Best pet insurance for dental care in 2024 (2024)

Whether your pet breaks a tooth, develops gum disease or needs a cleaning, pet dental insurance could reimburse you for costly treatment expenses. A standard accident and illness pet insurance plan can cover dental injuries and diseases, while a wellness rider could help cover preventative care such as cleanings and checkups. Premiums, covered conditions and coverage limits vary, so you should carefully compare dental pet insurance options to find the right fit.

Why do I need pet dental insurance?

• Get proactive care for your pet: Coverage for services such as checkups and cleanings helps with preventing or spotting pet dental issues sooner rather than later.
• Reduce out-of-pocket care costs: Even if you need to pay upfront, your pet dental insurance plan’s reimbursem*nts can ultimately reduce the drain on your finances.
• Enjoy flexibility for treatments: Having coverage can make it easier to get prompt treatment for your pet’s dental concerns and typically provides the flexibility to use any licensed vet.
• Budget better for dental costs: Your plan’s reimbursem*nt rate, annual limit and deductible make it easier to plan for potential dental care needed after a covered accident or illness.

What does pet dental insurance cover?

Depending on what type of pet insurance plan you carry, your insurer may provide coverage for few or several dental care procedures. For example, an accident-only plan might just cover extracting injured teeth due to an accident. An accident and illness plan is usually more comprehensive for treating various dental illnesses and accidents. However, your insurer might have rules for covering conditions like gum disease, such as requiring routine dental cleanings each year.

Both accident-only and accident and illness policies typically exclude coverage for routine dental cleanings. However, many insurers offer pet wellness plans for an additional premium that can provide reimbursem*nt for annual cleaning costs.

While you should check any plan’s terms, here are things a comprehensive accident and illness plan may cover:

• Gum diseases such as gingivitis or periodontitis (unless preexisting)
• Medically necessary tooth extractions
• Repairs to fractured teeth and jaws
• Treatment for tooth resorption
• Treatment for oral tumors
• Root canals
• Required X-rays, scans and medications

If you add on a wellness plan, your coverage may extend to yearly checkups, routine dental cleanings and associated costs such as anesthesia. Note that annual coverage limits are common for cleanings.

Related >> What does pet insurance cover?

What is not covered by pet dental insurance?

Uncovered pet dental care services also depend on your plan type and insurer. For example, if you have an accident-only plan, then dental diseases like periodontitis or gingivitis won’t be covered. Or, if you don’t add a wellness plan to your base pet insurance policy, then routine teeth cleanings won’t be covered.

Some examples of what pet dental insurance may not pay for include:

• Treatment for preexisting dental conditions, including those that start during your waiting period
• Dental implants
• Dental crowns
• Fillings
• Orthodontic work
• Cosmetic procedures
• Dental cleanings (unless part of a wellness plan or necessary for a covered condition)
• Other preventative care costs, including routine extractions, supplements and at-home teeth cleaning supplies (unless included in a wellness plan)

How does reimbursem*nt work for pet dental insurance?

Typically, you’ll pay for the covered dental service upfront and file a claim with the pet insurance company for reimbursem*nt. If it approves your claim, the pet insurance company will calculate the payout amount based on your plan’s reimbursem*nt rate and subtract any deductible amount you owe. It’ll also take your policy’s annual coverage limit into consideration. You’ll usually get the money via check or direct deposit.

Some insurers do offer a direct pay option that lets you minimize upfront pet dental care costs. This often requires going to a vet who accepts the option, and the vet may need to sign a form or use an online system. The insurer would send the vet the reimbursem*nt amount, and you would cover any remaining costs.

Related >> How does pet insurance work?

Which pet insurance companies cover dental care?

While eligible services and eligibility requirements vary, many pet insurance companies cover some form of dental care. These include all the winners we highlighted in our best pet dental insurance study. Some other options for pet insurance that cover dental services include:

• MetLife
• AKC Pet Insurance
• Healthy Paws (no wellness plan available)
• Nationwide (wellness plan doesn’t cover dental cleanings)
• Trupanion (no wellness plan available)
• Lemonade (only for accidents — offers add-ons for dental illnesses and cleanings)
• Pumpkin (wellness plan doesn’t cover dental cleanings)

Is pet dental work classified as a preexisting condition?

