Statutory health insurance companies are paying less and less for dental treatment. Insured persons are only reimbursed half for necessary dentures, although the costs only relate to the services of a fixed basic treatment. For this reason, those with statutory health insurance sometimes have to pay a personal contribution of several hundred euros. Private supplementary dental insurance can reduce or completely close this gap. People with an existing dental supplement policy should regularly carry out a price-performance comparison.
In a nutshell – the most important things about supplementary dental insurance
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advantages
No restriction to GKV level
Pension benefits can also be insured
Privately insured status
Reimbursement of expensive dental therapies
Disadvantages
Claims before the conclusion of the insurance will not be reimbursed
Retirement provisions can be lost in the event of termination
Finding good supplementary dental insurance is not that easy. However, there are a few characteristics that separate the wheat from the chaff. In general, these conditions can be expected with supplementary dental insurance:
Features of supplementary dental insurance Yes No
This is why supplementary dental insurance is worthwhile
implants
High quality composite fillings
root canals
Interventions for aesthetic reasons
Professional tooth cleaning
Supplementary dental insurance benefits – dental care fully secured
Statutory health insurance companies contribute to the costs of dental treatment with a fixed subsidy . This is usually standard care, extras such as tooth-colored crowns or implants are not paid for. Additional services usually cost significantly more and are mostly billed privately via the Ordinance on Fees for Dentists (GOZ) . Few can afford that all at once. To prevent a cost shock, it can be helpful to take out private supplementary dental insurance . In principle, private supplementary dental insurance covers the costs incurred for the following service areas:
Supplementary dental insurance is primarily taken out to get reimbursed for the costs of dentures. However, many customers would also like to use private services for dental treatment that are not (or no longer) covered by health insurance. This includes in particular:
Services for functional analysis: In the case of pain in the teeth, the causes can often be determined with functional analysis measures.
Benefits for root canal treatments: Root canal treatments are no longer automatically covered by health insurance, the tooth must be worth preserving if the patient does not want to bear the costs.
Benefits for periodontal treatment: Here, supplementary dental insurance can cover the costs of treatment if the insurance company does not step in
Benefits for bite aids and splints: In the event of excessive strain on the teeth (“grinding”), a splint or bite aid can provide relief, which may not be paid for in full or at all by the health insurance company.
Fissure sealants: Fissure sealants can also be useful as a precautionary measure in adults to prevent tooth decay. This treatment is also usually not covered by health insurance.
Plastic or composite fillings: Plastic is often used as a filling material to enable a tooth-colored restoration. The costs for this are not necessarily cash benefits.
The preventive tooth cleaning or prophylaxis offers an intensive cleaning of the teeth, which is carried out by expert staff and with the help of special instruments. Among other things, soft and hard deposits are removed, the tooth surface is polished and patients are informed about general oral hygiene. Experts recommend having your teeth professionally cleaned once or twice a year. The statutory health insurance companies usually do not cover the costs for this. Good supplementary dental insurance pays for prophylaxis at least once a year.
How professional teeth cleaning works
Dentures are one of the most important benefits of supplementary dental insurance. The associated costs are usually very high: Without additional dental insurance, consumers have to reckon with a very high personal contribution for such interventions. The most expensive replacement products include
Crown
bridges
Inlays (insert fillings)
implants
Veneers (ceramic veneers)
Before taking out supplementary insurance, consumers should make sure that the reimbursement for dentures is as high as possible (80-90%) in order not to be left with unnecessary costs.
More information on reimbursement for dentures
The following applies to orthodontic treatment: The statutory health insurance companies pay for braces and the associated treatments if the therapy begins before the age of 18 and is medically necessary. Frequently, however, the costs are only covered from an orthodontic indication group (KIG) of 3 or more. As a rule, parents have to pay for minor misalignments themselves. This can cost several thousand euros. When choosing private supplementary insurance, you should make sure that it also covers the costs of braces and orthodontic treatment for children, because most insurers only offer dentures. The amount of the cost assumption is often limited to 1,000 - 2,000 €, but a brace costs up to 7,000 € - which leads to a still very high personal contribution.
Find out more about supplementary dental insurance for children
Depending on the tariff, the services may vary. Before taking out supplementary dental insurance, consumers should therefore think about which services they would like to make use of. This is particularly true for consumers who have reservations about dentists or fear pain. While CBD is becoming more and more the costs for CBD oil are comparatively low, good supplementary dental insurance also covers more expensive treatment methods such as nitrous oxide, hypnosis or other alternative therapies that protect against pain and make visiting the dentist more pleasant.
As with almost all private insurance, the premium costs depend on age, the state of health of the teeth and gums, the type of insurance and whether there are already planned treatments. Since the unisex tariffs were introduced in 2013, there can no longer be a distinction based on gender.
