Insurance sales soar as Scots try to fill dental care cavity

Almost 80,000 people are waiting to be registered for an NHS dentist in Scotland, it was revealed by The Scotsman this week, with just a slight decrease in the past year despite Scottish Government pledges to improve access to NHS dentistry.

In some rural areas, including the Borders, the number of people waiting for NHS registration has grown, forcing more people to pay higher prices for private work or miss out on treatment altogether.

The problem has been exacerbated by the recession, with fewer people forking out for private dental treatment. Research by health cash plans provider Simplyhealth found that almost half of consumers would avoid going to a dentist in the near future because of concerns about the cost, up from 18 per cent before the credit crunch. It claimed that people skipping dental surgery typically end up paying about 4,000 in the longer term to tackle the deferred problem.

If you've been waiting too long for an NHS dentist, don't have access to one or just want another way of paying for treatment, private dental savings or insurance plans are one solution.

Emma Exelby, cash plans sales manager at Bupa, said the group had seen a sharp increase in cash plan sales in over the past two years. One of the most notable trends has been an upturn in Scotland, where there has also been a marked increase in claims on dental cover, she said.

With most people taking cash plans primarily for dental and eye cover, it seems the growing difficulty of getting an NHS dentist in Scotland has created new demand for savings and insurance products.

Traditional dental plans work like savings schemes, with regular premiums paid according to the likely cost of any expected treatment. In most cases, the dentist gives an idea of what treatment is needed, when it is likely to be carried out and the probable cost, providing the basis for the monthly premium. The biggest provider is Axa-owned Denplan, which has about 1.8 million customers. Prices vary between individual dentists, but the most basic premium tends to be about 10 to 15 a month.

Dental insurance is also widely available, often as part of mainstream health cash plans. Cash plans differ from private medical insurance in that they pay cash towards a range of health care costs, from dental treatment to health screening. Most pay towards a specified range of treatments up to an annual limit.

The extent of cover differs between providers, but most dental insurance includes routine check-ups, hygiene work and prescription charges. For example, Simplyhealth's Simply Dental Plan promises 100 per cent money back for general maintenance, such as check-ups and hygiene visits, plus some cash back on treatments including fillings. It also has insurance cover for emergency dental work.

Employee benefits specialist Cigna Healthcare, based in Greenock, offers two forms of dental treatment insurance, each with four levels of various contribution limits and payouts.

Morag Peterson, dental product manager at Cigna, said the group, which operates only through employers, saw record demand for dental insurance last year.

"It is probably testament to the problems in getting NHS treatment," she said.

"Historically that has been a bigger problem in England and Wales but it's getting worse in Scotland now and it very unlikely that waiting lists are going to improve."

Dental insurance is most commonly available as a core element of most mainstream health cash plans, which offer varying levels of benefits and funding options.

Bupa's Exelby said: "On the dental side more people are realising that they even in the downturn they don't want to not be covered for dental treatment.

"Cash plans will cover most dental needs and the proportion of claims for dental cover is rising."

Standard Life's health cash plan pays 80 a year towards dental costs, for example, while Engage Mutual pays up to 175 a year and Simplyhealth 155. Other providers include Westfield, HSA and Axa PPP.

As with all insurance contracts, the small print on any cash plan merits close scrutiny. For example, most cash and dental plans require the policyholder to pay a proportion of treatment costs, while there will typically be a maximum payout per year for treatments. Most plans pay out in full for dental treatment but a number offer just 50 or 75 per cent refunds.

Also ask if a plan covers both NHS costs and private dental costs, look out for policies where the benefit is not annual and if you need serious treatment, such as for oral cancer or surgery, double-check that it is included in the cover.

To find an NHS dentist in your area, use the Find and Choose Services option at www.nhs.uk or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

'It's only up to a maximum of 200 a year but that's enough unless anything major happens'

TURNING to cash plans to pay for his dental treatment has already paid off for 51-year-old Tom Dempster. Tom, a schoolteacher in Dundee, looked into alternative ways of paying for treatment two years ago when his dentist stopped accepting NHS patients.

He was made aware of private dental cover by his life insurance provider and took out a savings plan with specialist Denplan.

The plan worked well but Tom then heard about the health cash plan from Engage Mutual, in which dental cover is just one of several components. "It covered a range of other things, such as optical costs, for roughly the same price as the Denplan cover," he explained. "It's only up to a maximum of 200 a year, but that's enough unless anything major happens."

Tom has so far claimed on a dental check-up and an eye test, while his daughter has used the plan to cover the cost of a filling and wife Christine has bought new glasses.

"We got all the payment back for my daugher and the maximum payment of 200 covered most of the cost of my wife's glasses," said Tom. He still uses the same dentist, despite the removal of an NHS cost option. "He would have kept me on, but could not guarantee prompt appointments, so I decided to go private while staying with the same dentist."