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 provide dental care under their universal healthcare policies, 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. Having an international dental plan 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.

If you’re an international student in the UK and you’re enrolled in full-time study for a minimum of six months, you can access subsidised dental care under the NHS (a yearly immigration health surcharge applies). Keep in mind that NHS dentists have long wait times for new patients. 

If you’re not a full-time student in the UK studying for at least six months, then you’re not eligible to use the NHS or its dental services. Instead, depending on the length of your stay, you can take out private international health insurance with dental coverage or travel insurance with dental cover.

It depends on your insurer and health plan. Here at William Russell, all our plans come with emergency dental coverage. You have the option to add routine dental care (e.g., cleanings, fillings) to our SilverLite and Silver plans. For complex dental care, you can add complex dental coverage (e.g., crowns, inlays, bridges) to our Silver plan. Gold plans come with routine dental care, with the possibility to add on complex dental care.

William Russell has over 30 years of experience in medical and dental insurance for international students. As a family business, we provide personalised service to parents and their children studying abroad. We put your safety and service first with 24/7 support. For example, you’ll always speak to a friendly claims manager, never an automated call centre. 

All international health plans from William Russell come with emergency overseas dental insurance cover. In addition, students will have cover for emergency medical evacuation, mental health benefits, and routine medical care. Parents can even add more complex dental care coverage (depending on the plan). 

If you’re on vacation, you may be eligible for emergency dental care cover through your travel insurance. However, your local health insurance or company insurance may not work overseas to cover a dental emergency. 

If you travel extensively or plan to, you may want to consider getting dental insurance overseas through an international health insurance provider. All overseas insurance plans from William Russell include emergency dental cover for expats.

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 or study in the UK.

In most cases, we can provide health insurance with dental coverage only 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 health insurance with dental 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 include Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, Estonia and Malawi (see the full list here).

We can provide dental service cover 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 dental claim or other type of health claim with William Russell is really easy.

If you need to claim for a dental benefit or treatment, you just pay for the treatment up front, then send us the bill for reimbursement. Instead, for in-patient emergency dental treatment, there’s a different procedure. In medical emergencies, we would already be in touch with the hospital and settle your bill directly with the medical centre.