Pet Insurance · Coverage

Does Pet Insurance Cover Dental?

VCA Animal Hospitals calls dental disease one of the most common medical conditions veterinarians see in dogs and cats, so dental coverage is a frequent, and frequently misunderstood, question. The short version is that many plans cover dental illness and injury, but not routine cleanings, unless you add a wellness rider. The details are where it gets interesting. This is educational information, not insurance or veterinary advice.

Two kinds of dental care, treated differently

Insurers such as ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace and Pets Best split dental into two buckets, and the distinction explains many confusing claims. The first is dental illness and injury: a fractured tooth, a tooth root abscess, or extractions and treatment for advanced periodontal (gum) disease. The second is routine or preventive care: the annual cleaning and scaling that keeps disease from developing. Base accident-and-illness policies are built around the first bucket, not the second.

What is usually covered

Many accident-and-illness plans cover dental illness and injury as long as it was not pre-existing. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance's Complete Coverage, for example, covers tooth extractions for dental accidents and treatment for dental illnesses such as periodontal disease and tooth abscesses, and Embrace covers dental illness up to $1,000 a policy year. Given how common dental disease is, this is meaningful coverage: VCA Animal Hospitals reports that over 80% of dogs over the age of three have active dental disease, and the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that extractions are often necessary for dogs with periodontitis.

What is usually not covered

Routine cleanings are generally not covered under a base plan. A standard preventive cleaning, with no underlying illness, is considered wellness care: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance covers it only through an optional preventive care add-on (Pets Best sells a similar routine care option), and Embrace's policy excludes it, offering a separate wellness plan that is not insurance. ASPCA also excludes cosmetic dental work and pre-existing conditions. So an owner expecting their annual cleaning to be reimbursed on a base policy is usually disappointed, while an owner facing a broken tooth or gum disease is usually covered.

The fine print that trips people up

• Dental upkeep requirements. Some insurers tie dental illness claims to regular cleanings. Pets Best, for example, requires that from age 3 a pet has had a cleaning and exam under anesthesia in the 13 months before periodontal signs appear for some periodontal treatment to be eligible. Skip that, and a claim can be denied.
• Pre-existing dental disease. If gum disease or a bad tooth was noted before coverage started, that condition is typically excluded. Pets Best, for example, requires the pet to have been free of periodontal signs before the policy start date and during any waiting period.
• Waiting periods. Dental illness claims are subject to the usual illness waiting period, so problems that appear in the first days of a policy may be treated as pre-existing.
• Wellness add-on limits. Even with a routine-care rider, cleaning reimbursement is capped, not unlimited. Pets Best's optional routine care packages, for example, pay up to $150 for a teeth cleaning.

Choosing a plan with dental in mind

If dental is a priority, look for a plan that clearly includes dental illness (not just accidental injury), check any upkeep requirement you would need to meet, and decide separately whether a wellness add-on for routine cleanings is worth it for your pet. You can compare which insurers include dental illness, color-coded and side by side, on our pet insurance comparison, where the dental question is broken out directly. If you already have a policy and want to know how it treats a dental claim, the free Insurance Checkup can help you read your own plan.

Questions people ask

Does pet insurance cover dental?
Many plans cover dental illness and injury, like a fractured tooth or gum disease, as long as it was not pre-existing. Routine cleanings usually need a separate wellness add-on. Coverage varies by insurer, so read the dental clause specifically.

Are routine cleanings covered?
Usually not under a base plan. Cleanings are wellness care, typically only covered with an optional add-on, and some insurers require regular cleanings for dental illness claims to stay eligible.

Does pet insurance cover tooth extraction?
If it is needed for a covered dental illness or injury, most plans that include dental illness will cover it, as long as the problem was not pre-existing. Extractions done as part of a routine cleaning with no illness are usually treated as preventive care.

Is dental worth adding coverage for?
It depends on your pet. Small breeds, which the Merck Veterinary Manual says usually have more problems with periodontitis than large breeds, and pets you plan to keep insured for years, are where dental illness coverage and a wellness add-on tend to pay off most.

Sources

1. VCA Animal Hospitals: dental disease in dogs
2. VCA Animal Hospitals: dental disease in cats
3. Merck Veterinary Manual: dental disorders of dogs
4. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: pet insurance for dental care
5. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: pet insurance and pre-existing conditions
6. Embrace: dental illness coverage explained
7. Pets Best: dental coverage for dogs and cats

No plan pays for home care. Between cleanings, our scored list of the best dental chews for dogs compares chews and brushing kits on safety and value.

This is educational information, not insurance or veterinary advice. Insurer details are gathered from public sources and change often, so confirm current terms directly with each insurer. Some links on this site may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we write.