.

I would like to know about good dental insurance plans as Martin's article suggests this could be a better option for someone like me.

Can anyone help?
TIA
Roberta

Vegeta

I saw my NHS dentist on Friday. I had some jaw problems recently and they want to fit me with a occlusal splint (stabilisation splint). I haven't been told about any costs as they say I have to go to a different dental practice to have the splint made as current practice doesn't have equipment to make the splint. After a checkup there and impressions are made of my teeth, they will tell me the costs.

Is the splint a band 2 or band 3 item?

Toothsmith

Vegeta wrote: »

I saw my NHS dentist on Friday. I had some jaw problems recently and they want to fit me with a occlusal splint (stabilisation splint). I haven't been told about any costs as they say I have to go to a different dental practice to have the splint made as current practice doesn't have equipment to make the splint. After a checkup there and impressions are made of my teeth, they will tell me the costs.

Is the splint a band 2 or band 3 item?

As it's made by a lab, it will be a band 3 - £198 (in England, slightly cheaper in Wales)

I'm a private practice, and I charge much less than that for one! It might be cheaper to have it provided privately.

toothy23

If I sign up for one of those dental plans... Will it cover previous damage?

Will my claim be rejected for my neglected care? Like not having visited a dentist in several years.

Thank you for your comments.

insurancemaniac

Joe65 wrote: »

Why is it Moneysupermarkets's so called 'compare dental insurance policies' , at :- moneysupermarket.com/dentalinsurance

only comes up with 1 policy, the same policy, regardless of what criteria one puts in ?
namely:-
Dencover via Moneysupermarket

Where are those so called 35 policies that Martin's article mentions it compares ?

Is there any other comparison site, nowadays ?

Things have changed on MoneySupermarket and there are now more dental insurers listed. Dencover.com is still listed and is the cheapest on that list, I just checked.

Are there comparison sites? No not really, some try, but they are marketing companies and do a very poor job of it. Trust the insurers themselves and you can't go wrong, the markting sites have often got misleading information, even though it's not intentional. Rumours are tha GoCompare.com will be the first true dental aggregator sometime soon. QuoteZone are also looking at this I think. Currently Dencover are also listed by QuoteZone see their page for updates >> quotezone.co.uk/dental.htm

Shirt11

Can anyone tell me on the NHS I pay £16.50 for a check up, If I need a scale and polish its another £35 during the same visit with the dentist - however on line it states that this should all be covered under the £16.50 NHS fee is this right? or is my dentist ripping me off?

Billieblob

Shirt11,

Your dentist must supply you with a printed treatment plan and estimate prior to commencing any work. This must clearly stipulate what treatment is to be provided privately and what is available on the NHS.
It sounds like you are being charged for a Private scale and polish whilst you are under the impression that this treatment is being provided under the NHS.
If you are an NHS patient, then, unless you agree otherwise, all treatment is provided under the NHS and for a check up with a scale and polish at the same visit you should only be charged the Band 1 fee (£16.50)
1.Check through any paperwork (estimates/ receipts etc) from the practice and see exactly what you have been charged for.
2.Ask your practice why you have been charged the extra money without consenting to being treated under a private contract.
3.If not satisfied with the answer from the practice ask for a refund.
4.If still not satisfied take your complaint to the local PCT PALS service
5.If STILL not satisfied complain to the GDC (General Dental Council)

Billieblob

Roberta1 wrote: »

Hello All,

I've read this thread and Martin's article with interest but haven't been able to draw any conclusions for my own situation. Can any of you guys help?

I've been with Denplan for about 15 years, have had loads of work done and am a Band E customer. I pay about £36 per month, which I feel is not a bad cost for what I have done

HOWEVER I am not at all happy with my dentist. It is a very busy practice and appointments are hard to come by. Recently they have been unable to resolve a problem when I have been in pain due to lack of available appointments (long story!).

I am considering going elsewhere and have found that other dentists will only offer me a Denplan contract with conditions e.g. certain teeth are excluded from treatment.

I would like to know about good dental insurance plans as Martin's article suggests this could be a better option for someone like me.

Can anyone help?
TIA
Roberta

Hi Roberta,

You've probably (hopefully) got this sorted out by now, but as I am a noob to this forum, and you haven't received an answer yet, maybe I can help.

£36/month is a HUGE amount to be paying for dental treatment. If you need that much work done every year then you need to ask why? You say you have a lot of work done, but what type of work is it?

If someone has gum disease and they need a lot of hygiene visits, this can be necessary and costly over time, but £432 per year would be pretty upper end of the pay scale.

If every time you have a check up, you need 1-2 fillings due to the fillings being broken, then you should investigate why. Should your teeth be crowned to prevent fracture? High initial cost but better longevity. If you clench and grind your teeth you should be assesssed for suitability for a splint which will protect your teeth/fillings from fracture. If you are getting fresh decay which needs treatment, then your diet needs analysing because this should be prevented!

I have my reservations regarding Denplan, but I do hope my post is far too late and you have been sorted out long ago!

sensibly_insane

Hi All,

I have had medical insurance with a company where I needed to get the authorisation of the insurance company before going for any medical treatement. This was an added peace of mind as it saved me from any hefty unexpected medical bills in case the treatement was not covered.

I am looking for similar dental policy where one needs to get the authorisation from the insurer before the treatement is carried out. I have looked hard but could not find any such company.

On a different note, is it usually possible with comapnies like denplan, tesco etc. to comfirm before the treatment that it is covered under the policy?

I wonder if some forum members could shed some light on these queries, I will highly appreciate any positive comments.

Many thanks