Coverage of dental care is often not included under the basic benefits in most health insurance plans in China. In many countries dental care can be extremely expensive and while there are affordable local dental options available in China, dentists that have been foreign-trained or speak foreign languages such as English can be more expensive.

Health insurance plans offered by employers in China typically do not contain cover for dental and a separate dental health insurance plan is generally not part of employment packages. The fact that dental coverage is generally not included in such cover is the main driving force behind expatriates seeking to include optional dental coverage to their insurance.

Dental health insurance cover offers two coverage options:

• Routine Dental Treatment
• Special Dental Treatment

   

Optional dental cover on a health insurance plan can often cover pre-existing dental conditions, however when this occurs a waiting period is generally applied to the dental benefits.

The medical industry In China is a very diverse one. A lot of people who have been living in China even for a long time, may not fully understand the differences in levels of care provided by different facilities in various cities around China. This extends not only within the medical market, but for dental as well. For both medical and dental, you have two very distinct groups when it comes to medical facilities or dental clinics, in that some are largely localized and very inexpensive, however they may not provide the level of care an expat may be used to in their home country. On the other hand, there are very comprehensive facilities, often with foreign trained doctors or even foreign doctors or dentist, that will provide a level of care that you will be used to. Unfortunately, these facilities can often be more expensive, and as such, it is important to get a good level of health insurance cover, to make sure that you're protected in case you need to take treatment at one of these facilities. So if you would like more information about medical or dental cover in China, please come and see us.

Routine Dental Treatment

If the optional routine dental benefits are chosen to be included in an international health insurance plan, policyholders are usually afforded the ability to get regular check ups, tooth cleaning and basic dental procedures. Including routine dental benefits in your health plan will also generally provide cover for emergency dental treatments and minor oral surgeries.

A Routine China Dental Insurance Plan may include the following:

• Examinations : any consultation with a qualified dentist.
• Cleaning : removing any plaque and stains on the teeth or gum line.
• Tooth Extraction : removing rotten or impacted teeth.
• X - rays : an expensive procedure that takes a 360 degree photograph of the jaw and teeth that are located below the gum line.
• Root Canal : removing and replacing a nerve in the canal underneath a tooth.
• Local Anesthesia : numbing a specific location prior to performing a minor surgery or operation.
• Emergency dental treatment :  any treatment received in an emergency situation that is intended o repair tooth damage caused in an accident.
• Occlusion bar : a tool that is used to stop teeth grinding.
• Prescriptions : all medicines prescribed by a qualified dentist.

• Fillings : in general only a filling the same color as the tooth (white) will be allowed on teeth at the front of the mouth (anterior). Fillings done towards the posterior of the mouth (back) may only use silver (amalgam) for the filling.

Special Dental Treatment

If coverage for special dental treatment is included on your international health insurance plan, it will provide you significantly more complete cover than only selecting the optional routine dental coverage. If a plan is taken out with coverage of special dental treatment it will often cover some of the more serious and expensive medical treatments. Many of the health plans that we work with will typically offer the choice to add either routine or special dental coverage to the plan.

Coverage for special dental treatment will typically include:

• Bridgework : fixed prosthesis that replaces one or more missing teeth. Usually a bridge consists of a series of crowns.
• Repairs : any procedure that is preformed to restore broken or missing teeth. In some cases insurers will consider fillings to only be restorative.
• Gingivitis : a serious gum disease. A special dental plan will cover all treatments for gingivitis.
• Root Scaling : the cleaning and removal of plaque and foreign matter trapped beneath the gum line.
• Crowns : crowns are used when a tooth cannot be restored by a filling. Crowns may be fashioned from porcelain or gold. In some cases the crown can even be a temporary measure until a repair can be made.
• Dentures : a removable prosthesis that replaces one or more teeth in the upper or lower jaw.

Many insurance companies that China Health insurance works with will typically have a waiting period on claiming for dental treatment. However, given that most people will have had to have some kind of dental treatment in their lifetime, whether that would be fillings, teeth cleaning or other procedures, health insurance plans with dental cover will typically cover pre-existing conditions after the waiting period has concluded.

Free Quotes on Dental Health Insurance in China

For foreigners in China there are a variety of choices available when considering what optional dental coverage is desired. Our advisers can assist you and provide additional insight, helping you compare what coverage may be available on different plans by offering comparative quotes and advice. To talk with one of our advisers feel free to either click here, fill out the quotation request at the top of the page or click contact us.