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The best alternatives to Denplan in 2026
Five plans that do not require a dental assessment — and let you keep any dentist
Written by DentalPlanFinder Editorial Team
Independent dental plan research • Published August 2026
The short answer
The five real alternatives to Denplan are Simplyhealth, BUPA Dental Cover, WPA Dental Cover, Boots Dental Insurance and Westfield Health, from £5/month. None requires a dental assessment to join and all five can be used at any dentist, which are the two constraints people most often leave Denplan over. The trade-off is that all five apply annual claim limits, where Denplan Care has none.
Denplan is the largest dental payment plan in the UK and, for the people it suits, it is genuinely hard to beat — a fixed monthly fee to your own dentist, agreed treatment provided as needed, and no annual claim limit. But it suits fewer people than its market share suggests, and there are two specific reasons people look elsewhere: you must pass a dental assessment before you can join, and you are tied to a registered member practice.
If either of those is your problem, no amount of comparing Denplan tiers will fix it, because both are structural to how a capitation plan works. What you need is a different product type. All five alternatives below can be bought online without an assessment and used at any dentist in the UK, starting at £5/month.
This is not a page arguing that Denplan is bad. It is a page about what to do when Denplan is not available to you, has quoted you a fee you did not expect, or has become awkward because your dentist left the scheme or you moved. The ranking below is ordered by how well each option replaces what you would be giving up.
The five alternatives to Denplan, ranked
BUPA BUPA Dental Cover
Best overall replacement
The closest match to what Denplan actually gives you, which is restorative cover rather than just cashback on check-ups. BUPA covers check-ups, hygiene, fillings, crowns and emergency treatment, and you can use any dentist in the UK with no assessment to join. If you were on Denplan Care for the crown cover and want to keep it while regaining the freedom to choose your practice, this is the switch.
Worth knowing: Annual limits apply where Denplan had none, and there is a two-month wait for routine treatment. Check the restorative sub-limit rather than the headline annual figure before assuming a crown is covered in full.
WPA WPA Dental Cover
Best if BUPA has quoted you too high
Effectively matches BUPA on coverage breadth — check-ups, hygiene, fillings, crowns and emergency, at any dentist — and runs several product lines, so the cover can be pitched up or down to fit a budget. Worth quoting alongside BUPA rather than instead of it; which is cheaper depends on your age and the tier you need.
Worth knowing: A three-month waiting period for routine and restorative treatment, the longest of the five.
Simplyhealth Simply Dental
Best for immediate cover
The strongest option if you need to claim soon. Simplyhealth is a cash plan — you pay any dentist and claim a percentage back — with no waiting period at all, so cover starts from day one. It also includes emergency treatment. For someone who left Denplan mid-treatment or was refused on assessment, this is usually the fastest route back to being covered.
Worth knowing: Crowns are not covered, which is the main thing you lose coming from Denplan Care. Annual cashback limits are modest and reached quickly if you need more than routine care.
Westfield Health Westfield Health Dental
Cheapest alternative
The lowest entry price of any UK dental plan at £5/month, with claims from day one at any dentist for check-ups, hygiene and fillings. If your Denplan fee came back higher than you expected and your teeth are in reasonable condition, this is the biggest monthly saving available.
Worth knowing: No crown cover and no emergency cover. This is routine-care cover only — a genuine downgrade in breadth, at a genuine discount.
Boots Boots Dental Insurance
Simplest to buy
Check-ups, fillings and emergency cover in a straightforward package you can buy online in minutes, with emergency protection from day one. Useful as basic cover if you want something in place quickly while you decide, and Boots is a familiar name to deal with.
Worth knowing: The narrowest schedule here — no crown cover, no hygiene cover — and a two-month wait on routine treatment.
Denplan vs the five alternatives, side by side
| Plan | Monthly | Type | Any dentist? | Crowns | Assessment to join? | Waiting period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denplan Denplan Care (for reference) | £13–£22/mo | Capitation | No | Yes | Yes | Dental assessment required before joining |
| Simplyhealth Simply Dental | £8–£50/mo | Cash plan | Yes | No | No | None — claim from day one |
| BUPA BUPA Dental Cover | £8–£50/mo | Insurance | Yes | Yes | No | 2 months for routine treatment |
| WPA WPA Dental Cover | £12–£45/mo | Insurance | Yes | Yes | No | 3 months for routine treatment |
| Westfield Health Westfield Health Dental | £5–£25/mo | Cash plan | Yes | No | No | None — claim from day one |
| Boots Boots Dental Insurance | £8–£30/mo | Insurance | Yes | No | No | None for emergency; 2 months for routine |
Why people leave Denplan — and which reasons a switch actually fixes
The assessment is the most common blocker. Denplan requires an examination before you join, and your monthly fee is set from what the dentist finds. If you have existing problems, the quote comes back higher than the advertised range, and if they are significant you may be asked to complete treatment privately first. Every alternative on this page can be bought without an assessment, so this reason is fully solved by switching.
