Dental cover

Show off your smile with your Remedi dental benefits

It's sometimes easy to forget how important our teeth are to our overall health. Untreated cavities and poor oral hygiene could cause gum disease and even heart disease and strokes.

A few tips to help you take care of your teeth

You should ideally brush your teeth twice a day. Remember to brush both the front and back of the teeth, and don't forget to floss regularly.

Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride.
Change your toothbrush after you've had a cold, the flu, a mouth infection, or a sore throat. Germs can stay on toothbrush bristles, which can cause reinfection.
To prevent cold and flu viruses from spreading between brushes, try to keep your toothbrush from touching other brushes when it is stored.
Eat a balanced diet and limit sugary snacks and drinks between meals.

How we cover your dentistry

As a member of Remedi, you have cover for basic tooth care, no matter which benefit option you are on. This would include, for example, visiting the dentist, cover for fillings and pulling teeth.

Basic tooth care such as this, where members are registered on the Standard Option, are available through Dental Risk Company (DRC). If you are registered on this benefit option, you can contact them on 087 943 9611 to confirm the dental benefits available to you or for more information regarding your dental cover.

On the Comprehensive and Classic Options, you also have cover for specialised dentistry in addition to the basic cover mentioned above.

Difference between basic and specialised dentistry

Dental services can be broadly categorised into two categories: specialised and basic dentistry. Both play a critical role in maintaining oral health, but each has a different focus and approach.

Basic dentistry involves routine check-ups and cleaning, fillings, extractions and preventive measures to maintain oral health. These services are typically provided by a general dentist and are considered the foundation of dental care. The aim of basic dentistry is to prevent dental problems and maintain oral health, through regular cleaning and exams.

On the other hand, specialised dentistry focuses on more complex and specialised dental procedures, such as orthodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics. Orthodontics deals with the alignment of teeth and bite problems (for example, by using braces). Periodontics focuses on gum disease, and prosthodontics deals with the replacement of missing teeth (such as crowns). These services are typically provided by dental specialists who have completed advanced training in their respective fields.

The table below provides a high-level overview of the differences between specialised and basic dentistry and what is covered under each.

Terminology	Description
Co-payment	This is an amount that you need to pay towards a healthcare service or place of service. The amount can vary by the type of covered healthcare service or place of service. The amount the service provider charges is higher than the rate Remedi covers, you will be responsible for the difference between the charged amount and the amount we pay. This also counts for hospital accounts.
Day clinic	This is a healthcare facility where patients spend part of the day under medical supervision, but do not stay overnight.
Day-to-day benefits	These benefits include access to your available Insured-Out-of-Hospital (IOH) Benefits, and Personal Medical Savings Account (PMSA), as may be applicable.
Specialised dental treatment	These include orthognathic surgery, root canal treatment, orthodontic treatment, crowns or bridges, periodontic treatment and implants.
Basic dental treatment	We define the basic dental treatment as the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases of the teeth, gums and related structures of the mouth. This includes dentist consultations, cleaning and preventative care, extractions and emergency pain relief, intra-oral radiographs (X-rays) and local anaesthetics, fillings, plastic dentures.
Remedi Rate or Scheme Rate	This is the rate we pay for healthcare services from hospitals, pharmacies, healthcare professionals and other providers of relevant health services. The Remedi Rate or Scheme Rate is a rate that we negotiate with service providers. If your doctor charges more than the Remedi Rate or the contracted fee, we will pay claims at the Remedi Rate or negotiated rates
Related account	A related account for dental treatment received is any account for dental treatment done in a hospital or any day clinic. It does not refer to the hospital or day clinic account. This could be the anaesthetist's, dentist's, or dental specialist's account.

If you get a combination of basic and specialised dental treatments on the same day, your cover will depend on the type of specialised treatment, the type of doctor who is claiming for these services, and where the treatment took place in-hospital or out-of-hospital. To get a better insight into how we cover you, please contact our customer service centre on 0860 116 116 or at service@yourremedi.co.za to ask for a detailed quote.

For more information, please review the "Dental Benefits" section of the Remedi Benefit Brochure.

To find this brochure on our website, visit www.yourremedi.co.za, and by clicking "FIND A DOCUMENT" at the top of the page, you may then select "Find a document" in the drop-down menu that appears.