Dental Cover With No Waiting Period

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How long are waiting periods for dental insurance and why do they exist?

Can I get dental insurance without a waiting period?

What else should I look at when comparing dental insurance?

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

Long story short

Waiting periods are standard for dental insurance

How long you need to wait will depend on your insurer and the dental services you’re looking to claim for.

Dental cover can sometimes come without a waiting period

Insurers may waive dental waiting periods for a promotion or offer no waiting period for some basic dental services on a lower-level policy.

Great dental insurance isn’t just cover without a waiting period

Limits, exclusions, and how much you can claim back matter too.

How long are waiting periods for dental insurance and why do they exist?

In health insurance 101, you learn waiting periods are simply the length of time you need to hold a policy before you can start claiming on it.¹For more information, visit PrivateHealth.gov.au – Waiting periods

Unlike hospital cover, extras cover – the kind that most dental services fall under – doesn’t have set waiting periods. Instead, insurers can pick how long these waiting periods are, including if they’re longer or shorter for different types of dental cover. Having said that, insurers still want to be competitive, so you might notice that dental insurance waiting periods are similar between funds. 

Dental cover waiting periods are generally: 

• two months for general dental, including basic fillings and extractions, and check-ups and cleans
• twelve months for major dental, including crowns, bridges, dentures, implants, and complex fillings and extractions
• twelve months to three years for orthodontics, including braces, headgear, and retainers 

While waiting periods can be off-putting at face value, they play a really important role in health insurance. Without them, someone could sign up for a policy, make a big claim, and then lower or even cancel their cover. To fund that claim, the insurer may need to raise everyone’s premiums, particularly if lots of people are doing this trick. Waiting periods help reduce the likelihood of that happening.  

Can I get dental insurance without a waiting period?

Waiting periods matter, but that doesn’t mean all dental cover comes with them.  

You might spot funds offering no waiting periods on general dental insurance for a limited time to attract new members. It might be worthwhile keeping an eye out for private health insurance offers popping up from different insurers throughout the year. 

Alternatively, some insurers may have no waiting periods as standard for some preventative dental treatments, such as dental check-ups, fluoride treatments, or x-rays. 

These kinds of preventative treatments could help you minimise the risk of needing more extensive (and expensive!) dental treatments. Plus, without that waiting period, you can start looking after your teeth sooner. 

Helpful tip:

If you’re changing funds, then unlike with hospital cover, insurers aren’t required to honour dental waiting periods you’ve already served but the good news it they generally do. Even if you’re switching before the dental waiting periods with your old insurer are up, your new insurer may still count whatever time you served towards any of their dental waiting periods. 

Importantly, though, you’ll need to be switching to equivalent or lower cover. For example, if you’d served the waiting period for general dental with your old fund but weren’t previously covered for major dental, then you’ll have to serve out the full 12 months wait for major dental with your new fund.  

Andres Gutierrez

General Manager – Health

What else should I look at when comparing dental insurance?

A short or completely non-existent waiting period is tempting, but don’t let it stop you from thoroughly comparing policies. 

You may also want to look at: 

• any inclusions and exclusions, particularly when it comes to dental treatments or other extras services you need or want
• the benefits you’d receive for a claim, including any limits and when they reset
• if there are restrictions, like only being able to see certain dentists
• loyalty perks, for instance, extended limits if you hold your membership for a certain length of time
• how much your monthly premium would be and if it fits your budget 

Taking the time to properly measure up policies can mean you find one that offers you great value for money with the dental cover you need. 

Where can I find and compare health insurance?

Starting a policy sooner is a guaranteed way to get that dental waiting period over and done with sooner. Luckily, iSelect is here to help you pick a policy without days, weeks, or months of head scratching and procrastination. Using our handy online comparison tool or by speaking with one of our friendly health comparison experts on 1800 784 772, you can compare a range of dental insurance options from different providers in a matter of minutes.