6 Best Dental Insurance in NZ New Zealand Reviewed
Whether for a regular clean, bracing, or wisdom tooth removal, dental care is costly. Luckily, we’ve collated the best dental insurance in NZ for you here.
Although there aren’t many sole dental insurers in New Zealand, you can find more than a few health insurers that offer dental benefit as an optional extra.
As dental insurance in NZ differ in terms, exclusions, and rates, you may not know where to start. Now the question goes: how do you know which policy is ideal for you?
Leave it to us as we’ll guide you through the fundamentals of dental insurance. If you’re ready, let’s proceed to the guide.
How to Find the Best Dental Insurance in NZ
Unlike life or mortgage insurance, dental health insurance in NZ is pretty straightforward in its offerings. It covers day-to-day dental care and major and orthodontic treatments.
That said, there are things you should consider when looking for the best dental insurance in NZ. These are the co-payment, claim limit, coverage, wait period, and discounts.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them below:
1. Co-payment
Dental insurance policies work by co-payment meaning the insurer will pay a certain percentage (typically around 60 to 80%) of your expenses, while you cover the rest. It goes without saying that the bigger the percentage your insurer covers, the better.
Still, you will have to pay your dentist for the service provided and then you can just file a claim to your provider afterwards.
2. Claim Limit
The claim limit is the max annual amount that you’re insured for with your dental policy. Depending on your provider, this amount can range between $400 and $1,000.
Of course, you’d want this amount to be high should you undergo an expensive dental procedure. However, a higher claim limit often involves higher premiums too.
3. Coverage
Though most insurance companies provide the same set of benefits. You still have to check your policy to be certain you are covered for things you deem important.
Let’s list down the categories that dental insurance can cover you for:
Preventative
Preventative care is focused on taking care of your teeth and gums. These include assessments, scale and cleans, and fluoride treatments.
General
These are the procedures done to remedy your teeth if they are decaying or painful. Some examples are tooth extraction, X-rays, and fillings.
Major
This tends to teeth that need support or replacement. It covers costs for crowns, bridges, dentures, implants, wisdom teeth removal, and root canal surgeries.
Orthodontics
Orthodontics deals with the correction of the teeth and jaw irregularities through braces.
4. Wait Period
When you buy dental insurance, you’ll undergo a wait period, typically from 2 to 12 months, before you can make a claim.
The wait period isn’t some scheme or gimmick. Insurers only want to ensure that people don’t take advantage of the policy by willfully letting it cover their expenses.
5. Policy Discounts
Also, you should look out for discounts with your dental policy. This can bring down your spend even more.
For instance, there are discounts for new policyholders, families, and partners. Also, Southern Cross gives its clients special deals if they consult with Lumino dentists.
The Best Dental Insurance in NZ Compared and Reviewed
Now that you know how to choose from our picks, here are the top dental insurance in NZ!
1. Nib Dental Insurance

Best for | Maximum claim limit |
Products | Everyday Cover (standard and premium options) Combined Cover (standard and premium options) |
Benefits | Dental Glasses & contacts GP visits & prescriptions Physiotherapy/chiropractic/osteopathy |
Address | 48 Shortland Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand |
Contact Details | 0800 123 642 |
Office Hours | Monday – Friday: 8.00 AM – 7.00 PM Saturday: 9.00 AM – 1.00 PM Sunday: closed |
Prices | Everyday Cover Standard: from $9.85/week Premium: from $16.48/week *Waiting periods apply Combined Cover *Standard: from $20.39/week *Premium: from $29.75/week *Waiting periods apply; and some pre-existing conditions are covered after 3 years |
Nib is a Kiwi health insurance provider that provides dental cover as a main policy benefit, not as an optional extra.
You can choose from either the Standard or Premium option for NIB dental cover. These cover 60% and 80% of your dental expenses respectively. For pricing, the standard option starts from $9.85 per week and the premium plan costs from $16.48 per week.
The two plans have the same benefits, covering everyday, major, and orthodontic treatments.
Note that a wait period will apply after you sign your insurance contract. This is to prevent policyholders from taking advantage of health or dental insurance offered.
Pros
- *High annual claim limit
- Offers first month and joint policy discounts
- Easy claim process via the Nib app
- *Annual claim limits are $750 for standard option and $1000 for the premium option
Cons
- Self-insuring may be more cost-effective
2. Southern Cross

