If you need dental treatment, you may be wondering whether your insurance can help to cover some or all the cost. The answer depends on the type of insurance policy you have, the treatment you need, and the terms of your specific policy.
This blog looks at dental insurance, what it is, how to use it, and what it usually covers.
This guide explains how insurance for dental treatment works in the UK. It also covers the difference between dental insurance and private medical insurance, looks at what may and may not be covered, and how to check your policy.
It also explores what happens when you use private medical insurance to access dental or oral surgery at Practice Plus Group.
While lots of different health insurance policies cover dental treatment, it’s important to note that the specifics of your policy matter.
There are several different ways people use insurance or even payment plans to help manage the cost of dental treatment, but they don’t all work the same way.
A dedicated dental insurance policy may contribute towards routine dental appointments, restorative treatment, and dental accidents and emergencies. In many cases, you’ll need to pay the dentist first and then submit a claim to your insurer for some or all of the cost.
Private medical insurance is primarily designed for medical treatment rather than dentistry specifically. However, some policies include cover for certain dental or oral surgery procedures, particularly when specialist hospital treatment is required. You’ll need to check with your insurance provider to see whether dental treatment is covered under the terms of your policy.
At Practice Plus Group, we offer straightforward access to its dental and oral surgery services for insured patients. However, you’ll need to check beforehand whether your treatment is covered by your insurer and your policy terms.
Dental insurance is a policy specifically designed to help cover the cost of looking after your teeth and gums.
You normally pay a regular premium, which may be a monthly fee or an annual payment. In return, the insurer contributes towards eligible dental treatment up to the limits stated in your policy.
Depending on the level of dental cover you have, this could include:
MoneyHelper explains that many policies also provide some cover for dental accidents and emergencies, although limits, exclusions and waiting periods are common. Patients will often pay their dentist and then reclaim the eligible amount from their insurer.
The amount returned to you may not always equal the full treatment costs, particularly when treatment is carried out by a private dentist. The amount reimbursed to you will depend on the specific details of your policy.
The terms can sound similar, but there are some important differences laid out in the table below.
Type of cover | What it’s generally designed for | Examples of treatment that may be covered |
|---|---|---|
Dental insurance | Ongoing dental care and eligible dental treatment | Check-ups, hygiene appointments, fillings, restorative treatment, and some emergency dental treatment |
Private medical insurance | Treatment for eligible medical conditions | Hospital consultations, investigations, surgery and, under some policies, certain specialist dental or oral surgery |
Dental payment plan | A way to spread dental costs, rather than necessarily being an insurance policy | Routine appointments and selected treatment agreed with a participating dentist |
Self-pay | You pay directly for private treatment | Treatment agreed between you and your healthcare provider |
This distinction is particularly important if you are considering oral surgery.
It’s important to remember that having a health insurance policy doesn’t automatically mean dental treatment is covered. By the same token, having standard dental insurance does not necessarily mean that specialist hospital-based oral surgery will be covered in full.
You should always check the wording of your individual policy rather than assume you have full dental coverage.
Policies differ considerably depending on the provider and the specific terms. With that in mind, there is no universal definition of what dental insurance UK policies must include.
Depending on the terms, cover may include but is not limited to the following:
More comprehensive policies may contribute towards crowns, root canal treatment, or other more expensive procedures.
Cover for dental accidents and emergencies is also common on some policies. This could help towards unexpected treatment following an injury or a sudden dental problem, although the insurer’s definition of an emergency and its claim limits will apply.
Some policies may also contribute towards dental care received overseas, but you should never assume this is included.
MoneyHelper notes that dental policies often contain annual benefit limits and may reimburse only a percentage of private treatment costs.
Exclusions vary, but there are several areas worth checking carefully. These are listed in the sections below.
We’ve already touched on it and the answer isn’t definitive.
Private medical insurance does not normally function as a replacement for routine dental insurance. Some policies can, however, provide cover for specialist dental surgery or oral surgery.
At Practice Plus Group, private medical insurance is one of the ways patients can access dental surgery. Available procedures include simple tooth extraction, surgical tooth removal, wisdom tooth surgery, removal of retained roots, multiple tooth extraction and dental clearance.
Your insurer ultimately decides whether your procedure is eligible.
Before arranging treatment, you’ll need to contact your insurance company with the exact procedure you are considering and ask whether both the healthcare provider and consultant are recognised under your policy.
For patients using private medical insurance, the process can be straightforward once cover has been confirmed.
Step | What to do |
|---|---|
1. Check whether you need a referral | Ask your insurer whether a GP, dentist, or specialist referral is required under your policy. |
2. Contact your insurer | Tell them the treatment you have been referred for and that you would like to be treated by Practice Plus Group. |
3. Confirm your dental cover | Ask specifically whether the proposed oral surgery you need is covered and whether any restrictions apply. |
4. Ask about your excess | Find out whether you have an excess, co-payment, annual limit, or other amount you will need to pay yourself. |
5. Obtain pre-authorisation | Ask your insurer for the authorisation or pre-authorisation code required for treatment. |
6. Contact Practice Plus Group | Provide your insurance details and authorisation information when arranging your consultation. |
7. Attend your consultation | Your consultant will assess your dental problem and recommend appropriate treatment where necessary. |
8. Reconfirm cover if the treatment changes | If additional investigations or a different procedure are recommended, check these are also authorised before treatment takes place. |
Insured patients need to provide their policy number and pre-authorisation confirmation. Where possible, Practice Plus Group will process the insurance claim with the insurer.
