Let’s be honest. Vaccines, wellness visits, and surgeries are expensive enough, so your dog’s dental care might not be a top priority. But did you know good dental health isn’t all about having pearly whites? It’s imperative for your dog to have strong teeth that’ll last their whole life so they can chew their food and get the nutrition they need. Tooth and gum health also affects their overall well-being. Periodontal disease increases their risk of heart disease, but 80% of dogs will have this condition by the time they’re 3 years old.1
Since dental exams, professional cleanings and extractions can be so costly, it’s worth your money to find a high-quality pet insurance company with a stellar dental program. Here are our top picks based on coverage and price to guide you in your search.
A Quick Comparison of the Winners for 2024
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Best Overall
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Embrace with Wellness Rewards Plan |
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Click to Get Quote |
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Lemonade Preventative + |
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Click to Get Quote |
Best Value
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Spot |
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Click to Get Quote |
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Fetch |
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Click to Get Quote | |
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Nationwide |
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Click to Get Quote |
The 10 Best Pet Dental Insurance Providers
1. Embrace with Wellness Rewards Plan – Best Overall
Whether you’re looking for an insurance plan to use for emergencies or to assist in funding all of your pet’s medical bills, Embrace has a plan for you. We chose their Accident & Illness Plan with the Wellness Rewards add-on as our best overall pick because this option covers everything related to your dog’s teeth!
Even if you don’t want comprehensive coverage, Embrace offers coverage on periodontal disease and tooth extraction even in their basic plan. One problem though is they’ll only pay up to $1,000 on dental procedures per year. This is fairly common in the pet insurance world, but not always the case, so this might not be the plan for you if you’re anticipating greater annual costs.
The optional Wellness Rewards add-on can help pay for dental cleanings and other routine medical expenses through the year. Embrace was one of the cheapest companies per month; however, their deductibles were extremely high. The lowest option was $200 and went up to $1,000 annually.
2. Lemonade Preventative +
We wish this plan was available nationwide because it even covers routine dental cleanings. Lemonade isn’t a regional company, but so far, their coverage has only expanded to several scattered states. Preventative + offers extensive medical coverage, including routine dental cleanings that most pet insurance companies ignore. However, they’re a bit pricey and none of their plans include dental illness.
3. Spot
All four coverage options will pay for at least some aspects of your pet’s oral health. The cheapest option, the Accident-only Plan, will pay for a tooth extraction related to injury. The Accident & Illness Plan covers dental issues arising from illness, even if it’s hereditary (as long it isn’t a pre-existing condition). Coverage includes periodontal disease.
Spot offers two Preventative Care add-on options which can both assist in paying for routine dental cleanings. Preventative Care Gold gives you a $100 reimbursement while Preventative Care Platinum pays $150 per incident. The maximum payout is also highly customizable, ranging from $4,000 to unlimited. However, the total annual benefits from add-on plans are kind of low, capping at $250 for Gold and $450 for premium.
4. Fetch
Fetch keeps pet insurance policies simple and affordable. Their website is a breeze, and you’ll receive a free quote in seconds. There’s only one plan, but it covers all injury and disease related to teeth and gums.
You can also customize your deductible and annual maximum payout, which ranges between $5,000-$15,000. That’s not bad considering they have cheaper monthly costs than most. However, their deductible is on the high end. They currently do not have any wellness plan options, so you’ll have to self-pay for routine dental care.
5. Nationwide Whole Pet
Nationwide offers three pet insurance policies, but only one covers dental expenses. The Whole Pet with Wellness Plan will help you pay for gingivitis or tooth extraction. They’re also one of the cheapest options, making Nationwide Whole Pet our best value choice.
However, Nationwide doesn’t have a plan that covers routine dental exams or cleanings. Even outside of the dental realm, there seems to be an extensive list of procedures that aren’t covered on every plan. Their website isn’t very user-friendly, and they have a host of negative reviews on customer service. This is only the best option if you’re looking for a cheap plan that’ll cover the most expensive dental costs.