؟What distinguishes good tariffs
Good tariff offers reimburse both the remaining costs after the dentures and the costs for dental treatment and orthodontics, for which the statutory health insurance companies no longer pay. However, the market sometimes has huge differences in performance . In order to avoid gaps in the insured benefits, you should note the following points:
Percentage of Reimbursement – This varies by insurer. Also note the base amount to which the percentage refers.
Scope of participations – Anyone who wants to have inlays or implants insured should pay attention to the level of participation in these dental prosthesis services.
Limitation to a certain number of benefits – For example, some insurers limit their reimbursement to a specified number of implants.
Maximum amounts – Other companies only refund up to a certain maximum limit.
Orthodontic Treatments – Services should also be included for necessary orthodontic treatments, especially for children. The premium is calculated depending on the selected tariff and depending on the age of the customer. The costs are between 8 and 30 euros per month.
Tooth preservation, prophylaxis and Co. – These costs are covered by the supplementary insurance
Tariff uni-dent
* Tariff example of the Universa supplementary dental insurance for the uni-dent private tariff with up to 80% reimbursement for fillings etc.; Restrictions by calendar year after the conclusion of the insurance are not taken into account
Comparing supplementary dental insurance – What consumers should pay attention to
There is no such thing as a perfect supplementary dental insurance. Different performance characteristics are important for everyone: Many want to be reimbursed for expensive dentures, others want to be able to take advantage of more services even with regular treatments. In addition, a large number of policyholders want immediate protection - without the typical waiting times for supplementary dental insurance . Before concluding a contract, consumers should therefore think very carefully about what is important to them and compare tariffs accordingly. For the best possible results in the comparison, there are some guidelines as a guide. The following questions can help to decide on a specific supplementary dental insurance:
Comparison aspects at a glance:
Are costs for implants covered?
Are inlays reimbursed?
Are ceramic veneers included?
What dental treatment services are covered?
Should preventive measures be part of the insurance cover?
How is the financial strength of the insurance rated?
Are the posts stable?
Are retirement provisions possible?
How long is the waiting period before claiming additional insurance?
To what extent is the range of services restricted due to tooth scales?
In addition to the comparison aspects described, the focus of the comparison should be the reimbursement rate : Make sure you pay attention to what your supplementary dental insurance actually reimburses in relation to others! Many insurers advertise reimbursements of 80, 90 to 100 percent, but it often remains unclear what exactly the reimbursement rates refer to. Examples of different reimbursement rates are shown by our test winners from 2018 in the supplementary dental insurance test.
With the right advice at the best rate
There are now a large number of additional dental tariffs, so it is not easy to keep track of them. It is all the more important to compare tariffs in advance in order to guarantee the best possible insurance protection for yourself. Due to low deductibles and high reimbursement of costs, supplementary dental insurance enables you to save money in the long term. Insurance experts can actively support you and give you the best possible advice.
Private medical care
When reimbursement is made for private medical care for dentures (dentures, bridges, crowns) or dental treatment and orthodontics, the reimbursement rate is usually somewhere between 30 and 90 percent. Some supplementary dental insurances reimburse the costs independently of the health insurance benefits, while others include them. It is worth paying close attention to this when comparing supplementary dental insurance!
regular care
If you only want to take advantage of the health insurance benefits, many supplementary dental insurance policies will actually reimburse you for the (remaining) costs in full - you will then be reimbursed 100 percent of the total costs by the health insurance company and additionally by the supplementary dental insurance. However, private medical services are usually not included in the full reimbursement.
An insurer reimburses 30 percent of the total cost of your dentures. If the bill is 850 euros, you will receive a refund of 255 euros. Together with the fixed subsidy of 410 euros, you will receive 665 euros and thus 78 percent of the total costs back.
Reimbursement with crediting of the health insurance benefit
In the same example, the additional dental insurance pays 70 percent of the total costs minus the health insurance share, i.e. 185 euros. You will receive a total of 595 euros and therefore less than with supplementary dental insurance with the lower reimbursement rate.
There are a few misconceptions about supplementary dental insurance: it is said that this is not worthwhile because the benefits after the conclusion of the contract would be limited. In addition, the myth persists that every supplementary dental insurance includes a waiting period . The so-called tooth relay also raises questions. Consumers should always inform themselves about the differences in the contracts. Mistakes sometimes persist in the long term without being universally valid.
With the staggering, the insurers limit their benefits in the first few years - and in some cases significantly! Because the tooth scale defines the maximum amount for all reimbursements of the respective contract year in the first few years. Technically, then, maybe 90 percent of the costs incurred in the dental treatment will be reimbursed, but the total amount may then be limited to a few 100 euros.
In the meantime, however, there are contracts that only limit the benefits of the first two years - after that, as with all tariffs, the benefits are unlimited.
