Emergency Dental Treatment During Travel

Does Travel Insurance Cover Dental Expenses?

Yes, dental expenses are covered by international travel insurance plans. However, only emergency dental expenses are covered by insurance. What's more, not all policies offer this coverage. It's crucial to compare different plans to know if they cover you well enough.

For example, someone visiting Thailand briefly may only need basic coverage, but a student enrolled in a one-year program in the UK may need extensive coverage. You should consider factors like age, health, pre-existing dental issues, how expensive the destination is, and any other risk to decide on your plans.

Scope of Emergency Treatment for Different Travellers

Dental emergencies are sudden and painful, but they are worse when you are in another country with no immediate support. Many travel insurance not only offer dental coverage for travellers but also additional benefits depending on their risks and needs.

Take a look at how different plans cover dental emergencies abroad:

What Does Emergency Dental Treatment Benefit Cover?

Dental coverage under travel insurance strictly covers emergency treatments only. These are the only two specific 'acute' scenarios that your policy can cover:

1. Relief of Acute Pain

   You will be covered for treatment for an intense dental pain that can't wait until you return to India. This should be confirmed by the TPA, or you should get a written prescription from the doctor who ensures that the procedure can't be delayed until your return to India.

2. Accidental Injury to Natural Teeth

   Injuries or accidents impacting your natural teeth require urgent care. If a fall or situation damages your teeth, then your insurer will cover the necessary repair expenses. However, this is only covered if you damage your sound, natural teeth and not for implants or crowns.

What Does Emergency Dental Treatment Benefit Not Cover?

Exclusions are important to know what you will not be covered for. Dental exclusions, too, have some nuances that every traveller must keep in mind:

• Prosthetic Failure: In case you need any corrective treatment because of previously fitted implants, caps, bridges or crowns, it won't be covered.
• Routine Care: Scaling, plaque removal and other routine check-ups are not included under emergency dental care while travelling abroad.
• The 'Wait Home' Clause: If your TPA (third party administrator) deems your treatment non-urgent, i.e., it can wait until you are back home in India, you won't be covered.
• Cosmetic Procedures: Orthodontic procedures or procedures like teeth whitening, braces, aligners, etc., are not covered.

Deductibles & Limits under Emergency Dental Treatment

Most travel insurance plans have a limited sum insured for dental emergency-related expenses. You should keep the following in mind:

• Deductibles: Most plans have a fixed deductible of USD 50 or USD 100 for every dental incident. This means you will have to pay this expense first before your travel health insurance covers your dental expenses.
• No SI Replenishment: Unlike your regular medicare plans in India, if you exhaust your dental sub-limits then it can't be refilled for the remaining trip. This also means that if you exhaust your limit in one dental emergency and unfortunately, face another one, you won't be able to claim another dental expense.

How to Claim for Emergency Dental Treatment

You can raise a claim online by following these steps:

• Notify Insurer: Tell your insurer about the situation through their app or global toll-free number as soon as possible.
• Ensure the Need for Dental Procedure: Make sure that your dentist explicitly writes that the treatment was for your 'Sound Natural Tooth' and not for an existing crown/implant/denture.
• Keep Diagnostics Handy: Ensure that all your X-rays or intra-oral photos taken before and after the procedure are high resolution. Your insurer will need their digital copies during claim settlement.
• Arrange all Invoices: Make sure that your bill is itemized in English or has a certified translation. It should have the exact breakdown of surgical, anesthesia and pharmacy costs.