Dental treatment in Germany

Healthy teeth and good oral hygiene are important for all of us. In Germany, the cost of dental care is often around 60% lower than in the USA. What is more, the German system is usually favorably reviewed by expats. In fact, it is widely considered the best in Europe.

How the German dental care system works

As with the wider German healthcare system, whether you have public or private health insurance determines the scope and standard of dental care you receive. In an effort to cut costs, the German government has chosen to exclude a range of dental treatments from public insurance coverage.

Many people with public health insurance consequently choose to take out supplemental dental insurance (Zahnzusatzversicherung).

ottonova offers a dental insurance plan with three different tariffs for you to choose from. All tariffs include super-fast invoice reimbursement, full coverage for dental treatment and immediate protection without waiting period.

➜ Check out our dental insurance plan!
 

If you take out private health insurance, dental will be included, but be careful – some insurers only offer limited coverage!

 

Quirks of the German dental care system

Dental coverage with ottonova

ottonova offers tariffs specially designed for expats, with transparent dental coverage as standard. Here’s a brief overview:

Check out now the expat tariff of the ottonova private health insurance!

Or are you more interested in a top-up dental insurance? Top-up dental insurance is useful for people with public health insurance. Costs of dental treatments can be very expensive, especially when it comes to dental prostheses. Public health insurance does not fully cover all of the costs.

ottonova's top-up dental insurance offers immediate coverage, a reimbursement within a few days and real-time support in English. Check out the ottonova top-up dental insurance now!

 

more about our expat tariff more about our dental insurance

FAQs about dental treatment in Germany

In Germany, doctor fees are regulated by GOÄ (Gebührenordnung für Ärtze) and GOZ (Gebührenordnung für Zahnärtze). This is a price range regulation that indicates the cost of a treatment.

A normal treatment will be charged with factor 2,3. Anything higher than that up to 3,5 needs an explanation from the doctor on the invoice, explaining the increased effort.

Everything higher than 3,5 the doctor needs you to sign the so called “Honorarvereinbarung” before the treatment. We advise you to always let us know if this happens.

There are annual limitations, to a maximum of four insurance years for ‘Zahnersatz’/dental replacements (implants, onlays, inlays etc.). Here we are limiting the maximum reimbursement amount, to a certain total, but it is increasing every insurance year. Of course, should you have an accident and require immediate dental treatment/replacement, this limit does not apply. Limitations do also not apply for professional cleanings and regular dental treatments.

Of course! Through our ottonova Concierge Service we can book appointments for you. You just easily write us a message with your requirements, and we will find the best option for you.

Private Health Insurance: The process to get your finalized contract with us depends on your situation. Tariffs in private health insurance in Germany are based on the age when you enter the system and your health status. For some people it is possible to get the insurance already on the same day. If you have questions, feel free to book a non-binding consultation. Our sales team is happy to assist you during that process.

Dental Top-Up Insurance: Please take out your dental top-up insurance early enough. The monthly costs are manageable but you can save a lot of money in an insurance case. Our dental insurance plans have no waiting period, so you can go straight to the dentist. However, if treatment has already been started or advised, it is too late and we cannot cover the costs for this treatment.