Think it’s too much hassle to switch Dental Indemnity insurance cover?

If you never give your dental indemnity policy much thought, and your provider has remained unchanged for years, it’s likely to be because you’ve not faced a problem – yet. To accept the possibility of a complaint being made against you isn’t negative, or defeatist. Patients pay the bills, but when you have patients you also have risk and their expectations have never been higher.

Service users now have access to a large amount of information, via the internet.

They can do their own research, to compare their situation with that of others’. They may find something that gives them grounds to believe there was a misdiagnosis, or that informed consent wasn’t established.

In our modern world, whatever the product or service, anyone who is unhappy and dissatisfied with what they’ve received is encouraged to speak up. We read about patients who have received pay-outs following a mistake by a dentist and see constant adverts for no-win, no-fee solicitors that outline how easy it is to make a complaint or claim.

But it’s not only that; practices are now offering more complex and costly procedures. For patients who have invested time and money, they want a perfect result and all-round wonderful experience – a high standard of care and attention from day one. This puts dentist and their teams under pressure and can create an environment where mistakes are made.

You might be delivering more than general dentistry

Another issue is, if you’ve been with your current insurer for a while, they might be unaware that you are now delivering more than general dentistry. If a claim comes in, there could be a scenario whereby they offer to charge you an additional premium to move your matter on, calculated by looking at how long you have been undertaking implant treatments, for example. Insurance needs to be something you can rely on in times of stress, and flexible enough to give you peace of mind in a wide range of situations. So, although complacency is understandable, as a reason to not review your dental indemnity, waiting until there is a problem will mean more worry and anxiety, especially if you discover you aren’t covered.

It's easy to switch with Howden

Moving to a new provider now, and one that offers contract certainty, will remove the element of risk inherent in discretionary cover offered by Mutual Defence Organisations (MDOs). They do not have regulatory governance, unlike contractual policy providers, which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Why give yourself sleepless nights? Dentists require indemnity insurance that offers the protection that they need. This means insurance that will enable you to continue treating patients, without a cloud of ‘what if?’ hanging over you.

Even if you’ve had years with no complaints, if you are proactive in organising quality dental indemnity, you’ll always be prepared. As well as the means to improve standards of health, dentistry is a commercial enterprise, so don’t gamble your livelihood with inadequate cover. Howden is a specialist broker with policies that deliver contract certainty, customisable to suit professionals at any stage of their careers. We also cover all regulatory and GDC-related issues ­­– so risk management advice all year round, not just when you have a claim. We appreciate that moving insurance providers can be seen as challenging – so, we have built into our policy wording a safety net, so you can switch providers with ease.

Whether you’re unaware you have a choice, or think it’ll be too much hassle, the benefits of changing to a contract-backed dental indemnity product will be endless and ongoing. As well as peace of mind, you will be in line with what we generally see elsewhere in the world of insurance. You’ll be able to practise with confidence, knowing you’ll have the help you need, when you need it most.