If your pet has had dental work for previous illnesses and injuries, the insurer will usually classify it as a preexisting condition. One example is prior gum disease treatment, and insurers might want proof of routine cleanings and healthy gums. Another example is a repaired tooth due to a past accident. However, future unrelated dental care could still qualify for coverage.

However, some insurers may consider certain past dental disease as a curable preexisting condition if it was treated and hasn’t shown any new or persisting symptoms. This means that after a certain time frame has passed, such as 12 months, this condition may be eligible for coverage if it arises again.

How much does pet insurance for dental care cost?

Based on our study, the average cost of an accident and illness policy ranged from $22.63 to $147.72 per month for dogs and $8.94 to $64.25 per month for cats. The cost of pet wellness plans (for dental cleanings) ranged from $16.50 per month to $52.09 per month for dogs and cats.

Besides your type of pet and plan, other risk factors that influence pet insurance costs include:

• Your pet’s breed: You may pay more if your pet is genetically susceptible to certain health conditions, such as periodontal disease.
• Your pet’s gender: Male pets can be a higher risk than female pets for both health and behavioral reasons.
• Your pet’s age: Older pets are more at risk for health issues and injuries, so you’ll likely pay higher premiums to insure them.
• Your location: Places with higher vet care costs usually lead to higher premiums than areas with lower costs of living.
• Your plan’s deductible amount: While a low deductible usually increases pet insurance costs, a higher deductible that reduces the potential payout can lower your premiums.
• Your plan’s reimbursem*nt rate: Pet insurance costs usually rise with higher reimbursem*nt rates that increase the insurer’s potential payout.
• Your plan’s annual limit: Selecting a lower coverage limit can save you money on premiums.
• Your plan’s add-ons: If you need a dental illness or wellness add-on or opt for other extended coverages, you’ll pay higher premiums.

How to find cheaper pet dental insurance

To find budget-friendly pet dental insurance, first think about your pet’s coverage needs. Although a comprehensive plan with a wellness add-on provides the most protection for dental accidents, injuries and cleanings, it usually comes at the highest cost. To help save on premiums, you might pick an accident-only plan or skip the wellness add-on for your accident and illness plan.

Consider your policy options, too. Picking a higher deductible, lower reimbursem*nt rate or lower annual limit can reduce pet dental insurance costs. Just keep in mind that these changes will increase your out-of-pocket responsibility, so you should look at your financial situation.

Once you know the plan type and policy options you want, get several quotes from pet insurers so you can compare premiums. Pay close attention to the dental coverage each company includes as well as rules for preexisting conditions and coverage for dental conditions (e.g., are you required to have your pet’s teeth cleaned every year for future diseases to be covered?). Also, check for any discounts offered, including those for being a military member, insuring multiple pets or bundling policies.

Is pet dental insurance worth it?

Pet dental insurance can be worth it for the financial benefits. Consider your pet’s expected dental and other health expenses alongside the cost of the premiums. Make sure to account for preexisting conditions and other costs the plan won’t cover. Additionally, think about future conditions that your pet is likely to develop, such as periodontal disease.

If you’ll likely gain more from having the insurance than going without it, then applying for coverage can make sense versus paying for everything yourself. The same can apply if you prefer the peace of mind of getting your pet emergency dental or medical care without worrying about financial drain. Otherwise, making a savings fund for your pet could be an alternative.

Are wellness plans for dental cleanings worth it?

When deciding whether to purchase a pet wellness plan for dental cleanings, look carefully at how much coverage you’ll have each year for your pet’s appointment versus how much you’ll pay each year for the plan.

Dental cleanings can range from $300 to $600 on average, according to Embrace, but all except two of the insurers we studied include $150 or less in coverage for annual cleanings. You could find yourself still personally responsible for $150 to $450 per year to get your pet’s teeth cleaned, plus you’ll have your ongoing monthly payments for your pet insurance to budget for.