Possibly.
Having insurance does not necessarily mean every element of your treatment will be paid in full.
Your policy could include an excess, which is the amount you agree to contribute towards eligible treatment. There may also be benefit limits or a shortfall between what your insurer agrees to pay and the total amount due.
At Practice Plus Group, our terms explain that patients will need to cover any amount not included in their private medical insurance. Where an excess or shortfall remains after an insurance claim, the patient can be invoiced for the outstanding amount.
Ask your insurer three questions before booking:
The answers given will provide you with a clearer picture of your likely dental payment before treatment begins.
With standard dental insurance, you will often need to pay the dentist or private dental practice yourself first for the procedure, before submitting your receipt to the insurer.
Some providers have different arrangements and may pay a participating dentist directly.
Hospital-based private medical insurance can work differently. At Practice Plus Group, we may process an authorised insurance claim directly with the insurer where the required information has been provided.
If you are unsure, ask your insurer whether you need to pay up front or whether the healthcare provider can invoice them directly.
If your insurance does not cover your treatment, but you’d still like to access treatment privately, the self-pay option is also available. The prices for dental treatment at Practice Plus Group can be found in the table below.
Dental procedure | Current self-pay price |
|---|---|
Simple tooth extraction | £735 |
Surgical removal of a tooth | £1,199 |
Coronectomy | £1,849 |
Extraction of multiple teeth | £1,849 |
Full dental clearance | £1,849 |
Upper dental clearance | £1,849 |
Lower dental clearance | £1,849 |
Surgical removal of impacted tooth | £1,849 |
Surgical removal of impacted wisdom tooth | £1,849 |
Surgical removal of wisdom tooth | £1,849 |
If you are insured, your provider’s agreed rate and the terms of your policy may apply instead of the published self-pay price.
A dental payment plan is different from insurance.
Instead of claiming against a policy when you need treatment, you usually pay a regular monthly fee to a dental practice.
The services included will depend on the plan. Some focus on routine dental care (for example examinations and hygiene appointments) while more comprehensive arrangements may include elements of restorative treatment.
MoneyHelper explains that dental payment or capitation plans are intended to spread dental care costs over time and may include routine care such as check-ups, a scale and polish, and X-rays.
They should not automatically be treated as an alternative to insurance for specialist dental surgery.
Self-pay and insurance is not the only way to access dental treatment.
NHS dentists provide clinically necessary care intended to keep your teeth, gums, and mouth healthy. In England, NHS dental treatment is divided into charge bands. This means that while some people qualify for free treatment, others will need to cover some of the costs themselves.
Waiting times for NHS dental treatment do vary and can be very long. Before you make a decision as to whether you have treatment privately or via the NHS, you’ll need to do some research.
Private treatment can offer another option when you want private care or when the treatment, provider, or timing you want is not available through your usual NHS dental route.
At Practice Plus Group, we accept patients for dental surgery through self-pay, private health insurance, and NHS referral routes.
Be careful not to compare policies based on the monthly premium alone.
Instead, look closely at the following factors:
Also, remember to check whether you can choose any private dentist or whether the policy restricts you to particular providers.
If you are purchasing an insurance product, you can also check the company using the Financial Conduct Authority Firm Checker. According to the FCA, almost all UK firms providing regulated financial services must be authorised or registered. This checker can be used to confirm whether a firm has permission to provide insurance services.
Insurance can help manage treatment costs, but it does not replace regular dental care.
Keeping up with dental examinations, cleaning your teeth effectively, and seeking advice when you notice a problem can help protect your oral health. It may also help to reduce the chance of more extensive treatment becoming necessary.
Routine dental examinations are also an opportunity for your dentist to assess your mouth more broadly.
If you have been told that you need to have a tooth removed or another oral surgery procedure, the first step is to check whether your policy provides cover.
Practice Plus Group offers private dental surgery at selected hospitals and surgical centres across the country. Procedures are scheduled at a time to suit you and are available via self-pay, insurance, and NHS referral routes.
If you are accessing dental treatment via private medical insurance, you need to contact your insurer first to get the necessary authorisation. Once your cover has been confirmed, we’ll help you arrange the next stage of your care.
nd decide which combination works best for your circumstances.
Private healthcare offers greater flexibility over when, where, and by whom you’re treated. In the vast majority of cases, the waiting times are shorter too, and with Practice Plus Group, prices are transparent.
Choosing private healthcare can make planned treatment easier to fit around work, family, and personal commitments. Options to access private treatment are self-pay, payments plans, or medical insurance.
Not yet found the information you’re looking for? Our insured dental treatment FAQs might be able to help!
Acknowledgements
This page has been medically reviewed and approved by Claire O’Neil, Partnerships Director at Practice Plus Group Hospital. Previously a registered intensive care nurse with 15 years’ experience in healthcare, Claire has worked across the NHS, private hospitals, and health insurers, helping organisations grow and patients access the care they need. Claire has had the privilege of working with leading names like Circle Health Group, Vitality, and AXA, and is passionate about bringing people together to find smarter, fairer ways to improve healthcare for everyone.
All content on this page is produced by the Practice Plus Group digital content team and clinically reviewed by consultant specialists to ensure accuracy, patient safety, and alignment with current UK clinical best practice. Content is approved under Practice Plus Group’s clinical governance framework
This page is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in clinical evidence, surgical practice, and patient safety standards. The last clinical review was completed on 3/7/2026, with the next review scheduled for 3/07/2027.