More information about the squadron
There are also additional payment insurances without a waiting period : With these contracts, you don't have to wait for any deadlines for benefits to be granted.
These include, for example*:
BBKK – ZahnPrivat Premium
German family insurance – mouthguards exclusive
Hallesche – dentPRO 80, dentZB 100, dentZE 90
Signal – ZahnTOP, ZahnPlus, ZahnPluspur, ZahnToppur
Württembergische – ZBE, ZE 70, ZE 90
*This is just a list of some providers, you can find a complete overview here: Additional dental insurance with & without waiting period
The desire for a supply with high-quality dentures and a private medical treatment at the dentist is not necessarily a question of age: Younger people also want these advantages. Nevertheless, the consideration of waiting until you are a little older before taking out supplementary dental insurance is quite legitimate: After all, every uninsured month saves contributions that you do not have to pay. But also consider the following aspects:
Age in itself will not stand in the way of taking out supplementary dental insurance – but previous illnesses and missing teeth as well as recommended dental treatment will. In short: If you wait too long, you may no longer be insurable.
Contributions are increasing: Depending on the starting age, the contributions for supplementary dental insurance are staggered – if you wait longer, you pay significantly more. In addition, it is no longer possible to build up sufficient provisions when taking out a degree in old age.
Pay attention to the dental scale: Depending on the tariff, the benefits may be limited in the first few years - keep this in mind if you want to take out supplementary dental insurance later.
More information on supplementary dental insurance for seniors
The fewer worries you have about your teeth, the less you want to deal with supplementary dental insurance – which is understandable. But we also feel sane when we buy term life insurance to be prepared for the unexpected. And we protect ourselves against occupational disability , even though things have never been better for us. Taking out supplementary dental insurance, even if you have healthy teeth today, is the same rational decision - made in the knowledge that everything can look different tomorrow
You bite down on something hard and break off a front tooth – the health insurance coverage will hardly be enough for you with your good teeth.
You get periodontitis and are in danger of losing teeth - the additional dental care allows first-class treatment with which you can quickly get the problems under control.
A sudden root infection threatens to end with a "dead tooth" or even tooth loss - the insurance company does not bear the treatment costs. Supplemental dental insurance makes sense because you limit the consequences with a quick root canal treatment.
More on supplementary dental insurance Reimbursement of costs
This argument is often heard when it comes to supplementary dental insurance and the associated costs. The fact is: Many want to save, but then suddenly they go on vacation or the broken car or the new washing machine or, or, or - and the savings are attacked. But even if you remain disciplined: If you save instead of taking out insurance, you are at best betting on good health. And if the bet goes wrong, it will be expensive!
An example: If you take out supplementary dental insurance at the age of 30, which costs you 25 euros a month, after six years you will only have around 1,900 euros in your account at 1.5 percent interest. That may be enough for a bridge, but probably not for an additional implant treatment.
More information about the costs of supplementary dental insurance
With supplementary dental insurance, you only insure what you want to insure yourself. The insured benefits are decisive for the quality of the insurance cover - and also for which dental measures are paid for in individual cases. These features should definitely be insured:
The insurer waives the right of termination: This means that the insurer cannot unilaterally withdraw from the contract.
Waiver of waiting times: If there are no waivers of waiting times, dentures will only be reimbursed eight months after conclusion of the contract, the costs for co-insured dental treatment only after three months.
Basic reimbursement for private medical treatments: This ensures that high-quality dentures and complex treatments are worn - if only the standard care is topped up, this is not the case.
More information about the supplementary dental insurance benefits
Supplementary dental insurance in the test - who convinces the rating agencies?
Allianz supplementary dental insurance test
Arag supplementary dental insurance test
AXA supplementary dental insurance test
Barmenia supplementary dental insurance test
Central supplementary dental insurance test
Debeka supplementary dental insurance test
DKV supplementary dental insurance test
ERGO supplementary dental insurance test
HUK supplementary dental insurance test
Hanse-Merkur supplementary dental insurance test
Dental care for children – When is it worth taking out supplementary dental insurance?
Basically, dentures are not (yet) an issue for younger people - but supplementary dental insurance for children does not have to be pointless - there are good reasons to think about supplementary dental insurance at a young age:
Orthodontics: The insurance companies have completely withdrawn from the provision of aesthetic measures - if parents don't want to be stuck with the costs of braces, supplementary dental insurance before they are teenagers makes sense.
Prophylaxis : Why wait until the first dental problems appear? With prophylactic measures from professional tooth cleaning to fluoridation or sealing, preventive measures can defuse dental problems at an early stage.
