2026 benefit year · compiled from the scheme’s published documents
POLMED dental benefits, in plain language
POLMED is the restricted scheme for SAPS members, and both of its options — Aquarium and Marine — fund routine dentistry the same way: as an insured benefit paid from scheme risk, with the dental benefit managed by DENIS. Your check-ups aren't competing with a savings balance.
The detail — exactly which procedures and which rand limits apply — sits in the DENIS POLMED 2026 dental benefit tables (updated in July 2026), and the two options aren't identical: Marine carries broader specialised dentistry benefits than Aquarium. DENIS network arrangements also apply, so it's worth understanding how your dentist works with DENIS before you plan major treatment.
Two rules apply across South African schemes and are worth knowing here too. Bigger work — dentures, crowns, implants, orthodontics, hospital dentistry — almost universally needs pre-authorisation, and every scheme pays at its own dental tariff, so charges above that tariff are yours unless your dentist has an arrangement with the scheme. Whatever your option, PMB-level emergency dental care must always be funded.
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Call nowHow it works at our practice
We claim directly from medical aids. Before treatment we do a benefit check with your scheme — bring your card and your option name — so you know what your plan pays before you sit in the chair. You pay only co-payments and anything your plan doesn’t cover or has already used up. And as always: we quote before we treat.
Option by option
As published for the 2026 benefit year (checked 2026-07-29). Benefits are re-registered every year and can change — the benefit check is what makes it certain for you.
Aquarium / Marine
Check-up covered- Routine check-up
- Yes (per table)
- What that includes
- Conservative dentistry per DENIS-managed 2026 tables
- Paid from
- Insured (risk)
- 2026 limits
- Per DENIS Polmed 2026 table (v2, July 2026)
- Network rule
- DENIS network arrangements apply
- Co-payments & gaps
- Per table
Worth knowing before you book
- DENIS network arrangements apply — check how a practice works with DENIS before you book major treatment.
- Specialised dentistry differs between the two options — Marine's benefits are broader than Aquarium's, so confirm your own option's table.
- The exact rand limits come from the DENIS POLMED 2026 table (v2, July 2026) — confirm the current figures before treatment.
- Dentures, crowns, implants, orthodontics and hospital dentistry need pre-authorisation — unauthorised treatment is typically not paid.
Tell us your option — we’ll check your benefits before you visit.
This page describes the scheme’s published benefits — it isn’t financial advice, and every treatment plan here starts with a benefit check and a quote.