We've compiled a list of companies that offer pet dental insurance for dogs and cats as part of their standard policies.
The pet insurance policies on our list should cover vet referrals for dental treatment for illness as well as accidents. Many other policies only pay out for dental treatment if your pet's teeth are damaged in an accident.
Be sure to check what kind of dental cover a policy has if it's important to you. Many companies only cover dental accidents and illness on their most comprehensive policies and their other policies will just cover treatment for dental accidents.
Pet insurance will not cover cleaning, cosmetic or routine dental treatments.
1. Bought By Many's Complete policy has £15,000 of cover
Our Complete policy is the most comprehensive pet insurance available. It includes dental cover for necessary treatment for illness and accidents as standard.
The policy has a £15,000 lifetime vet fee limit and dental work can be paid for from this pot. We do ask owners to make sure their pet has a dental checkup with a vet at least once a year for a dental claim to be valid.
Our Complete insurance can also cover up to £2,500 for complementary therapies within your vet fee limit, international travel, theft, loss and death. As with all our policies, it covers conditions that ended at least two years ago and gives you unlimited video calls with UK vets, 24/7.
2. More Than's Premier policy provides £2,000 worth of dental cover as standard
It will pay out for dental treatment provided that:
- Your pet has had a dental examination in the 12 months before the dental condition started
- Any treatment recommended by the vet during that visit has been carried out.
3. Petplan includes dental cover in its Covered for Life pet insurance policies, Classic and Ultimate
Again, this is conditional on your pet having had regular dental check-ups. The policy document states that they will pay "the cost of treatment for a dental injury or illness providing your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the injury happened or the illness was first noticed."
Any recommended treatment will need to have been carried out within three months of recommendation.
5. LV='s lifetime policies all cover dental treatment
LV= has three lifetime policies that will cover a range of dental treatments if your pet has had its annual checkups.
Both the lifetime policies and the time-limited policies will cover the removal of milk teeth, although your dog will need to have been insured with LV= before 16 weeks of age, and be at least six months old.
In addition to this, the lifetime policies will also cover treatment for tooth and gum disease and other dental treatment. Any recommended treatment will need to have been undertaken within three months of recommendation.
The highest level of cover offers up to £10,000 of vet fees.
6. Tesco Bank offers dental cover for accident and illness as part of its Premier cover
Tesco's Premier cat and dog insurance offers cover for dental treatment, including tooth decay and gum disease. Your dog will need to have received yearly checkups from the vet and any recommended treatment will need to have been undertaken.
7. The Co-op Pet Insurance offers dental cover as standard on both its Select Plus and Classic policies
As with More Than, Petplan and most of the insurers in this list, the cover is subject to the pet receiving an annual dental check-up.
Does pet insurance include dental care cover?
As a general rule, pet insurance policies won't pay out for routine treatment, which is how they perceive most dentistry. Insurers see it as the owner's responsibility to take care of their pet's teeth, with regular dental checks with their vet and to personally cover these costs. (The same is true for vaccinations and worming.)
Many companies will only include dental cover for illness as part of their most comprehensive policies on offer. If you intend to pick cheaper insurance cover, it's unlikely that dental cover will be included.
Find out how to treat gum disease in dogs.
Does pet insurance cover teeth cleaning?
Pet insurance is unlikely to cover dental cleaning as this is considered a routine treatment.
Find out more about the cost of dog insurance.