A comparison of travel insurance policies for dental emergencies

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £400The summary of cover sets aside £400 for emergency dental pain relief inside the medical cover. The policy wording itself names no dental figure anywhere, so the £400 is only ever found in that shorter document
• What counts as a dental emergencyAny emergency dental treatment is covered. The policy does not cut that back to just stopping the pain, and it does not matter which tooth, though the summary describes it as pain relief. A problem you already knew about before you went counts as something you expected, and is not covered
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsWork using gold or other precious metal is not covered, and neither are dentures or braces. The only place the policy explains what it means by dental fittings is a belongings exclusion, which gives dentures and removable braces as the examples. A permanent repair once the emergency has passed is not covered either
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a face injury puts you in hospital, that comes out of the main medical limit. But nothing says whether the dentist who rebuilds the tooth afterwards is paid from there or from the £400
• What you pay yourselfAn excess comes off each claim, for each person and each event, and its size appears only on your own policy documents, not in the policy booklet. It falls away entirely if you use a health card, which rarely helps at a dentist, and you can buy an add-on that removes it, but only when you take the policy out

Obligations review

• False teeth and braces are not coveredWork involving dentures or removable braces is not covered, whatever the emergency. The policy calls them dental fittings and gives those two as its only examples, in the belongings section
• The limit is only in the summary documentThe policy wording sets no figure at all for emergency dental treatment. The £400 appears only in the two page summary of cover, so the number you would rely on is not in the longer document
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident
• Work using precious metal is not coveredAny dental work using precious metals is not covered, whatever the emergency, so a gold crown or a gold inlay fitted to stop the pain is not paid for

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £1,000£1,000 is set aside for emergency dental treatment, stated in the policy wording itself, alongside the £10,000,000 for medical treatment abroad, and £100 comes off the claim
• What counts as a dental emergencyThe benefit is written for emergency dental treatment required for immediate pain relief only, so stopping the pain is covered and finishing the job is not. Nothing narrows it to particular teeth, but the trouble has to start suddenly and unexpectedly on the trip
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsWork using gold or other precious metal is not covered, and neither are dentures or braces. A permanent repair is not covered either, because this cover only pays to stop the pain
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a face injury puts you in hospital, that is paid from the £10,000,000 medical cover. But nothing says whether the dentist who rebuilds the tooth afterwards is paid from there or from the £1,000
• What you pay yourself£100 comes off each claim. Where two people claim on the same incident the most they pay between them is twice that

Obligations review

• Only what stops the pain, not the repairEmergency dental treatment is covered where it is required for immediate pain relief only. The work that repairs the tooth once it has stopped hurting is not covered
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident
• Work using precious metal is not coveredAny costs for dental work involving precious metals or dental fittings are specifically not covered, so a gold crown or a new denture is not paid for whatever the emergency

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £250£250 is set aside for emergency dental work inside the £5,000,000 medical cover, and the figure is printed in the table of benefits
• What counts as a dental emergencyThe cover is for emergency dental work for the relief of pain only. Anything past stopping the pain is outside this cover, though no type of tooth or treatment is singled out. Treatment you knew at the start of the trip you would need is refused separately
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsNo kind of dental work is ruled out. The only test is that the work is there to stop the pain, so a temporary repair that stops the tooth hurting can qualify while the permanent one afterwards cannot !
• A tooth broken in an accidentTreatment at a clinic or in hospital is paid up to £5,000,000. But nothing says whether a dentist treating a tooth broken in a fall is paid from there or from the £250
• What you pay yourself£150 comes off the claim and the dental figure is £250, so £100 is the most that can come back. You can buy an add-on that removes the excess, and the 24/7 appointment service that carries no excess is called a medical service, not a dental one

Obligations review

• Only what stops the pain, not the repairThe benefit is emergency dental work for the relief of pain only. Once the pain has been dealt with, the work that puts the tooth right is outside the cover
• The excess can be more than the bill£150 comes off the claim while only £250 is set aside for a dentist, so £100 is the most that can come back, and a single emergency appointment can cost less than the deduction
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £250£250 for emergency dental treatment inside the £5,000,000 medical cover. Separately, the travel doctor app books a dentist in over 70 countries and meets the appointment cost, three times per person per policy, though it is for routine care rather than an emergency and 27 countries are left out
• What counts as a dental emergencyTwo things are covered: treatment for the immediate relief of pain, and emergency repair of dentures or a brace where you are having difficulty eating. No type of tooth is singled out, but it has to be an unexpected emergency rather than something already brewing
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsEmergency repair of a denture or brace is covered, which is more than just stopping the pain. But the policy also says it will not replace or repair false teeth, and a denture is false teeth, so the two statements contradict each other. Precious metal work is not covered
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a fall puts you in hospital, that is paid from the £5,000,000 medical cover. But nothing says whether the dentist who repairs the tooth afterwards is paid from there or from the £250
• What you pay yourself£129 comes off the claim and the dental figure is £250, so £121 is the most that can come back, and no add-on removes it on this policy. Appointments booked through the travel doctor app need no claim form and no excess

