We've tracked down companies offering pet dental insurance for dogs and cats as part of their standard policies.
Aside from these five, VetsMediCover also offers up to £350 of dental cover with all its policies. The main exclusion is that it won't cover treatment that is carried out six months or more after it has been recommended by a vet, so if you do get a policy, make sure you get treatment promptly. As with most pet insurance, it will not cover cleaning, cosmetic or routine dental treatments.
The pet insurance policies on our list all offer policies that cover vet referrals for dental treatment and illness as well as accidents. Many other policies only pay out for dental treatment if your pet's teeth are damaged in an accident. But it's important to note that not all of their policies will cover dental treatment related to an illness.
1. Bought By Many's Complete policy has £15,000 of cover
We’ve launched our Complete policy - the most comprehensive pet insurance available, which includes dental cover as standard.
The policy has a £15,000 yearly 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.
Our Complete insurance can also cover complementary therapies, international travel, theft, loss and death.
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 at the last dental appointment was carried out
You can get a quote at the MORE TH>N website.
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."
You can get a quote from Petplan their website.
4. E&L also provide dental cover
They state in their website's Pet Insurance Frequently Asked Questions that: "If the treatment was relating to a condition and not routine, for cosmetic reasons or any tooth/gum related disease, it would be covered by the policy."
Click here to get a quote from E&L.
5. LV='s lifetime policies all cover dental treatment
LV= has three lifetime policies that cover dental treatment if your pet has had its annual checkups.
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 offers dog and cat dental insurance for accidents and illness as part of its Premier policy. Your pet has to receive an annual dental check-up to keep this part of the policy valid. Tesco's Extra and Standard policies only cover dental treatment for accidents.
Get a quote from Tesco's website.
7. The Co-op Pet Insurance offers dental cover as standard on both its Select Plus and Classic policies
As with More Than and Petplan, the cover is subject to the pet receiving an annual dental check-up.
Does pet insurance include dental cover?
As a general rule, pet insurance policies won't pay out for any kind of routine treatment - which is how they perceive most dentistry. They see it as the owner's responsibility to take care of their pet's teeth, ensuring they are regularly looked at by the vet, and to bear the costs of doing that. (The same is true for vaccinations and worming.)
So, the norm for pet insurance policies (apart from those mentioned above) is to exclude the cost of dental treatment, unless the need for treatment arose as the result of an accident.
Pet insurance is unlikely to cover dental cleaning as this is considered a routine treatment.
Dental cover tends to be included under companies' most comprehensive policies so it's unlikely cheaper cover will offer it.
Direct Line Pet Insurance gets an honorary mention for having the most eccentric exception to this rule. Like most pet insurers, their policy terms state that they do not cover dental treatment as a result of dental disease. However, they will cover "the removal of deciduous (milk) teeth...where the insured animal is more than 16 weeks old".
Find out more about the best pet insurance for dogs and the cost of dog insurance.
