Health insurance explained

There are generally four main sub-categories of dental treatment:

1. Preventative dental, which includes examinations, scale & cleans, and custom mouthguards.
2. General restorative dental, which includes simple fillings and extractions.
3. Major dental and implants, which includes complex treatments for repairing or replacing teeth such as crowns, root canals, dentures and bridges.
4. Orthodontics, which covers treatments that straighten teeth such as braces and retainers.

It’s worth choosing cover that matches the treatments you’re likely to use.

Yes. You may continue to visit any approved dental provider and claim benefits in line with your cover.

However, the amount you can claim and any out-of-pocket costs you may have will depend on whether your dentist is:

• a Member Plus provider
• a Member Plus Premium provider, or
• a provider outside our dental network.

From 1 January 2027, some benefits and no gap offers will only be available when you visit participating providers in our dental network, including Member Plus Premium providers.

Because provider participation can change over time, we recommend checking whether your dentist is part of our network before receiving treatment, even if you've visited them previously. You can do this using our Find a Provider tool, by contacting HBF, or by speaking directly with your dental provider.

As the Member Plus Premium tier is coming into effect from 1 January 2027, you will be able to find providers with this badge on our website after 1 January 2027.

Yes. You don't need to claim all eligible services in a single visit. Eligible no gap services can be accessed across multiple appointments throughout the calendar year, subject to your limits and product rules.

No. You can continue to receive benefits when visiting approved dental providers. However, the benefits available to you may vary depending on whether the provider is Member Plus, Member Plus Premium or outside our network. Some no gap offers are only available through Member Plus Premium providers.

No. No gap means there is no out-of-pocket cost for the eligible service when it is provided in accordance with the offer conditions. However, the claim still counts towards your annual limits and any applicable policy limits.