Methodology

To find the best pet dental insurance, we examined 16 companies and narrowed it down to the top-rated 13. From there, we judged each company across eight categories essential to good policies.

During our research, we analyzed over 500 data points and used more than a dozen primary data sources. The following sections describe the category we scored and the weight we gave that category in our scoring model.

Average accident and illness premium (30%)

For the average monthly premiums for accident and illness coverage, we gathered quotes for a medium mixed-breed dog and a mixed-breed cat across various ZIP codes in 21 states and four different age groups directly from the 16 insurance companies we reviewed. We used a $250 deductible (or the closest option offered by each company), an 80% reimbursem*nt percentage when available and annual coverage limits of $5,000 and unlimited. If a $5,000 option was not available, quotes were not gathered for this coverage limit. If an unlimited option was not available, we chose the highest limit offered. We then calculated the average of all quotes gathered for each insurance company. We assigned the average monthly dog premiums and the average monthly cat premiums each a weight of 15%, for a total of 30%.

Coverage for dental accidents (20%)

We looked to see if each insurer included coverage for dental injuries as part of its accident and illness plan and if a separate coverage amount outside of the policy’s annual limit applies. All of the companies we researched offered this coverage. Two had maximum limits of $1,000 per year, so they received slightly lower scores in this category.

Coverage for dental illnesses (20%)

We looked to see if each insurer included coverage for dental illnesses and diseases as part of its accident and illness plan and if a separate coverage amount outside of the policy’s annual limit applies. Companies that offered this coverage received the highest score in this category, followed by those that had maximum limits per year.

Waiting periods (12%)

Almost all pet insurance policies include a waiting period for accidents and for illnesses before coverage kicks in. Since an accident or illness can occur at any time, finding a pet insurer with smaller waiting periods can be beneficial to ensure claims will be covered as soon as possible. Some insurers also have a waiting period for their wellness plans, which can delay when you can start receiving reimbursem*nt.

For this category, we looked to see how long the accident, illness and wellness waiting periods are for each insurer, assigning a weight of 5% to the waiting periods for accidents and illnesses and a weight of 2% to the waiting period for wellness coverage.

Pet wellness plans for dental cleanings (8%)

Accident-only and accident and illness pet insurance policies generally don’t provide coverage for routine wellness services or preventative care, which includes dental cleanings. However, many insurers offer a separate wellness plan as a rider for an additional premium. For each company, we researched the following:

• The number of wellness plans offered that include coverage for dental cleanings (some insurers have different wellness plan options with different levels of coverage, so the lower tiered plans may not include dental cleanings)
• The maximum annual coverage limit for dental cleanings available among all available wellness plans
• The monthly dog premium for the wellness plan with the greatest annual coverage limit for dental cleanings
• The monthly cat premium for the wellness plan with the greatest annual coverage limit for dental cleanings

Each subcategory received a weight of 2%, for a total of 8%.

Upper age limit (5%)

Some pet insurance companies set upper age limits for their policies, so if you have a senior dog or senior cat, you may find that you have less options for coverage. Insurers without upper age limits received higher scores.

Multi-pet discount (4%)

If you own more than one pet, veterinary care can be even more expensive and managing costs can be more difficult. We researched which insurers offer a multi-pet discount and what the maximum percentage is, if applicable.

24/7 vet helpline (1%)

Some pet insurance companies offer a 24/7 vet helpline to help answer and discuss health-related questions and concerns. This can be helpful for pet owners in managing their pet’s health and determining what the next steps are, so the insurers that offer this service to their policyholders for free received a slight scoring boost.

What didn’t make the cut

Of the pet insurance companies we analyzed for our final rankings, seven didn’t win a category. Two of the insurers (Nationwide and Pumpkin) had overall scores that met our criteria for inclusion, but neither offer coverage for dental cleanings. Therefore, it didn’t seem appropriate to include them as winners in a study for pet dental insurance.

Three of the remaining five companies (Paw Protect, Lemonade and AKC) had overall scores below 4 stars, and the other two (Healthy Paws and Trupanion) had overall scores below 3 stars due to low performances in various categories of our methodology, including monthly premiums, coverage for dental cleanings and upper age limits.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)