Obligations review

• The excess can be more than the bill£129 comes off the claim while only £250 is set aside for a dentist, so £121 is the most that can come back, a single emergency appointment can cost less than the deduction, and you cannot pay to remove it
• The policy contradicts itself on denturesThe policy says it will pay to repair a denture in an emergency where you cannot eat, and also says it will not replace or repair false teeth. A denture is false teeth, so the two contradict each other and the policy does not say which one wins
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident
• Work using precious metal is not coveredDental work involving the use of precious metal is specifically not covered, so a gold crown or inlay fitted to settle the pain is not paid for

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £400The summary of cover sets aside £400 for emergency dental pain relief inside the medical cover. The policy wording itself names no dental figure anywhere, so the £400 is only ever found in that shorter document
• What counts as a dental emergencyAny emergency dental treatment is covered. The policy does not cut that back to just stopping the pain, and it does not matter which tooth, though the summary describes it as pain relief. A problem you already knew about before you went counts as something you expected, and is not covered
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsWork using gold or other precious metal is not covered, and neither are dentures or braces. The only place the policy explains what it means by dental fittings is a belongings exclusion, which gives dentures and removable braces as the examples. A permanent repair once the emergency has passed is not covered either
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a face injury puts you in hospital, that comes out of the main medical limit. But nothing says whether the dentist who rebuilds the tooth afterwards is paid from there or from the £400
• What you pay yourselfAn excess comes off each claim, for each person and each event, and its size appears only on your own policy documents, not in the policy booklet. It falls away entirely if you use a health card, which rarely helps at a dentist, and you can buy an add-on that removes it, but only when you take the policy out

Obligations review

• False teeth and braces are not coveredWork involving dentures or removable braces is not covered, whatever the emergency. The policy calls them dental fittings and gives those two as its only examples, in the belongings section
• The limit is only in the summary documentThe policy wording sets no figure at all for emergency dental treatment. The £400 appears only in the two page summary of cover, so the number you would rely on is not in the longer document
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident
• Work using precious metal is not coveredAny dental work using precious metals is not covered, whatever the emergency, so a gold crown or a gold inlay fitted to stop the pain is not paid for

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £500£500 is set aside for emergency dental treatment inside the £10,000,000 medical cover, and the figure is printed in the schedule of benefits
• What counts as a dental emergencyTwo conditions have to hold at once: the treatment is for the immediate relief of pain, and the tooth is a natural one. A crowned or implanted tooth that flares up fails the second. A separate rule across the whole policy refuses anything that is not sudden and unforeseen
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsOnly natural teeth are covered, so a crown, an implant, a denture or a brace gets nothing whatever the emergency, and nothing else in the policy pays for dental work
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a fall puts you in hospital abroad, that is paid from the £10,000,000 medical cover. The cover for facial surgery once you are home pays only for damaged skin and tissue, so it will not rebuild a tooth
• What you pay yourselfAn excess comes off each claim, for each person and each incident, and its size appears only on your own policy documents, not in the policy booklet or the summary. You can buy an add-on that removes it, but only when you take the policy out

Obligations review

• It has to be sudden and unforeseenThe whole policy covers only an accident or illness that is sudden, unforeseen or beyond your control. Decay that had been building for months, or a tooth you already knew was cracked, can be argued about on those words
• Only a natural tooth countsThe cover is for the immediate relief of pain to natural teeth only. A crown, an implant, a denture or a brace is outside it however bad the emergency, and nothing else in the policy picks it up
• Only what stops the pain, not the repairThe benefit is for the immediate relief of pain. Once the pain has been dealt with, the work that puts the tooth right is no longer emergency treatment and is not paid for
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £500£500 is set aside for emergency dental treatment inside the £10,000,000 medical cover, and the figure is printed in the schedule of benefits
• What counts as a dental emergencyTwo conditions have to hold at once: the treatment is for the immediate relief of pain, and the tooth is a natural one. A crowned or implanted tooth that flares up fails the second. A separate rule across the whole policy refuses anything that is not sudden and unforeseen
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsOnly natural teeth are covered, so a crown, an implant, a denture or a brace gets nothing whatever the emergency, and nothing else in the policy pays for dental work
• A tooth broken in an accidentIf a fall puts you in hospital abroad, that is paid from the £10,000,000 medical cover. The cover for facial surgery once you are home pays only for damaged skin and tissue, so it will not rebuild a tooth
• What you pay yourselfAn excess comes off each claim, for each person and each incident, and its size appears only on your own policy documents, not in the policy booklet or the summary. You can buy an add-on that removes it, but only when you take the policy out

