When we think of dental care, we usually think of dentists and people. However, dental care is an important part of keeping your dog or pet as healthy as possible. While we all claim to love the smell of “puppy breath,” it’s not always so pleasant when they’re older. In some cases, a dog’s bad breath can be a sign of illness or injury. Many pet owners choose to purchase pet insurance. One of the biggest questions pet owners ask is “Does pet insurance cover dental care?”
What is dental care for a pet?
Dental care for a pet includes anything to do with your pet’s mouth, teeth and gums. Dental problems can be a sign of another health problem or they can cause a medical problem. Dogs often chew on things they shouldn’t and these items can cause teeth to break, which can be painful for the dog.
Because your pet can’t talk, it can’t tell you that something is wrong and where it hurts. Regular dental care can identify dental problems. It can also help your vet identify other health problems that may be caused by dental problems.
Good dental care usually includes having a veterinarian check your pet’s gums and teeth at least once a year. Dental care for your pet is more than annual exams by a board-certified veterinarian or vet. Dental care also includes these procedures.
- Filing the dog’s teeth
- Cleaning the teeth
- Making adjustments to the teeth
- Repair of teeth
- Extraction of teeth when necessary
Most of these procedures can only be performed while the dog is under anesthesia. The reason for this is that even the gentlest dog can bite or become aggressive because it doesn’t know what’s going on, it’s scared and probably in pain. Many things can cause dental problems in dogs, including:
- Broken or fractured jaw
- Periodontal disease
- Palate defects
- Broken teeth or roots
- Lumps or cysts in the mouth
- Infected teeth or abscesses
- Misalignment of teeth and/or bite
Average cost for various pet dental care plans
The average cost of pet dental care plans can vary from one insurance company to another. The reason for this is because most dental care plans are part of a pet insurance plan and these vary by pet insurance company. In addition, the amount they will and will not pay for dental care also varies. Here are some sample costs for pet insurance plans that cover dental care.
Healthy Paws doesn’t offer much in the way of dental care unless it’s caused by an accident. For pet insurance on a four-year-old large female mixed breed dog, the monthly premium is $57.52. This policy has a $250 deductible, an 80 percent refund rate, and an unlimited maximum payout.
Embrace offers more in the way of dental care than Healthy Paws, and the monthly premium for the same dog is $47.76 with a $300 deductible, an 80 percent cash back rate and a maximum annual payment of $8,000.
Pets Best offers its policy for $47.54 and that’s for a policy that includes a wellness package. This policy has a $200 deductible, a 90 percent refund rate, and an unlimited annual payment amount.
Figo offers a policy for $26.64 and includes a $250 deductible, an 80 percent return rate and a maximum annual payout of $10,000.
Healthy feet
Healthy feet it won’t cover routine dental care, but will pay part of the bill if the problem was caused by an accidental injury. In this case, they will cover the cost of extracting or reconstructing the teeth. They will not pay for routine things like polishing, cleaning, descaling, brushing, extractions and rebuilds.
To learn more, read our Healthy Paws Pet Insurance review.
Embrace
Embrace offers a wellness plan that covers various aspects of dental care, including trauma to the jaw, face or teeth. Tooth exports; and non-routine dental treatment. They cover accidents that cause dental trauma when the dog has completed the waiting period for accidents. Embrace will also reimburse pet owners for covered veterinary treatment expenses resulting from dental disease once the deductible is met, but will only pay a maximum of $1,000 per year.
They also pay for root canals and crowns that are medically necessary. Embrace offers three different wellness plans. One pays a total of $250 in total benefits. one pays $450 and one pays $650. All of these cover:
- Dental chewing gum
- Routine teeth cleaning
- Dental nutritional supplements
- Toothpaste and toothbrushes for pets
- Teeth brushing by a professional
- Annual dental exams
To learn more, read our Embrace Pet Insurance review
The best pets
The best pets offers a very comprehensive dental care coverage plan that even includes a preventative plan to help pay for dental cleaning costs. It covers the same basic things as Embrace, including tooth extractions, periodontal disease, trauma to the face, teeth and jaw, as well as non-routine dental treatment.
In order for the company to pay for periodontal treatment, the pet must have had its teeth examined and cleaned within the last 13 months. The dog must have been with the company for at least six months to be covered for removals due to odontogenic cysts, deciduous teeth, non-eruption and enamel hypoplasia.
To find out more, read our Pets Best Insurance review
Figo
Although Figo offers two wellness programs, neither of which cover dental care treatments. However, they do cover non-routine dental treatments. They will cover the cost of injuries to the teeth caused by an accident and the teeth need to be reconstructed or extracted. If you buy a wellness plan, it will usually pay for the cost of the teeth cleaning. They will not pay for advanced periodontal disease or gingivitis if it is caused by tartar build-up. It does not cover regular cleaning.
When looking at insurance policies, you should investigate the type of dentistry they cover. You may see a plan that says they offer dental, but it really means injury or accident when you’re looking for preventative care. Be sure to read the policy details so you know what your policy can cover.
To learn more, read our Figo Pet Insurance review.
