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Picture this. After three days of a trip, eating something normal and then a tooth breaks! You live in a place where you can’t read or speak the language, you don’t know a single dentist and you have no idea of what that will cost you. Travelers’ dental insurance is meant for just such situations.
It will not pay for a typical cleaning or a checkup you missed prior to your journey. When actual pain or trauma occurs abroad, however, a quick, inexpensive diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between receiving the treatment you need and paying an excruciating bill out of pocket.
Let’s discuss what is actually covered, the cost of coverage and how to utilize it if you ever need to.
What is Dental insurance for Travellers?
Travel dental insurance is a dental insurance that pays for all dental emergencies that occur during a travel trip, typically included in a travel medical insurance. It’s not the same as an ordinary dental plan. It is not intended for cleaning, cavity or intended procedure.
Usually coverage would come into play with two types of problems: sudden unexpected pain in a healthy tooth or injury to a natural tooth from an accident. It can be considered as dental insurance in the event of a dental emergency, rather than a replacement of the dental insurance that you already have in the house.
When is it a Dental Emergency Abroad?
A true dental emergency is a situation in which a natural tooth is suddenly painful or damaged, and is not intended or planned for cosmetic or other treatment. There is a wide agreement among insurers about what is considered acceptable. The most typical situations that are covered are:
- A knocked out or dislodged tooth due to a fall, a sports injury or an unforeseen impact.
- Cracked or broken tooth that occurred from eating or a blow to the tooth.
- Sudden and intense pain in a healthy tooth that does not have any symptoms.
- Wearing injuries that occur when participating in a travel activity such as snorkeling, hiking, or slip on a wet deck
What usually doesn’t count: Dental cleanings, cavity fillings, teeth whitening, dental veneers, dental crowns, or any dental treatment that you already knew you needed. Insurers don’t consider these to be emergencies, they are routine or cosmetic.
How much does this really pay for?
Emergency dental coverage will usually cap out at $300 to $1,000 per visit, and most standard policies will be in the $500 to $750 mark. This is a pretty broad set of numbers, so it’s not as significant as you think.
This is a broad overview of services offered by different providers:
| Provider Example | Typical Dental Benefit Limit |
|---|---|
| Basic visitor insurance plans | $100 – $350 |
| Mid-tier travel medical plans | $300 – $500 |
| Comprehensive travel insurance | $500 – $1,000 |
The dental sublimits are much lower than the overall medical coverage, as Allianz Partners states that its popular OneTrip Prime plan offers up to $50,000 of coverage for medical emergencies, but just $750 of coverage for dental emergencies.
Primary vs Secondary Dental Coverage: What’s the big deal?
Primary coverage means that your dental claim is covered directly; secondary coverage means that your dental claim must be filed to your regular dental insurance carrier first for payment. This is important to understand, as most travelers do not realize, when a bill is due.
Primary coverage allows you to submit a claim to a travel insurance company without going through your usual dental plan. Typically, if you have secondary coverage, you must first file a claim with your home dental insurance and then the travel plan will reimburse you for the balance.
If you have dental insurance at home, secondary coverage may be OK. Otherwise, you may save an additional, possibly slower, step by having primary coverage.
Travel dental coverage does not include coverage for the following services:
Travel dental coverage is not for pre-existing dental conditions, routine care or cosmetic procedures, at any location when needed. Some exceptions are recurring for providers:
- Pre-existing conditions. If the hairline crack you were aware of before you traveled gets worse on your journey, then it will not qualify.
- Cosmetic repairs. If the chipped tooth is not painful, but just looks different, it will not normally be covered.
- Dental tourism. If you are traveling for a specific purpose – such as dental treatment, travel insurance will not cover it.
- Post home treatment. Typically coverage will only apply to care provided during the trip.
- Crowns, veneers and implants. Existing dental work is usually not covered even in the event of an accident.
If you have a dental emergency abroad, here are some tips on what to do.
The key to dealing with a dental emergency while abroad is to seek timely treatment, record all details and submit the claim afterwards.
- Always contact your insurance company’s emergency phone number first. Most providers can make you a referral to an English-speeching dentist in your local area – something you would have to search for yourself.
- Get treated as soon as possible. Time is an important factor in the case of a knocked out tooth. The odds of a dentist saving it are usually slim – with only 30 to 40 minutes of time.
- If you need to pay out of pocket, submit a claim for reimbursement. Unless you have a direct billing travel dental benefit plan, they typically pay a portion of your expenses after you have been out of town.
- Maintain all receipts and paperwork. An itemized bill, proof of payment and usually written confirmation from the dentist who performed the treatment is required to make a successful claim.
- Make sure to file your claim on time. Depending on the insurance company, you may be able to submit your claims within 20 days of your trip, but you’ll have less of a risk of losing documents if you file earlier.
