Denplan - all opinions welcome!

melancholly

i'm thinking of getting dental insurance with denplan. over christmas i saw a sign at my regular (private, within M25, excellent but expensive!) dentist saying that he now 'accepts' it (i'm sure that's the wrong word but you know what i mean!).

now i know i will be needing a crown on top of a root canal (from 2002) in the next 18 months or so (it's not urgent, but the longer i leave it the more the chances are of problems - and i don't want to wait until an emergency). i understand that this may cost up to a staggering £750 with my dentist, but he is excellent!! now the denplan website says that crowns are covered except for lab costs - how much will they be? (i guess that question is aimed at TS really!). will i be saving a lot of money on that? will an annual/six month check up or scale/polish with no other issues work out as cheaper without the denplan?

has anyone used denplan - is it good/easy to use? should i go talk to my dentist about it before i decide on the plan? are there any other practical issues that i need to know about taking it out/how it all works?

sorry for all the questions, but i'd appreciate all suggestions/opinions - however i don't really want to get side tracked into a debate over how expensive private dentists are or how there aren't enough NHS dentists etc! i think that's been done to death and having been to an emergency NHS walk in dentist last year, i'm happy to pay for the service i get (well, happy is the wrong word, but i know what my alternatives are and i've made my choice on that front!)

alison999

i used to work at a denplan dentist and i thought it was a very fair plan. also, except for lab costs (if you had a crown you would pay lab fees) your monthly payment covers all your treatment. the only snag is that you have to be dentally fit to join. so if you need any work doing it'll need to be done before you join. but once youve joined i couldnt recommend it enough!!

floyd

I have been with Denplan for many years now and am 100% happy with them. I like the reassurance that there won't be any unbudgeted costs landing in my lap and I have had 2 years intensive peridontal care, 4 wisdom teeth extracted and surgery all included in the cost of my monthly subscription (I pay about £17) and on top of that I get 3 hygenist visits a year, each lasting 40-50 mins.

However, as Alison says, some things may be excluded from your initial plan as they are 'pre-existing' conditions. You usually have to be brought up to a certain standard before being accepted as a Denplan patient, the standard you are at determines your monthly premium. When I first joined mine was £11 but as I developed peridontal disease it increased to £17

Toothsmith

melancholly wrote: »

i'm thinking of getting dental insurance with denplan. over christmas i saw a sign at my regular (private, within M25, excellent but expensive!) dentist saying that he now 'accepts' it (i'm sure that's the wrong word but you know what i mean!).

now i know i will be needing a crown on top of a root canal (from 2002) in the next 18 months or so (it's not urgent, but the longer i leave it the more the chances are of problems - and i don't want to wait until an emergency). i understand that this may cost up to a staggering £750 with my dentist, but he is excellent!! now the denplan website says that crowns are covered except for lab costs - how much will they be? (i guess that question is aimed at TS really!). will i be saving a lot of money on that? will an annual/six month check up or scale/polish with no other issues work out as cheaper without the denplan?

has anyone used denplan - is it good/easy to use? should i go talk to my dentist about it before i decide on the plan? are there any other practical issues that i need to know about taking it out/how it all works?

sorry for all the questions, but i'd appreciate all suggestions/opinions - however i don't really want to get side tracked into a debate over how expensive private dentists are or how there aren't enough NHS dentists etc! i think that's been done to death and having been to an emergency NHS walk in dentist last year, i'm happy to pay for the service i get (well, happy is the wrong word, but i know what my alternatives are and i've made my choice on that front!)

You've had good answers from the other two.

Most of my patients are on Denplan, and I find it a really good way to work.

There are a couple of different Denplan products though, and it's important to know what they are, what they cover, and what they DON'T do.

The main one is Denplan Care.

This is a capitation product, it's not insurance.

You pay an agreed amount to your dentist each month, and he agrees to do whatever is necessary to look after your teeth. There is no 'pot of money' for the dentist to claim from. So it's really in his interest to keep you as healthy as possible, and you can guarentee that you will never get any unnecessary work done under Denplan! As no-one gets paid any extra for doing this work.

It doesn't cover cosmetic stuff, so if you want your teeth whitened, or veneering, or orthodontics, Denplan will not cover this. (If you already have veneers, or cosmetic work in place, then the replacement of them when necessary WILL be covered.)

You will pay the lab fees for anything a technician needs to make for you. These prices can be very variable depending on the type of item needed. It will be considerably cheaper than the price if you weren't on Denplan though. At my practice, a full gold crown on a back tooth would be 275.00. For patients just paying the lab fee though, it would be 80.00ish. For something more advancedlike a Lava crown, the full price is 525.00, but the labfee is 150.00, although I would often say that the Lava was a 'cosmetic' option, and charge a bit more than lab fee for it (Although I would probably give a Denplan patient a substancial discount).

The other common Denplan poduct is Denplan Essentials.

This one is a lower monthly fee, but it doesn't cover everything like Denplan Care does.

Depending on what level of cover you choose, it will cover a couple of check-ups and a couple of hygienist visits a year. Higher levels may cover more things like extra hygienist visits, or x-rays. If you need anything outside of your agreed cover, then you will be charged at a discounted fee-per-item rate.

It's important to realize that both products are an agreement between you and your dentist. If you move house, and carry on paying the same dentist, then nothing will 'carry over' to a new dentist.

That can cause a bit of confusion and anger for people who don't understand the arrangement.

If you do change dentist, its important to visit your dentist for a final check-up to ensure you're dentally fit. Then, it's important to get signed onto your new dentist before anything bad happens!

Both products also have an insurance component to them as well. This will pay for out-of-hours emergency care, or emergency care if you're away from home.

Another useful thing it provides is cover should your teeth be damaged in an accident. If this happens repair costs - including lab fees - will be covered. For an extra payment of a few pence a month, you can choose to upgrade tis to implant cover. This would mean that if you lost a tooth in an accident, then it could be replaced with an implant - something which the ordinary cover won't pay for. It's important to understand that this extra cover is ONLY for a tooth lost through accident. If you need a tooth out because it's kn#ckered, then it won't cover an implant for that!

Middle_Sister

I thought I had a loose tooth but the dentist says its part of 3 in a bridge. He is going to take off the bridge and look at whats going on underneath as he thinks there is a crack which may mean removing the root (or something). I have Denplan but have been warned I will have to pay lab fees. How much is this approximately likely to be?

Toothsmith

Depends on too many things.

Your dentist should be able to give you a good idea though.

Should be of the order of 2 - 400.00, depending on lab and matrial used - possibly higher if it's something flashy like Lava.

belfastgirl23

We have denplan too and have always found it works okay. It does mean its in your dentist's interests to look after your teeth financially as well as morally which is a good thing! And makes you more determined to go to the dentist and get your money's worth!!

mintymoneysaver

I've definitely got my money out of Denplan so far. I have hgienist appointments every three months and so far since my first payment about 9 months ago I've had a white filling and root canal treatment. Not my favourite way of spending £21 a month but worht my while!