6. Pumpkin
Pumpkin offers one plan with the option of a Preventative Essentials add-on, but this package doesn’t give you any extra dental coverage. However, the basic plan covers emergency and illness-related expenses such as gum disease. There’s no maximum payout outside of your plan’s annual limit, which is great for the years your pet may have more dental expenses than others.
In addition, Pumpkin doesn’t require your pet to have their teeth cleaned annually to qualify for coverage. They’re moderately priced; a bit more expensive than some, but Pumpkin also covers more expenses than most, so the cost evens out. The main disappointment we had with this company is that they don’t pay for dental cleanings—even if you buy the Preventive Essentials.
7. Geico
This one is a little sneaky. Geico has partnered with Embrace to provide the same coverage for the same price. Emergencies and illnesses are covered under the basic plan. Routine dental expenses are eligible for reimbursement under the Wellness Reward program.
Like Embrace, there’s a $1,000 limit on dental expenses per year in the basic policy and up to $650 in the Wellness Reward add-on to assist you in paying for routine bills. The deductible options are high, but the monthly costs are relatively low when compared to other companies.
Though it doesn’t mention it on their website, Geico is a very competitive business that offers home and auto insurance bundles, so it would behoove pre-existing Geico customers to ask if they could save money on their other policies if they add pet insurance.
8. ASPCA
One of the perks that make ASPCA one of the best is that they don’t discriminate on their coverage based on your pet’s age. Some pet insurance companies won’t insure puppies or senior dogs—especially if they’re new customers.
ASCPA welcomes everyone aboard and offers cost-efficient healthcare options. Their Accident-only coverage includes tooth breakage and periodontal disease. The Complete Coverage Plan will pay for any dental related illness or injury. The only thing it doesn’t cover is routine dental cleanings.
If you’re looking for assistance for a routine procedure, ASCPA offers two Preventative add-ons which will help pay for dental cleanings, Basic and Prime. Basic will reimburse you $100, but Prime will give you $150. The only thing we really don’t like about this insurance provider is that there’s a maximum payout of $3,000-$10,000 for all expenses. Considering that treating periodontal disease can cost thousands, a single oral incident could swallow up most of your pup’s budget for the year.
9. Figo
Unlike most pet insurance companies we’ve reviewed, Figo doesn’t have any category-specific maximum payouts. You can spend as much of your annual payout amount on any single expense as you wish.
With Figo, you can get reimbursed up to 90% depending on your selected coverage plan—up to your total maximum payout. And you don’t have to stop there. Figo is one of the only companies to offer a plan with an unlimited annual limit if you so choose. There are also very few coverage restrictions. As long as your pup is at least 8 weeks old, they’re good to go!
Their plans cover non-routine dental like tooth extractions and gum disease. However, Fido isn’t the best for routine cleanings. While they do offer a wellness plan to help cover the costs, it doesn’t pay very much. You’ll only get reimbursed $40 or $75 for teeth cleanings, and if you decide to spay/neuter your pet that year, you’ll have to choose where you want your allotment to go.
10. Pet’s Best
At Pet’s Best, teeth are covered on every level. Their accident-only policy covers dental fractures, and the Accident & Illness Plan includes treatment for periodontal disease. Their Bestwellness add-on will reimburse you up to $150 for routine teeth cleanings. However, if you decide to spay/neuter that year you must choose which procedure will be covered.
You can choose between a $5,000 or unlimited annual limit, and there’s a high range of options to ensure you can find an affordable choice for your pet’s care. If your pet is 3 years of age or older, they must have had their teeth cleaned within the last 13 months under general anesthesia to qualify for dental care. Unfortunately, that means you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for your dog’s teeth to be cleaned.
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Pet Insurance Provider for Dental
What to Look for in Pet Insurance for Dental Coverage
Unfortunately, dental care—especially preventative dental cleanings—isn’t always covered by pet insurance policies. We looked for the companies who provided the most extensive coverage, or at least offered a tiered solution for a higher price. While it might be beneficial to find a company who will reimburse you for regular dental cleanings, it’s probably more important to find one who’s willing to pay for dental illness because that’s more costly and you might not be financially prepared at the time.
FAQ
Can I Get Pet Insurance Outside the U.S.?
Some pet insurance companies will reimburse you for your pet’s care if they get ill while traveling with you outside the states. However, this is up to the individual company, so you’ll have to check their policy. Embrace is the only provider that we know of that will certainly cover international costs. If you move to another country, you’ll likely have to change your provider to a locally based company.
What If My Insurance Company Is Not Listed in Your Reviews?
There are many good insurance companies not listed here that may be fine choices for your pet. When choosing a policy, just remember to consider things like coverage, the annual deductible, and the monthly rate. Never assume a medical condition is covered because this is highly subjective and up to the individual company’s policies and the plan you choose. Ideally, you want the most coverage for the lowest monthly expense. However, sometimes this means your annual deductible will be higher, so you’ll need to budget for that bigger chunk at the end of the year.
Which Pet Insurance Provider Has The Best Consumer Reviews?
Our Best Overall Choice, Embrace with Wellness add-on, has consistently positive customer reviews and has a 5-star review on Forbes.
Customers seem to mostly complain about the length of time it takes to process claims. However, in each of these circumstances, Embrace responded that their medical file was incomplete. It seems like Embrace is a quick and speedy insurance company with responsive customer service—if you give them your dog’s medical records at the time of enrollment. Otherwise, they’ll wait to process their paperwork until after you’ve filed an accident and, in some cases, it can take a couple of months.
What Is the Best and Most Affordable Pet Insurance?
Embrace was our top pick because of its extensive coverage options and low monthly costs. Some of the deductibles were higher than most, but you’re able to choose a lower option if you prefer. There are annual payout limits per category and for total expenses, but you’re able to choose coverage up to $30,000 which is so high that it might as well be unlimited. They’re also no lifetime limits, so Embrace will pay for your pet’s dental care for a lifetime.
What the Users Say
Embrace has a 4.2 average rating on Google. Most of the negative complaints were concerning the length of time it takes to process a claim. However, Embrace responded to those reviews and said that these users’ medical files were incomplete. It seems like the key to having a good experience with this company is to provide your pet’s information at the time of enrollment.
Other than that, the reviews were positive. They noted friendly customer service that was quick to respond, and outstanding coverage.
Like human healthcare, it’s very unusual for a pet health insurance company to have excellent customer reviews because every company is flawed at some level and we’re passionate about our pet’s health, especially when things don’t go quite right. However, 4.2 stars is higher than the average review—even higher than most of the other companies on our list.
Which Pet Insurance Provider Is Best for You?
The best and most affordable pet insurance for you is highly subjective. The answer will mostly depend on what you’re looking for in coverage and how much you’re willing to pay. The best option combines extensive coverage with a low price. If you’re on a smaller budget, Accident-only or Accident & Illness plans are typically lower than Comprehensive plans or include a Wellness add-on.
While it may not pay to have crisis insurance every year, eventually your pet probably will be in an emergency and the vet bills can stack up quickly at a 24/7 clinic, especially if surgery is required. If that disaster comes, chances are your investment will be returned and well worth it. If you’re looking for a more well-rounded pet insurance policy, consider a comprehensive plan or add a Wellness plan while keeping the payout amount lower to offset the higher deductible and monthly costs of full coverage.
Conclusion
We care about finding the best insurance providers for your pet’s dental health. After considering factors such as coverage options and the costs of monthly fees and annual deductibles, we concluded that Embrace scores the best in all these categories. Even their basic plan covers emergency dental care, including as a result of disease, which is an option that’s typically unavailable at least for the lowest plan.
If you’re looking for complete coverage, they even have a Wellness Rewards program that acts like an annual savings account for your pet. You can use this plan to pay for routine procedures, including dental cleanings. Of course, no company is perfect, so you’re the best judge in deciding what’s the ultimate choice in healthcare for your pet depending on your budget and their individual needs.
Featured Image Credit: Yavdat, Shutterstock
