Insurance guide, not financial advice. Prices and policy terms come from public sources and change often, so check the details of your own policy. Last reviewed October 1, 2026. How we research
In this guide
- Quick answer
- Accident, illness or routine care: how insurers sort dental bills
- Dental coverage, insurer by insurer
- The fine print: dental exams and pre-existing conditions
- How much insurance pays on real dental bills
- Wellness plans and add-ons for cleanings
- How to get dental care covered
- The bottom line
- Frequently asked questions
- How we researched this article
- Sources
Quick answer
Pet insurance almost never covers a routine dental cleaning, but most accident-and-illness policies cover extractions and other treatment for a broken tooth. Coverage for dental disease, such as gum disease that leads to extractions, is where insurers differ most: some cover it fully, one caps it at $1,000 a year, one sells it as an add-on and one excludes it.
| Insurer | Routine cleaning | Broken tooth (accident) | Gum disease and extractions (illness) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trupanion | Not covered | Covered | Covered, if your pet has yearly dental exams |
| Fetch | Only with Fetch Wellness | Covered | Covered, no separate dental cap |
| ASPCA Pet Health Insurance | Only with the preventive care add-on | Covered | Covered in Complete Coverage |
| Embrace | Only through Wellness Rewards | Covered | Covered up to $1,000 a year |
| Lemonade | Only with an add-on | Covered | Only with the dental illness add-on |
| Healthy Paws | Not covered | Covered | Not covered |
Sources: each insurer’s dental coverage page, checked October 2026. Terms vary by state and policy version.
Why it matters: a dental cleaning averages $388 for a dog and $375 for a cat, according to CareCredit, but treating gum disease often costs well over $1,000. Fetch puts the average cost of treating periodontal disease at $1,389 and a root canal at $1,724.
Accident, illness or routine care: how insurers sort dental bills
Every dental claim lands in one of three boxes, and the box decides whether you’re paid.
| Type of dental care | Examples | Usually covered? |
|---|---|---|
| Dental accident | A tooth broken on a bone or fence, a knocked-out tooth, a jaw injury | Yes, by almost every accident-and-illness policy, and by some accident-only plans, such as ASPCA’s |
| Dental illness | Gingivitis, periodontal (gum) disease, stomatitis, tooth resorption, tooth root abscesses, oral tumors | Depends on the insurer: covered, capped, an add-on or excluded |
| Routine or preventive care | Cleanings, polishing, brushing, dental chews, yearly checkups | No, unless you buy a wellness plan or add-on |
Sources: Trupanion, Fetch, ASPCA, Embrace, Lemonade and Healthy Paws coverage pages.
Extractions follow the cause. Pulling a tooth broken in an accident is an accident claim. Pulling teeth because of gum disease is an illness claim, so it’s only covered by insurers that cover dental illness. Healthy Paws, for example, covers “extraction or reconstruction of the damaged teeth” after an injury, but excludes “extractions and reconstructions due to dental disease.”
A cleaning can be covered as treatment. ASPCA says a cleaning in its Complete Coverage plan is covered only “if prescribed as treatment for dental diseases and illnesses,” not as routine care. Ask your insurer before the procedure if the vet will clean the teeth while treating disease.
Cosmetic and orthodontic work is rarely covered. ASPCA excludes caps, implants, fillings and endodontic work such as root canals, while Trupanion and Healthy Paws list root canals and crowns as covered when they treat a covered condition.
Dental coverage, insurer by insurer
Trupanion covers “new dental illnesses & injuries,” including extractions of adult and baby teeth, root canals, crowns, fractured tooth repair, tooth resorption and tooth root abscesses. The condition: your pet needs a yearly dental exam and you must follow your vet’s recommended dental care. Cleanings aren’t covered.
Fetch covers “injury and disease in all adult teeth and your pet’s gums,” including periodontal disease, gingivitis, extractions, root canals, oral tumors and oral surgery. There’s no separate dental cap; claims count toward your annual limit. Cleanings are covered only with the Fetch Wellness add-on.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance covers extractions for dental accidents and illnesses in its Complete Coverage plan, including gingivitis, stomatitis, periodontal disease, abscesses and oral tumors. Its accident-only plan covers extraction of injured teeth only. It excludes caps, implants, fillings, root canals and other endodontic work. Routine cleanings are part of the optional preventive care add-on.
Embrace covers dental illnesses such as gingivitis, stomatitis and periodontal disease up to $1,000 a policy year, as long as they first show symptoms after coverage starts. Dental accidents are covered up to your full annual limit. Cleanings can be paid through Wellness Rewards, a separate non-insurance plan with $300, $500 or $700 a year to spend on routine care.
