You probably dread that trip to the dentist, not only because of the pain factor, but also because of the huge bills which usually follow.
It doesn't help that most medical schemes have significantly reduced dental benefits to basic dentistry, which means that if you chip a tooth, you will probably have to pay out of your own pocket.
Dental Information Systems (Denis), which normally operates through medical schemes, now offers you the option of insurance for your dentistry costs, underwritten by Channel Life.
If you have downsized from a comprehensive medical scheme plan to a more cost-effective and simpler hospital plan, you can now use dental insurance for common dental treatments, crowns on broken teeth and root canals.
To put the high costs of dentistry in perspective, a single crown on one of your front teeth could cost you as much as R2 200 including laboratory fees and the dentist's fees.
As an example of the cover you can get with the Denis insurance product, a monthly premium of R82 a month will buy you the following insurance cover: R150 for scaling and polishing, R100 for each tooth extraction, R200 for each filling, R400 for a root canal and R3 500 for a root canal and crown.
In terms of the laws governing health insurance in South Africa, an insurance product may not cover treatment but can pay you a set benefit for a health event.
This means that once your dentist has made a diagnosis and before any treatment commences, the insurance company will pay you the benefit based on a quotation from your dentist. So, although the insurer is not allowed to pay your dentist directly, you will have funds to pay the dentist directly by the time you are treated.