1st-Impressions Dental Plan
If you are eligible to be a member of the 1st-Impressions Dental Plan we will check, maintain and repair your teeth free of charge. The benefits of our dental plan are:
it encourages prevention (as the cost of any treatment comes out of our pocket and not yours)
it encourages you to attend more regularly (since there is nothing to pay)
your teeth are covered against accidental damage
you are covered for dental treatment when you are away from the practice (on holiday for example)
The cost of joining the 1st-Impressions Dental Plan is typically £35.49 a month. There is a joining fee equivalent to one month's subscription and discounts of 5%, 10% and 15% for 2, 3 or 4 members from the same family.
Please note that unlike other dental plans, our dental plan covers 100 per cent of the cost of most treatments, there is usually no co-pay.
If you have any further question, please ask.
We also accept patients with corporate or third-party dental insurance.
9 Myths about preventive dental plans
1. You can't join if your mouth isn't healthy/the cost of getting your mouth healthy is a barrier to joining
You can certainly join a dental plan if your mouth isn't healthy—but the plan cannot be backdated to include any treatment that needed doing when you joined. Preventive plans are about treatment going forwards, not backwards. Outstanding work must be paid for separately but you can have it done later at a time to suit you (or not at all).
2. I can get prevention privately / on the NHS if I just pay for it
While it’s true that you could ask for the same level of service on a fee-paying basis, you would soon get fed up with paying every few weeks to be told how to brush your teeth—so in real life, nobody pays for prevention. The fee-paying approach is almost always reactive. The plan approach is always preventive.
3. All dental plans are the same
Dental plans range from those that cover everything with no-copayment; to those which include free examinations and hygienist visits, but only give a 5% or 10% discount on treatment. The 1st-Impressions.dental payment plan includes most common treatments with no-copay so once you are a member there's very little to worry about.
4. Dental plans are expensive
If you try to find a garage prepared to service and MOT your car for the same flat-rate monthly fee as our dental plan (you won't) you'll quickly realise it's very good value. And you don't drive your car 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, like you do your teeth. Plus, if you pay out of the same bank account as another member, you will both get 5% discount. This doesn't have to be a close family member; it can be a relative, partner or next-door neighbour as long as you pay through the same Direct Debit. Discounts add up, with 10% for three people and 15% for four.
5. It's cheaper to 'pay as you go'
Dental plan subscriptions vary according to risk, so people who are likely to need less work, pay less. Not going to the dentist all is cheapest in the short term, but a lot more expensive when you get toothache! (If you think you've found a way to avoid dental treatment forever, please let us know.)
6. Dental plans don't necessarily deliver a healthier mouth
Once you are on a dental plan you will attend more frequently as cost becomes no barrier to attendance. Should anything go wrong with your teeth it is the practice which pays. This encourages us to keep you healthy and deal with problems early when they are easy and cheap to fix. The incentive for us to 'find treatment' to pay our bills is removed.
7. A preventive plan is just a way of spreading the cost
The main benefit of a dental plan is a healthier mouth, and teeth that will look better and last longer. Spreading the cost and peace of mind that you will not have any large dental bills, are just nice bonuses.
8. A plan is a commitment
You can cancel at any time with one month's notice, so you are only committed at most for a few weeks.
9. It’s just another insurance policy
While some aspects of the cover (holiday cover and trauma) are insured, it’s your dentist who covers the cost of your routine treatment (not a third party). So your dentist is not constantly looking to do treatment at the insurer’s expense.
Convinced?