Dental insurance
for expats

The statistics surrounding dentistry and oral health highlight that this is an area of growing concern. The UK’s Oral Health Foundation reported in 2020 that:

• Around 1 in 3 British adults (31%) have tooth decay
• There are over 8,000 new cases of mouth cancer each year in the UK
• Over three million Brits suffer from regular oral pain

Worldwide, the scale of the problem is even greater. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that oral diseases affect roughly half the global population, with oral cancers the third most common type of cancer in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, the WHO reports:

• Tooth decay is the most common health condition worldwide
• 1 in 10 people will experience periodontal gum disease, which often results in tooth loss
• The danger is greater for the one in seven adults worldwide who regularly smoke cigarettes, as well as for those who drink fizzy drinks and alcohol

The scale of the global oral health crisis cannot be under-stated.

Unfortunately, we can’t provide coverage for orthodontic and periodontic consultations and treatment.

In some countries, many types of dental treatments are only available privately

Even in countries with subsidised or public dental healthcare, you may still have to pay a share of the cost for certain procedures.

As of 2019, the ten most expensive countries for dental care worldwide, based on the average price of dental implant, are:

Source: Statista

Global health insurance (also known as international private medical insurance) gives you access to private healthcare around the world.

While most domestic health plans only cover you in one country, international health plans cover you in multiple (or even all) countries. They’re great for people who live and work abroad, or who spend lots of time travelling. Some international medical plans also include emergency medical evacuation cover so you can access urgent treatment even if it’s not available in your location.

Some countries cover dental care under their universal healthcare policy, which includes students. Other countries may ask you to pay for dental treatments but offer free or discounted dental care for students.

If you’re a university student, you may also be eligible to receive free or discounted dental treatment through your institution.

However, generally speaking, it’s advisable for students to take out dental healthcare cover when living abroad. This will help in certain situations, for instance where emergency dental treatment is needed.

Dental care is subsidised but not free in the United Kingdom. If you have an NHS number, you will be eligible to sign up at an NHS dentist. This is assuming you can find one – many British dentists have long waiting lists for new patients.

An NHS dentist will ask you to pay certain fees, but you may not need to pay the full amount for certain treatments.

Private dental care in the UK is notoriously expensive. Depending on the treatment required, you may be expected to pay hundreds or even thousands of pounds for a treatment.

It is therefore highly recommended you take out international healthcare cover with dental insurance if you are planning to move to the UK.

In most cases, we can only provide insurance to expats. By expat, we mean people living and working outside of their country of nationality (e.g., a Dutch national living in Taiwan or a Canadian national living in India).

Typically, our members reside permanently in a foreign country. But we can sometimes provide cover to people expecting to spend at least 6 months of the year living or travelling abroad. In certain countries, we can cover people living in the same country that issues their passport. These countries are Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Estonia and Malawi.

We can provide plans to people of all nationalities in most countries around the world. You must be under age 76 when your plan starts, and you must be living or working in a country different from your country of nationality.

Making a claim with us is really easy.

If you need to claim for a benefit or treatment for which you must obtain pre-authorisation, you must contact us in advance of starting your treatment and give us all the information we require to assess if your proposed treatment will be eligible for cover under your plan. If your proposed treatment is eligible for cover, we will pre-authorise all eligible expenses. We will not pay for any treatment costs or expenses that have not been preauthorised by us in advance.