Best for | Affordable dental insurance |
Products | HealthEssentials RegularCare WellbeingStarter UltraCare |
Benefits | HealthEssentials Day-to-day (dental, GP etc.) RegularCare Cancer care Diagnostic imaging & tests Consultations Day-to-day (dental, GP etc.) Recovery & support Non-surgical treatment Surgical allowances Extras WellbeingStarter Cancer care Surgical treatment (with restrictions) Diagnostic imaging & tests (with restrictions) Consultations (with restrictions) Day-to-day (dental, GP etc.) Recovery & support (with restrictions) Non-surgical treatment (with restrictions) Surgical allowances Extras (with restrictions) UltraCare Cancer care Surgical treatment Diagnostic imaging & tests Consultations Day-to-day (dental, GP etc.) Recovery & support Obstetrics Non-surgical treatment Surgical allowances Extras |
Address | Level 1, Te Kupenga, 155 Fanshawe Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand |
Contact Details | General enquiry: 0800 800 181 Applicants: 0800 100 777 Overseas: +64 9 979 9212 |
Office Hours | Monday – Thursday: 8.00 AM – 5.30 PM Friday: 9.00 AM – 5.00 PM Saturday – Sunday: closed |
Prices | Kindly get a quote here |
For an affordable dental cover, Southern Cross’s dental insurance is a great choice! The Southern Cross dental cover is included under their most basic plan of HealthEssentials.
You’ll be covered for up to $500 each year for dental treatments, including but not limited to scale and cleans, dental implants, braces, and root canal treatments.
Since they will only pay 75% of your dental expenses, you still have to settle the remaining 25%. For example, if your dental expense is $50, they will shoulder $37.5 (75%), while you pay the smaller portion of $12.5 (25%).
Also, Southern Cross can give you special discounts if you consult with Lumino. That will help lower your expenses to some extent.
Pros
- Affordable dental cover
- Simple application process
- Offers partner and family discounts
- Has My Southern Cross app
Cons
- Low claim benefit (only up to $500 a year)
3. AA Health Insurance

Best for | Wisdom tooth removal |
Products | Everyday Cover Private Hospital and Specialist |
Benefits | Everyday Cover Examinations Cleaning & scaling Fillings Basic extractions (excluding wisdom teeth removal) Dental & oral X-rays Private Hospital and Specialist Oral surgery |
Address | Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand |
Contact Details | Phone: 0800 758 758 Overseas: +64 9 282 9633 [email protected] |
Office Hours | Working hours Monday – Friday: 8.00 AM – 7.00 PM Saturday: 9.00 AM – 1.00 PM Sunday: closed Holiday hours Auckland Anniversary Day (Feb 1): 8.00 AM – 5.00 PM Waitangi Day (Feb 8): closed |
Prices | Kindly get a quote here |
Need cover for everyday dental care or wisdom tooth removal? If you do, AA Health Insurance might be the best dental insurance in NZ for you.
The Everyday Cover features dental benefit up to $450 per policy year, GP benefit up to $150, physiotherapist benefit up to $100, and optometrist benefit up to $200.
On the other hand, the Private and Hospital Specialist cancer care can cover the cost of hospital admission, cancer care, surgical treatments, and a whole lot more.
Along with that, it insures you against expenses for wisdom tooth surgery. But there’s a stand-down period of 12 months before you can make a claim.
Pros
- Fast online quotation
- Responsive customer service
- 14 days free-look period
Cons
- Limited coverage for both policies
4. Accuro

Best for | General and preventative dental treatment |
Products | SmartCare SmartCare+ |
Benefits | Built-In Benefits General surgery Private hospital medical admission Non-PHARMAC subsidised drugs Best Doctors Optional Benefits Specialist plan Dental and optical plan GP plan Natural health plan |
Address | Level 3, 17 Whitmore Street, Wellington 6011, New Zealand |
Contact Details | Phone: 0800 ACCURO (0800 222 876) Fax: 04 473 6187 Overseas: +64 4 473 6185 General enquiries: [email protected] Claims: [email protected] |
Office Hours | Monday – Friday: 8.30 AM – 5.00 PM Saturday – Sunday: closed Public holidays: closed |
Prices | Kindly get a quote here |
Accuro doesn’t offer dental cover except as an add-on to their SmartCare+ health policy. You can just add the dental and optical pack to your base plan.
Now, their dental plan covers 80% of general and preventative dental costs including fillings, cleaning, X-rays, and others. This cover has a policy limit of $500 per year.
What’s more, you can get cover for orthodontic treatment after 3 years, as a reward for your loyalty. They will also bump up your cover to up to $750 in a year.
Plus, they give you a free-look period of 14 days in case you change your mind and want to back out of the SmartCare+ or SmartCare insurance. Isn’t that great?
We appreciate the generous period for you to change your mind, that’s why we consider this to be one of the best dental insurance in NZ.
Pros
- Customisable cover
- Reasonable prices
- Loyalty rewards
- 14 days free-look period
Cons
- No cover for dental implants
5. BNZ Private Health Insurance

