Where to buy dental insurance for employees

Dental insurance is becoming very popular in the UK as people struggle to find appointments with their NHS dentist, and a dental insurance policy for employees is a much-appreciated employee benefit. The cost of a private dental appointment is more expensive than the NHS by far and, depending on where you live, the costs can become prohibitive.

Company dental insurance is a low-cost employee benefit. With tiered benefit levels, you can have different benefit levels for different categories of staff which is a good way to reduce the costs of your policy.

A really great element of dental insurance for employees is your staff do not have to have a pre-joining examination. This makes company dental insurance a super-easy employee benefit to put in place.

There are many reasons why the NHS are struggling to provide appointments. The article below explains why one dentist has chosen to go private:

‘Completely demoralised’ – why the NHS targets have pushed me to go private

Which insurance companies offer dental insurance for employees?

There are a number of insurance providers for company dental insurance in the UK.

Our panel of company dental insurers include:

You can also add dental and optical cover to many of the company private medical insurance policies available in the UK. Although the cover would not be as extensive as a stand-alone policy, it would offer an element of cashback on dental claims.

Health cash plans also offer dental cover. Statistically, dental and optical cover are the two benefits on a health cash plan that employees claim for most. This confirms to any employer that cover for private dental treatment is important to employees across the country. Cash plans are also a low-cost employee benefit.

Is there a minimum number of staff for a company plan?

Ideally, you need to have 3 or more employees on your dental insurance plan. The application form is simple, and you can add new joiners mid-way through the year if you recruit new staff. Many businesses elect to have a probationary period prior to adding new staff to any employee benefit policy. This could be 3, 6 or 12 months.

How much does dental insurance for employees cost?

As mentioned above, dental insurance is a low-cost benefit to you as the employer. Dental insurance is not always age-rated and therefore you would not pay more for older employees. You may be surprised how inexpensive dental insurance is for a basic cover level. This type of cover offers you and your staff excellent value for money, year on year.

What type of private dental treatment can your employees claim for?

Stand alone company dental insurance offer a number of benefit categories. The monetary value available to your employees depends on the cover level you choose to take. Many of the UK policies do include cover for the treatment of oral cancer – again, an added bonus for employees who may not qualify for cover under your company private medical insurance policy.

Let’s look at Simplyhealth as an example.

Simplyhealth offer 6 cover levels on their Lucent Dental insurance for employees. There are a multitude of benefits available on the plan.  Let’s focus on 5 common dental treatments as an example:

Treatment1*23456
 
Routine examinationNHS costs£24£29£35£46£57
White FillingsNHS costs£47£63£79£95£110
CrownNHS costs£200£242£315£410£494
BridgeNHS costs£420£578£735£893£1,050
Denture – upperNHS costs£378£504£630£714£798
 

*Level 1 is designed to cover 100% of NHS dental limits.

Benefit information sourced from Simplyhealth literature reference CORP701-0429

As you can see, the level of cover you choose has an impact on the monetary value your staff can claim for. Even at the lowest benefit level, dental insurance still provides them with money back on everyday healthcare they would have to fund out of their own pockets normally.

Is it easy for employees to make a claim?

The claims process is easy. Employees pay for their dental treatment and obtain a receipt that confirms their name, date of treatment, treatment type and the full details of the dental practice. They can then submit this receipt online or via a mobile app, where available, and the insurance company will reimburse your staff up to the relevant cover level.

Can you buy dental insurance through a specialist broker?

Absolutely! When you work with a specialist health insurance broker you know you are getting expert advice on any health insurance product. Using a broker such as SMP Healthcare allows you to compare dental insurance before making your decision.

As all insurer options differ, why not work with a specialist who can help you make a truly informed decision?

When you buy dental insurance for employees, make sure you make a great choice, first time.

If you would like more information, please contact SMP Healthcare on 01245 929129. We can help you with any of your company health insurance requirements including: