# Does Pet Insurance Cover Dental? Teeth-pulling?



## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

In your case, it will not cover it because the teeth are a pre-existing condition. Basically, you can't wait until there's an issue and then get insurance and expect them to pay for it, just like with human health insurance. 

If you'd gotten insurance before there was an actual issue with the teeth (say, when your vet mentioned that pulling baby teeth _might_ be necessary), then it would depend on the policy. I imagine some cover non-routine dental work and some do not.


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## Arcticfox (Dec 12, 2011)

Whether or not there is dental coverage would depend on the company and the plan you get. In this case where the problem is already there (pre-existing condition) you probably wouldn't be covered for it no matter what. 

Also, those prices you quoted are super cheap... it cost at least double that to do a single extraction on my cat. I'd probably go with the first vet - they seem much more professional by the sounds of it.


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## Huxtable (Feb 19, 2012)

Thanks for the replies 

I don't think teeth extractions count as preexisting condition since they're not a health issue per se.... or really b/c it's not a "condition". 

I wanted to see if anyone had any personal experience w/ this before I called the actual insurers so I could have more knowledge, but I went ahead and called two earlier. One is an insurance company and another a vet practice with a "wellness plan" (sorta like insurance) fortunately both said they'd cover it. For the insurance she told me I'd have to wait 30 days... the other wanted me to come in for a free consultation to give an exact quote, but said that it would be covered... yay

and yea vet #2 is definitely super cheap, and Vet #1 seems to be just a smidge above average for this area, but maybe normal for others

If anyone has had dental work done on their poodle, or have had their dog's teeth extracted feel free to chime in. Thanks 

(...one Vet said that they can pull them during the dental cleaning, which is about $150 + cost of extraction, so that could be an option as it'd allow him to get both his teeth cleaned and pulled at the same time for the same cost... _I just didn't necessarily plan for him to get a cleaning_)


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

How old is he? Do his teeth need cleaning?


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## Huxtable (Feb 19, 2012)

9 months (rounded) and the greenies keep his pretty much pearly so he doesn't really need a cleaning, that's why I wasn't really planning to do it.

But, I juuuust read an email I got back from a friend's vet _(she also has a toy poodle and she swears this vet is the best in the world, lol)_. He answered my questions/concerned very throughly and has my little guy scheduled to go in next week  

So everything worked out... maybe I was _little_ premature w/ the thread, lol. But perhaps it'll help someone else out in the future


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## shadow mommy (Jan 6, 2012)

I have a toy as well and he had 6 teeth that refused to come out so I had to get them extracted. I had VPI pet insurance and they do not cover it. It isnt considered a disease or accident and if you get the add-on for dental only routine maintenance is covered. If you plan to get your dog neutered at some point anyway it is best that you have it all done at the same time so the dog only has to go under anesthesia once. I had my dogs 6 teeth pulled while he was under to be neutered and I got this done a month before he turned a year old. I also agree with articfox about both of those prices being extremely cheap and if I had to choose between the two I would definately choose the first one. I would be leary of a vet that charged so little for a procedure that involved anesthesia. 

Also, the effects of anesthesia on a dog can get very interesting especially on a toy since they are so small. So you should take that into consideration before deciding to do the teeth seperate from the neuter.


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

Trupanion Insurance does not cover routine cleanings but does cover extractions. Teesha had a stubborn baby tooth that was interfering with the growth of the permanent one, so it had to be taken out. Everything was covered by our plan.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Just a note, but wellness plans (I am assuming you are refering to Banfield) are NOT like insurance, they are the opposite of insurance. You are paying upfront for certain routine medical care like vaccines, fecal tests, dental cleanings, etc. 

If your dog becomes sick or injured, a wellness plan does not give you coverage (except perhaps a small discount on the services).

Insurance is for unforeseen illness and injury. Insurance plans typically do not cover things like dentals and vaccines unless you purchase a special rider for those types of services.

I am not saying wellness plans are a bad thing, but just please note the difference. 

By the way, we have insurance and I am very happy we do. Our bills for the latest issue (see my diarrhea thread in Poodle Talk) are steadily climbing! We have Petplan and have been very happy with it. I know others use Trupanion with good results to. Some insurance companies are NOT GOOD if you have a purebred dog as they exclude genetic conditions. Petplan and Trupanion do not have these exclusions for genetic issues common to a particular breed.


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## pwdohio (Aug 14, 2012)

I have Pet Plan, it does not cover the average health care. 

It does cover non-pre-existing genetic conditions, accidents, and emergency type situations and all of their follow-up treatments and meds.


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