Lemonade covers dental accidents in its base policy, but not dental illness. Its dental illness add-on covers extractions, dental surgery and gum disease. A broader dental care add-on also pays for cleanings and some pre-existing dental conditions, but you can only add it while your pet is up to 3 years old.
Healthy Paws covers dental injuries, including extraction or reconstruction of damaged teeth, plus stomatitis, dentigerous cysts and malocclusion. It excludes cleanings and “extractions and reconstructions due to dental disease,” which rules out extractions for gum disease.
Sources: Trupanion, Fetch, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Lemonade and Healthy Paws dental coverage pages, checked October 2026.
For a full comparison of these insurers beyond dental, see the best pet insurance for dogs.
The fine print: dental exams and pre-existing conditions
Even when dental illness is covered, two rules can stop a claim.
1. Keep up with dental care your vet recommends. Trupanion requires a yearly dental exam and says coverage applies if “you follow your veterinarian’s recommended dental care.” Healthy Paws excludes “periodontal disease due to insufficient teeth brushing.” Keep records of every dental exam and cleaning, and follow through when your vet recommends one.
2. Anything noted before coverage is excluded. Tartar, red gums or a loose tooth in your pet’s records before the policy starts, or during the waiting period, can make that dental problem pre-existing. Embrace, for example, only covers dental illnesses that first show symptoms after coverage starts, and Fetch excludes pre-existing dental conditions entirely.
| If this is in the records before coverage | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Nothing about the teeth or gums | Future dental illness is covered at insurers that cover it |
| Tartar or gingivitis noted | Gum disease and related extractions may be excluded as pre-existing |
| A broken or missing tooth | That tooth is excluded; new accidents to other teeth are covered |
Based on each insurer’s pre-existing condition rules; see pet insurance and pre-existing conditions for how long each insurer looks back.
One exception: Lemonade’s dental care add-on covers some pre-existing dental conditions, but you must add it while your pet is up to 3 years old.
The practical lesson: buy coverage while your pet’s mouth is still healthy, ideally as a puppy or kitten, and ask your vet to note a clean dental exam in the records.
How much insurance pays on real dental bills
The same dental bill can bring back $0 or more than $2,000, depending on your insurer. To compare coverage rather than prices, this table uses the same settings for every insurer: 80% reimbursement and a $250 deductible not yet met that year.
| Insurer | Cleaning ($388) | Gum disease treatment ($1,389) | Advanced gum disease with extractions ($3,000) | Root canal after a broken tooth ($1,724) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trupanion | $0 | $861 | $2,150 | $1,129 |
| Fetch | $0 | $861 | $2,150 | $1,129 |
| ASPCA (Complete Coverage) | $0 | $861 | $2,150 | $0 (root canals excluded; an extraction would be covered) |
| Embrace | $0 | $861 | $1,000 (dental illness cap) | $1,129 |
| Lemonade, base policy | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,129 |
| Lemonade with dental illness add-on | $0 | $861 | $2,150 | $1,129 |
| Healthy Paws | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,129 |
Our calculations: 80% of the bill, minus the $250 deductible (percentage first, then the deductible). Bills: CareCredit’s average dog cleaning ($388); Fetch’s average costs for periodontal disease ($1,389) and a root canal ($1,724); $3,000 is an illustrative advanced case. Assumes the condition isn’t pre-existing, the pet is past its waiting periods and, for Trupanion, has had its yearly dental exam. Exam fees may not be covered.
The Embrace cap matters for big dental bills. Up to about $1,560 in covered dental illness bills, Embrace pays the same as insurers without a cap. Above that, it stops at $1,000 for the year.
A cleaning is out of pocket everywhere unless you have a wellness plan or add-on. For what a cleaning or extraction costs in the first place, see dog teeth cleaning costs, dog tooth extraction costs, cat dental cleaning costs and cat tooth extraction costs.
Wellness plans and add-ons for cleanings
If you want help paying for routine cleanings, you need a wellness plan or a dental add-on, not standard insurance.
| Option | What it pays for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Embrace Wellness Rewards | Cleanings and other routine care, up to $300, $500 or $700 a year | Not insurance; you choose the yearly amount and pay for it monthly |
| ASPCA preventive care (Basic or Prime) | Dental cleaning, wellness exams, core vaccines and more, each up to a set amount | Added to an ASPCA accident-and-illness plan |
| Fetch Wellness | Dental cleanings and other routine care | Added to a Fetch policy |
| Lemonade Preventative+ | Diagnostics, anesthesia, cleaning and polishing | Availability varies by state |
| Lemonade dental care add-on | Cleanings plus dental illness, including some pre-existing conditions | Only for pets up to 3 years old when added; no deductible |
Sources: Embrace, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Fetch and Lemonade, checked October 2026.