Best for | Claims processing |
Products | Private Health Cover |
Benefits | Built-In Benefits Elective surgery Surgical and medical hospitalisation Diagnostic imaging and tests Acute treatments Chemotherapy Radiation treatment Optional Benefits Day-to-day costs Specialists Natural health Dental and vision |
Address | HQ: 80 Queen Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, New Zealand |
Contact Details | Phone: 0800 275 269 Overseas: +64 4 931 8209 |
Office Hours | Monday – Friday: 8.00 AM – 8.00 PM Saturday – Sunday: 9.00 AM – 6.00 PM Public holidays: 9.00 AM – 6.00 PM |
Prices | Kindly get a quote here |
Next up on the best dental insurance in NZ list is BNZ’s Private Health Insurance. This policy is underwritten by UniMed, which holds an A rating from AM Best Company.
The policy insures you against surgical and medical treatments, chemotherapy, and hospitalisation costs. To get dental cover, you can add the dental and optical module.
The dental benefit covers you for professional dental treatments such as fillings, teeth extraction, scale and cleans, braces, dental implants, and more.
You can claim for a maximum of $500 per year for both the dental procedures and spectacles and lenses benefit.
According to clients, the claims processing is hassle-free with the assistance of the BNZ support team.
Pros
- Excellent financial strength (A as given by AM Best)
- Hassle-free claims process
- On-hand support team
Cons
- Low claim amount compared to other providers
6. Access Dental NZ Ltd | Nelson Dental Clinic
SERVICES | SERVICES: Preventative Dental Treatment, Dental Hygiene, General Dental Care, Restorative Treatment, Teeth Whitening, Custom Made Mouth Guards, Under 18s & Children, 65 Plus, and Tooth Jewellery. FINANCE OPTIONS: Dental Wellness Plan and Special Offers |
WEBSITE | http://accessdental.co.nz |
ADDRESS | 122 Kawai Street Nelson New Zealand 7010 |
CONTACT DETAILS | 03 548 3971 [email protected] |
OPERATING HOURS | Monday , 8:30 AM – 5 PM Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 6 PM Wednesday, 8:30 AM – 5 PM Thursday, 8:30 AM – 5 PM Friday, 8:30 AM – 5 PM |
Access Dentalis NZ Ltd is a Nelson-based General Family Dentistry Practice that strives to make dental care accessible to all. The staff at Access Dental want to make a real difference in the public’s perception of dentistry. With a variety of expert techniques, the clinic takes pleasure in being welcoming, soothing, peaceful, and caring.
Their staff understands the value of working within their patients’ finances and provides a Dental Wellness Members Club. This will serve as a foundation for those who are unable to find additional funds for their dental needs.
Having said that, their Dental Wellness Programme makes it easy to save for dental care. Set up your automatic weekly payment of $10 and watch it pile up without your knowledge.
They want your oral health to be a priority; frequent exams, dental hygiene, and preventative treatments are the most effective and cost-efficient ways to reduce your dental bills.
Pros
- Affordable rates
- Experienced dentists
- Convenient location
Cons
- Closed on weekends
Customer Reviews
What an amazing team of people here!
“What an amazing team of people here! Had a cleaning with Paula the Hygienist and it was undoubtedly my best experience ever. She is so bright and welcoming but also professional and takes time to make sure you are comfortable and relaxed. I actually had fun and who says that about a dentist visit! Have just moved to Nelson, this was my first visit and so happy to have found the wonderful staff at Access Dental.” – Kathryn Fitzpatrick
Access Dental goes above and beyond for their patients!
“Access Dental goes above and beyond for their patients! They explain all possible options and outcomes. Which gives you a feeling of being informed and confident to make dental care choices. They also have a calm reassuring system in place for those of us who do not like seeing dentists! Thanks to you all, from the helpful, friendly woman in reception (sorry, don’t know her name) to the practitioner’s – you do a fantastic job!” – Rhonda Stewart
FAQS about the Top Dental Insurance in NZ
And there you have it for the top dental insurance in NZ! Being insured, you can feel light knowing that you won’t have to settle all the dental expenses on your own.
Do you have any questions or suggestions about our list? If you have anything at all, please drop us a line and we’ll get back to you promptly.
Looking for a great dentist? If you are, you can read about the best dentists in Auckland who can make your teeth healthy and sparkly white. And if you need more than basic dental care, check our list of best orthodontists in Auckland.