Illnesses and other dental concerns: Younger people also have dental problems that cause visual or medical concerns: the dental disease periodontitis causes pain, grinding teeth puts a strain on the entire body, stains on the teeth affect self-confidence. If the insurers don't step in here - for example, if veneers are to cover up stains - then you have to bear the costs yourself. Inexpensive supplementary dental insurance is a sensible form of health protection that helps to cushion this financial burden.
Secure low premiums: Young people pay lower premiums and can thus secure long-term low-cost protection at an early stage.
Avoid exclusions and rejections: Those who take out supplementary dental insurance early on usually do not have any problems with their teeth and do not have to expect exclusions, risk premiums or rejections when applying for supplementary dental insurance.
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Statutory health insurance companies do not cover all costs incurred at the dentist. Certain services, such as root canal treatments, professional tooth cleaning or treatments with nitrous oxide, have to be paid for by the insured person alone and can be quite expensive. Even with dentures, the health insurance only pays a fixed subsidy. Supplementary dental insurance can, depending on the contracted tariff, reduce the deductible or cover it completely.
Find out more about the benefits of supplementary dental insurance
There are some insurers who offer supplementary dental insurance without a waiting period, including Deutsche Familienversicherung, Hallesche and Signal. However, the maximum amount in the first year differs significantly between the providers.
Find out more about supplementary dental insurance without a waiting period
When choosing the right supplementary dental insurance, it depends on the personal performance requirements, so one cannot say in general that a certain insurance is the best for everyone. There are a few benefits you should look out for when choosing your supplementary dental insurance:
Are the costs for implants covered?
How much is the cost coverage?
Are there waiting times to consider?
Find out more about the best supplementary dental insurance in the test report .
There is no general answer to this, as the costs vary depending on the effort involved and the type of implant. Roughly estimated, you have to reckon with costs of several thousand euros. If you want to save money, you should consider whether supplementary dental insurance is an option.
Learn more about reimbursement for dentures .
Depending on the tariff and insurance, a reimbursement of up to 100 percent can be selected. With supplementary dental insurance, certain services that are not covered by statutory health insurance can be significantly cheaper or even free of charge for the insured person. These include, for example:
dentures
professional tooth cleaning
dental treatments
Orthodontic services (e.g. braces)
Treatments under general anesthesia or nitrous oxide
Find out more about the benefits of supplementary dental insurance .
Dentures are expensive. The statutory health insurance companies only ever accept the most economical treatment. In addition, the new fee schedule for dentists has been in effect since the beginning of 2012, and dental care can become significantly more expensive as a result. People for whom high-quality dentures are important and who only have a small amount of their own reserves should think about taking out supplementary dental insurance. Before doing so, however, it makes sense to ask the dentist about treatments that will be necessary in the future.
Find out more about the best supplementary dental insurance in the test here .
Yes. For dental treatment and tooth cleaning measures, insured persons usually have to expect a waiting period of three months (general waiting period). The special waiting period usually applies to dentures and orthodontic treatments and is eight months. During this time, insured persons must already make contributions, but the collectively agreed benefit can only be claimed after the deadline has expired. For some time there have also been tariffs that do not have to wait.
You can find more information about waiting times here .
Most insurers limit their benefits in the first few years of the contract. Often there is talk of total limits, annual peak performance or the tooth scale. Background: The insurance companies want to prevent customers from only insuring themselves when extensive and cost-intensive treatments are pending.
There is more information about the squadron here .
The dentist draws up such a plan – a kind of cost estimate – in advance of a treatment. Many insurance companies usually require it before the start of treatment in order to be able to better estimate the expected costs and the associated deductible.
Here you can find out how the supplementary dental insurance reimbursement works.
Yes. Professional tooth cleaning is part of the prophylaxis, the costs of which are not covered by statutory health insurance. Therefore, most supplementary dental insurance policies provide grants for such services. As a rule, however, prophylaxis is also limited to between 30 and 100 euros. Experts recommend mechanical cleaning of teeth at least once a year. Patients thus increase their chance of not having any problems with their teeth over a longer period of time.
There is more information about professional teeth cleaning here .
Basically no. However, supplementary dental insurance for children can become relevant in the field of orthodontics if treatments are carried out that are purely cosmetic in nature and not necessary for dentistry. Extras such as specific elastic wires can also be insured in this way. It makes sense to conclude the contract when the children are still of preschool age.
Learn more about dental health in children here .
With so-called tariffs based on the type of damage insurance, the premiums can increase over the course of the contract depending on the age of the customer. In the case of life insurance-type tariffs, on the other hand, old-age provisions are built up, which are then available to the insured at an advanced age and prevent a continuous increase in premiums due to age.
You can find out more about retirement provisions here .
Yes. Customers can either opt for combination tariffs, which also include other supplementary tariffs such as services for glasses or alternative practitioner treatments. However, independent dental tariffs are more advisable, since they usually provide more services and therefore fewer co-payments for the insured.