Do the math before you add one. Across all US policies, plans with wellness coverage cost about $578 a year more for dogs and $424 more for cats than plans without it, according to NAPHIA’s 2026 report. A cleaning averages about $388 for a dog. A wellness add-on pays off only if you’d use most of what it covers, such as vaccines, exams and tests, not just the cleaning.
A cleaning now can prevent a bigger bill later. Regular cleanings help keep gum disease from reaching the stage where teeth must be pulled. Some insurers, such as Trupanion, also expect you to follow your vet’s dental advice to keep dental illness covered.
How to get dental care covered
- Check the dental illness rule before you buy. Look for “periodontal disease” or “dental disease” in the sample policy. If it’s excluded or only an add-on, your pet’s most likely dental bills won’t be covered.
- Enroll before tartar shows up. The younger and healthier the mouth, the less can be excluded as pre-existing.
- Book the yearly dental exam and keep the records. Trupanion requires it, and every insurer will look at dental history when you claim.
- Follow your vet’s dental advice. If the vet recommends a cleaning and you skip it, a later gum disease claim may be harder to win.
- Ask for a pre-approval or estimate review. Before a big dental procedure, send the estimate to your insurer and ask what it will cover, especially if the bill mixes a cleaning with extractions.
- Watch for caps. A $1,000 dental illness limit covers a typical gum disease bill but not a major one.
- Budget for the cleaning separately, or add a wellness plan only if the numbers work for you.
If you’re still deciding whether coverage is worth it at all, see is pet insurance worth it? and how much pet insurance costs.
The bottom line
Pet insurance won’t pay for a routine cleaning, but the right policy will pay for the dental problems that cost real money. If dental health matters to you, choose an insurer that covers dental illness without a low cap, enroll before tartar appears, and keep up with the dental exams and cleanings your vet recommends.
Frequently asked questions
Does pet insurance cover dental cleanings?
Not as routine care in a standard accident-and-illness policy. ASPCA covers a cleaning only when it is prescribed to treat dental disease. Otherwise cleanings are covered only through a wellness plan or add-on, such as Embrace Wellness Rewards, ASPCA’s preventive care add-on or Fetch Wellness.
Does pet insurance cover tooth extractions?
Usually, if the extraction treats an accident, such as a broken tooth. Extractions for gum disease are covered only by insurers that cover dental illness, such as Trupanion, Fetch and ASPCA; Healthy Paws excludes them.
Does pet insurance cover periodontal disease?
It depends on the insurer. Trupanion, Fetch and ASPCA’s Complete Coverage cover it, Embrace covers it up to $1,000 a year, Lemonade covers it only with a dental illness add-on, and Healthy Paws excludes it.
Why was my pet’s dental claim denied?
Common reasons include that the problem was noted before coverage or during a waiting period, that the policy excludes dental disease, or that required dental exams or recommended care weren’t done.
Does pet insurance cover a broken tooth?
Yes. A tooth broken in an accident is covered by almost every accident-and-illness policy, though ASPCA excludes root canals and would cover an extraction instead.
How much does insurance pay for dental disease treatment?
On a $1,389 gum disease bill, a policy with 80% reimbursement and a $250 deductible would pay about $861, if dental illness is covered. Embrace caps dental illness at $1,000 a year.
Is a dental wellness add-on worth it?
Only if you’d use most of what it covers. A dog’s cleaning averages about $388, while wellness coverage adds about $578 a year to the average dog policy.
How we researched this article
We read the dental coverage pages of six large US pet insurers (Trupanion, Fetch, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, Lemonade and Healthy Paws) in October 2026 and quoted their own wording where it decides a claim. Dental costs come from CareCredit’s cost study and Fetch’s published averages. Payouts are our own calculations with the same settings for every insurer, applying the reimbursement percentage first and then the deductible. Policy terms vary by state and change over time, so read the sample policy for your state before you buy.
Sources
- Trupanion: Pet dental insurance
- Fetch: Pet insurance that covers dental
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Pet insurance for dental care; Preventive care coverage
- Embrace: Dental illness coverage; Wellness Rewards
- Lemonade: Does pet insurance cover dental care?
- Healthy Paws: Dental health coverage and exclusions
- CareCredit: Cat and dog teeth cleaning cost
- NAPHIA: State of the Industry Report 2026, average premiums