Being tied to a member practice is the second. Denplan runs through registered dentists, so if your dentist leaves the scheme, retires, or you move house, your plan does not travel with you. All five alternatives work at any UK dentist. Also fully solved.
Cost is the third, and here the answer is more honest: sometimes. Denplan Care at £13–£22/month is not expensive for what it includes, and a cheaper cash plan at £5–£8/month is cheaper because it covers less. If you switch on price alone and then need a crown, you will find the saving was borrowed rather than earned. The genuine cost win is for people whose teeth are stable and whose spending is routine.
The one thing you give up: no annual limit
Denplan Care has no annual ceiling on agreed treatment. It is not insurance — there is no claims process — so there is nothing to cap. Your dentist has agreed to provide the treatment your teeth need for a fee that reflects their condition. In a bad year, that is worth a great deal.
Every alternative here applies annual limits, and this is where switching can disappoint if you have not read the schedule. A plan that "covers crowns" may cover them up to £500 a year against a £900 London crown. The number that matters is not whether a treatment appears in the benefit list; it is the sub-limit attached to it.
So the switching test is straightforward. If you expect a heavy treatment year, the annual limit is the first thing to check and Denplan may still be the better product despite its constraints. If you expect a routine year and you need to be free of the assessment or the practice tie, one of the five above will serve you better and usually cheaper.
How to switch without a gap in cover
Check your notice period before you cancel anything. Denplan agreements are with your practice and typically require one month’s written notice, and some practices ask for treatment in progress to be settled on cancellation. Ask specifically whether anything is outstanding before you give notice.
Start the new plan before ending the old one where the new plan has a waiting period. BUPA has a two-month wait and WPA three months, so cancelling first leaves you exposed for exactly as long as the wait. Simplyhealth and Westfield Health claim from day one, so the overlap matters less with those two.
Finally, check whether your current dentist takes private patients outside the Denplan scheme, because most do. Leaving the plan usually does not mean leaving the practice — you move to paying per visit, or to a cash plan you claim back against. Our plan-versus-pay-as-you-go calculator will tell you which of those is cheaper on your own treatment history.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to Denplan?
Simplyhealth, BUPA Dental Cover, WPA Dental Cover, Boots Dental Insurance and Westfield Health, from £5/month. None requires a dental assessment and all five work at any UK dentist, unlike Denplan which needs an examination to join and ties you to a member practice.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Denplan?
Yes — Westfield Health starts at £5/month and Simplyhealth at £8/month, against £13–£22/month for Denplan Care. Both are cash plans that cover check-ups, hygiene and fillings but not crowns, so the saving comes with narrower cover.
Can I switch from Denplan to another dental plan?
Yes. Denplan agreements are held with your practice and normally need one month’s written notice. If your new plan has a waiting period — two months with BUPA, three with WPA — start it before cancelling Denplan so you are not left uncovered during the wait.
Which Denplan alternative covers crowns?
BUPA Dental Cover and WPA Dental Cover both include crowns and can be used at any dentist. Simplyhealth, Westfield Health and Boots cover routine treatment and fillings but not crowns. With BUPA and WPA, check the restorative sub-limit — a crown may be covered only in part.
Do I need a dental assessment to join a Denplan alternative?
No. All five alternatives can be bought online without an examination. This is the main practical reason people switch — Denplan requires an assessment and prices your fee from it, which can block you or raise the quote if you already have problems.
Is Denplan worth it compared with the alternatives?
It is worth it if you expect regular restorative treatment and value having no annual claim limit, and you are happy to stay with one practice. If your dental spending is routine, or you need cover without an assessment or the freedom to change dentist, one of the five alternatives will suit you better.
Compare these plans side by side
See prices, cover levels and waiting periods for all six UK plans in one table — or answer four questions and we'll narrow it down for you.