Membership plan
Denplan at our Helsby practice
A monthly payment that covers your routine private care, instead of paying for each appointment as it comes. It starts at £20.44 a month, and your own figure depends on the state of your teeth.
It is a payment plan, not insurance and not a loan. Your agreement is with your dentist here, and it is worth having only if the sums work for your mouth. We will say so if they do not.
Joining
How you get a price
There is no standard package, because there is no standard mouth. Someone with twelve fillings and receding gums needs more looking after than someone with none, and the monthly figure reflects that.
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An assessment
Your dentist examines your teeth and gums and works out how much care you are likely to need keeping on top of.
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Your monthly figure
You are told what you would pay and exactly what it covers. If paying per visit would suit you better, you will be told that too.
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You decide
Nothing starts until you have read the agreement and set up the payment. You are under no pressure to join on the day.
What moves the monthly figure up or down
- The state of your teeth and gums now. Existing problems mean more appointments to keep in check.
- What your dentist expects you to need. A mouth heading for trouble costs more to look after than a settled one.
- What goes into your agreement. Root canal treatment, for one, is included only if it is written in.
What you get
What a plan can cover, and what it will not
The left column is what agreements here are usually built from. The right column is the part people get caught out by, so read it before the other one.
Usually in the plan
- Check-ups, as often as your dentist says you need them
- Hygiene appointments
- X-rays where they are needed
- Fillings and extractions
- Treatment for gum disease
- Crowns, bridges and dentures, with the laboratory bill separate
Paid for on top
- Laboratory fees on anything made for you outside the mouth
- Prescriptions
- Root canal treatment, unless your agreement names it
- Whitening, veneers and anything else done purely for looks
- Braces, aligners and implants
- Anything your own agreement excludes
Your agreement is the thing that counts, not this page. Two patients here can be on Denplan and have different treatment covered. Before you sign, your dentist goes through what is in yours, what is not, and what you would still pay for. Ask them to point at the root canal line, because it is the one that surprises people.
Common questions
Before you sign anything
Worth asking, and worth a straight answer.
Is Denplan insurance?
No. It is a way of paying your own dentist monthly rather than per visit. There is no claim to make and no insurer deciding anything. Your agreement is with the dentist treating you.
Will it actually save me money?
It depends on your mouth. If you turn up twice a year, need nothing doing and have healthy gums, paying as you go is usually cheaper. If you need regular work, the plan tends to win and it spreads the cost. Your dentist will do the sums with you rather than selling you the plan either way.
Can I join if I have not been for years?
Come in for an examination first. If there is work outstanding, that generally has to be dealt with before a plan starts, because the plan is for keeping a mouth in order rather than for catching up on neglect. Your dentist will tell you what needs doing and what it costs.
Does it cover me if something goes wrong on holiday?
Not by itself. There is a separate add-on called Denplan Dental Emergency and Injury Cover, which is an insurance policy from Simplyhealth Access rather than part of the plan. It pays towards emergency treatment away from home and abroad, within its own limits.
Ask us to add it before you travel, and read the policy wording rather than taking our word for what it covers.
Can I use it alongside NHS treatment?
Denplan is private care, so it sits outside the NHS system entirely. If you are an NHS patient here, you pay NHS band charges for NHS work and the plan does not apply to it.
What if I want to stop?
You can leave. The notice period and anything owing are set out in your agreement, so read that part before you sign rather than relying on what anyone tells you in the chair.
Ask about Denplan
Book an assessment and you will get your own monthly figure, along with an honest answer about whether the plan is worth it for your teeth. No obligation either way.