Selecting the Plan that is right for you – Before you travel
Dental coverage is not the same in all travel insurance policies, so it’s best to check this feature instead of taking for granted. So, before you buy, there are several questions you should ask:
- What is the maximum amount the dental benefit will pay? Make sure the amount of the dollar actually is covered, not whether it exists.
- Does it have primary or secondary coverage? This can impact the speed and ease with which you can be reimbursed.
- Does it provide coverage for injury and sudden pain or only one of those two? There are plans that are more cheap, but they only provide for one category.
- Do there exist any factors that need to be taken into account for each destination? In countries with high costs of private health care, a higher limit of benefits may be warranted.
- Does the facility have available 24 hours a day, emergency assistance? People don’t understand right away how valuable a toll-free number is to a dentist in their area is.
Some few scenarios that might be imagined
This coverage may not seem real until you visualize what it would look like.
While you’re on the beach vacation, a bread with seeds breaks a molar while eating dinner. It started off being a bit painful, but come midnight, it’s hurting so much that it’s not letting me sleep. If you don’t know the area, you would typically be left to surf the internet for hours at 1 am to make an appointment with an English speaking dentist; however, travel dental coverage will ensure that you are put in touch with your insurance provider’s emergency clinic, which likely has dentists available to assist you with your appointment.
Imagine one day when a child is hit in the mouth while playing pickup soccer at the resort, while on a family vacation. One tooth in the front of the mouth is knocked out. Time is a critical asset here as a tooth that has been knocked may only be salvaged for up to 30-40 minutes after being knocked. It’s not only important to have a plan with dental coverage, but also to know what to do straightaway – dial the assistance line instead of looking for a clinic on your own to save your tooth.
Consider a traveler on a solo excursion, with no history of dental issues, and suddenly the tooth that was always healthy and strong feels very tender and painful.Or, a person traveling alone on a multi-week vacation who experiences acute, intense pain for which there is no apparent cause in the tooth. No injury to show but painful symptoms that don’t resolve. This is a scenario that falls under “sudden pain to sound natural teeth” – and it’s not a case of “after an accident.”
None of these are the typical examples of emergencies. They’re merely normal, unfortunate events that take place to people on their travel and that’s a coverage that is designed for.
Is Dental Coverage Cost dependent on Destination?
The cost of dental visits within the country, and the plan’s benefit cap do impact you in some countries more than others. A dental limit of $500 may only be used for one emergency visit in a high cost private health care destination. That’s the limit in countries where care is cheaper, and it would still leave money to spare for the treatment.
This is a thought which should be done BEFORE traveling, NOT after something occurs. When traveling to a higher medical expense country, it may be advisable to select a policy that has a higher dental benefit limit, although this will be slightly more expensive. If you hit your limit in the middle of your treatment, then you’ll have to cover the remaining portion of your treatment cost.
Also, please note if your plan has direct payment to providers in some areas. There are some insurers that will be able to actually pay the dentist himself for a larger claim, if it qualifies, that means that you don’t have to have to pay the dentist if you’re traveling when the situation is serious.
Insuring the Remaining Combs of Your Hair
Covering dental expenses is only one aspect of getting ready for a trip overseas. In addition to its coverage there are a few types that are related that may be of interest:
- Expat medical insurance provides greater coverage than a short-term travel plan if you’re going on a long-term trip or your temporary stay abroad is an unexpected one
- Backpacker travel insurance is designed for longer trips, and is more cost-effective for backpackers who are generally on a low budget.
- Senior citizen travel insurance may offer increased medical and dental coverage appropriate for individuals’ age risk if they are traveling later in life.
- Trip interruption insurance can cover the costs of any interruption of a trip due to a dental emergency
When you look at these side-by-side, it will give you a clearer picture of what your trip is really covered by.
Pros and Cons of Dental Insurance for Travelers
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Covers sudden pain and injury when you’re far from home | Routine and cosmetic dental work is never covered |
| Often bundled into travel medical plans at low added cost | Benefit limits are usually much lower than medical limits |
| 24/7 assistance can help you find a trusted local dentist | Most plans reimburse after the fact, not upfront |
| Some plans offer direct payment to providers | Pre-existing conditions are almost always excluded |
| Available across most travel insurance providers | Primary vs. secondary coverage varies significantly by plan |
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. Depending on your plan, it may be covered under the emergency medical benefit or you will need to augment it to the plan. Be sure to check before assuming!
Only in the event of an accident or injury to a natural tooth during your trip, will the root canal be necessary. An unrelated, pre-existing problem requiring a root canal will most likely not be covered.
A regular dental insurance plan provides routine and regular care all year long. Travel dental coverage is emergency dental coverage and only covers for an emergency during a particular trip.
Usually, yes. The majority of travel dental benefits are reimbursement based and you pay the dentist upfront and then submit a claim to your insurance company later.
No! Dental tourism is not covered by travel insurance. If you are travelling with the purpose of having dental treatment, you will need another sort of cover.