Obligations review

• ! It has to be sudden and unforeseenThe whole policy covers only an accident or illness that is sudden, unforeseen or beyond your control. Decay that had been building for months, or a tooth you already knew was cracked, can be argued about on those words
• Only a natural tooth countsThe cover is for the immediate relief of pain to natural teeth only. A crown, an implant, a denture or a brace is outside it however bad the emergency, and nothing else in the policy picks it up
• Only what stops the pain, not the repairThe benefit is for the immediate relief of pain. Once the pain has been dealt with, the work that puts the tooth right is no longer emergency treatment and is not paid for
• They never say which limit pays for a toothThere is a very large medical limit and a small separate figure for dental work. Nothing says which of the two pays when a tooth is broken in an accident

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £250£250 for emergency dental treatment to relieve sudden pain, paid from inside the £10,000,000 medical cover rather than on top of it
• What counts as a dental emergencyThe cover is for treatment to relieve sudden pain, and you can only claim where you are unexpectedly taken ill or injured. A tooth that has been aching for days, or work that goes beyond settling the pain, is outside this cover. No type of tooth is singled out
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsFalse teeth, crowns, implants and veneers are not covered, whether they are being replaced or repaired, and neither is any work using precious metal
• A tooth broken in an accidentThe main cover is granted for medical and surgical expenses but not dental treatment. Those are the policy’s own words, so so a tooth broken in an accident cannot be paid from the £10,000,000. It falls back on the £250 whatever happened
• What you pay yourself£90 comes off each claim and the dental figure is £250, so £160 is the most that can come back. There is no add-on that removes the excess, and it only falls away where a health card has reduced the bill

Obligations review

• Crowns, implants and veneers are not coveredReplacing or repairing false teeth, artificial teeth such as crowns or implants, and veneers are not covered, along with any dental work involving precious metals
• Only what stops the pain, not the repairThe £250 is for treatment to relieve sudden pain. A tooth that has ached for days before you act, and the work that fixes it once the pain has settled, are both outside this cover
• The £10m medical cover never pays a dentistThe main cover is granted for medical and surgical expenses but not dental treatment, so nothing a dentist does can reach the £10,000,000 and every dental claim falls back on £250

Cover review

• Emergency dental treatment abroad · £250£250 for emergency dental treatment to relieve sudden pain, paid from inside the £10,000,000 medical cover rather than on top of it
• What counts as a dental emergencyThe cover is for treatment to relieve sudden pain, and you can only claim where you are unexpectedly taken ill or injured. A tooth that has been aching for days, or work that goes beyond settling the pain, is outside this cover. No type of tooth is singled out
• Crowns, false teeth and permanent repairsFalse teeth, crowns, implants and veneers are not covered, whether they are being replaced or repaired, and neither is any work using precious metal
• A tooth broken in an accidentThe main cover is granted for medical and surgical expenses but not dental treatment. Those are the policy’s own words, so so a tooth broken in an accident cannot be paid from the £10,000,000. It falls back on the £250 whatever happened
• What you pay yourself£90 comes off each claim and the dental figure is £250, so £160 is the most that can come back. There is no add-on that removes the excess, and it only falls away where a health card has reduced the bill

Obligations review

• Crowns, implants and veneers are not coveredReplacing or repairing false teeth, artificial teeth such as crowns or implants, and veneers are not covered, along with any dental work involving precious metals
• Only what stops the pain, not the repairThe £250 is for treatment to relieve sudden pain. A tooth that has ached for days before you act, and the work that fixes it once the pain has settled, are both outside this cover
• The £10m medical cover never pays a dentistThe main cover is granted for medical and surgical expenses but not dental treatment, so nothing a dentist does can reach the £10,000,000 and every dental claim falls back on £250