How to Get Pet Dental Insurance

Not all pet insurance plans include dental coverage, so you may need to purchase additional insurance to cover your pet's dental needs. In many cases, you also have the option of buying only dental coverage, rather than a full insurance policy.

Instructions

Find Dental Insurance for Your Pet

1. Research your pet and its specific breed to see if it is likely to have special dental needs. Certain types of animals are prone to dental injuries or hereditary tooth problems, and your pet's breed may have an even higher likelihood. If not, a general dental policy should offer enough coverage.

2. Ask if your current insurance provider offers a dental insurance policy. Many pet insurance providers offer dental plans that can be added to your current policy at a discount. If not, check with other companies. Since most insurance providers sell dental insurance as an add-on to general pet insurance, you may need to call the provider directly to get information about purchasing dental insurance separately.

3. Get quotes for dental coverage for your pets. Most companies offer immediate online quotes. However, if you are purchasing only dental coverage, you may need to call the company directly.

4. Evaluate the policies available to you in terms of cost and level of coverage. Make sure that the coverage you get doesn't overlap with any emergency coverage you already have in place.

5. Purchase your chosen insurance policy, online or over the phone.

Tips & Warnings

• If you already have pet insurance, your pet may be covered for dental emergencies. Check your current policy before buying more insurance.

• Older pets are less likely to need emergency care for injuries, but they often need care for age-related problems such as tooth decay.

• Some pet dental insurance covers emergency care only. You may need to pay for routine care like cleanings out of pocket.

• The older the pet, the more expensive the dental insurance. Some companies will not offer new policies to pets over a certain age.

• Some companies will offer dental insurance coverage only for cats or dogs. You may have to purchase insurance from an exotic pet insurer for other pets, even if they are commonplace pets like rabbits.

• The majority of dental injuries occur to younger pets, so you may need to make dental insurance a priority sooner rather than later.