When planning a trip abroad, everyone starts with the basics: booking flight tickets and hotel room stays, planning packing lists and trip itineraries, and scheduling that much-needed vacation time. When getting swept up in the excitement of your upcoming vacation, it’s easy to forget to plan for worst-case scenarios. While most trips will go on without a hitch, it’s essential to account for rainy day scenarios such as medical emergencies by purchasing comprehensive travel and dental insurance.
Even in many cases where people purchase travel insurance, it’s rare that travellers sign up for adequate international dental insurance before travelling. Typical travel insurance will normally include some small degree of dental coverage, which may appear to be satisfactory upon first glance, but when you dig into plan specifics, most travel insurance plans cover less than £5000 of dental treatment. Considering the typical costs of emergency treatment, this is rarely enough. There may be other hurdles, including a significant waiting period between treatment and when you can file a claim.
Even if you do have quality dental insurance, it may not cover you out of country, so be sure to check your insurer’s policies before travelling. When travelling abroad, many basic dental plans only cover X-rays, filling replacements, and the emergency repair of broken teeth. Additional, yet necessary dental treatment like the replacement of broken crowns, dentures, or bridges is likely not covered internationally through basic dental insurance. Be sure to find out what your dental insurance covers, as you may need additional coverage when travelling.
Why You Should Always Have International Dental Insurance
Especially in cases of emergency, it’s important to procure proper international dental coverage. In the event of an uninsured medical emergency when travelling abroad, you will have to pay directly out of pocket. Whether it’s an accident resulting in injuries to your teeth, mouth, or throat, or something as simple as a sudden painful toothache, you may find yourself requiring emergency dental help.
As anyone from the UK knows, dental treatment can be costly without proper coverage. This continues to be the case abroad. Depending on the country you’re travelling to, dental visits can be extremely expensive. Keep in mind that many countries don’t have the same dental practice standards as in the UK, so there may be a wide range of dental care from practice to practice. There may not be the same degree of sanitary conditions as you have come to expect in the UK, and you will want to make sure you can afford coverage at a top-quality care provider in order to avoid further issues, such as infection.
At Vitality Dental, we suggest the VitalityPlan to all of our patients. The VitalityPlan is a membership scheme that helps you take preventative measures in order to protect your oral health, including international health insurance. For a low, affordable monthly rate, the VitalityPlan provides patients with extensive dental coverage, including a comprehensive dental health review, involving X-rays, a gum health review, and an oral cancer check. Patients also receive a personalised hygiene visit schedule, and a 15% discount on all further treatment fees.
As an added bonus, the VitalityPlan offers worldwide dental insurance that provides coverage for any accidental damage incurred or emergency treatment needed during travel, and can be the answer to many of the issues outlined above.
What’s Included In VitalityPlan’s Worldwide Trauma and Emergency Callout Insurance?
Emergency callout: In the case of a dental emergency when travelling abroad, you will likely not be able to wait to receive treatment until returning home to the UK. With emergency callout coverage, you will be able to seek the assistance of any dentist worldwide in the event of a dental emergency. This applies to any licensed dentist who agrees to provide you with emergency treatment. Patients must simply pay for the treatment they receive and save the receipt as proof of payment. Upon returning to Vitality Dental in Pulborough, West Sussex, you can apply for reimbursement. You will be refunded for the callout fee, minus any excess fees, for as much as the policy limits.
One key aspect of emergency callout is that it only covers immediate pain relief. You are only able to seek dental attention in order to stop any pain you are feeling. Any additional cosmetic or restorative treatment is not covered through your insurance. For example, any damage to orthodontics, including dentures or bridges, is not covered. You will need to wait until your return to the UK before receiving any dental treatment beyond pain relief.
Dental trauma: Unfortunately, dental trauma can occur unexpectedly at any time, even when you’re travelling. Luckily, no matter where you are in the world, your VitalityPlan will provide coverage in the event of emergency dental trauma. For instance, in the event that you break a tooth or receive an injury to the face or throat area, you can file a claim up to the policy limits. If the cost of treatment exceeds policy limits, you will need to pay the excess fees.
Hospitalisation: When dental trauma is significant enough, it may require an emergency hospital visit, and in some cases, even an overnight hospital stay. In most countries, hospital visits without proper insurance coverage can be extremely costly, and well out of the typical traveller’s budget. In the event that you require hospitalisation as a result of dental trauma, your VitalityPlan coverage will provide you with financial relief to help ease the burden.
Oral cancer: Should one be diagnosed with oral cancer, this insurance plan would entitle the patient to a payment.
Redundancy protection: Also known as “income security insurance” or “unemployment cover”, redundancy insurance covers you from paying for dental coverage in the event that you lose gainful employment. It’s important to prepare for unexpected job loss. In the event that you are no longer able to procure reliable income, the VitalityPlan’s plan monthly premiums are paid for you for up to one calendar year.
To learn more about VitalityPlan and international dental insurance, contact Vitality Dental today.
