Supplementary dental insurance

Useful tips on supplementary dental insurance

Taking out a supplementary dental insurance policy can be useful.
In particular for patients who would like to have high-quality treatment in the next years without having to dig too deep into their own pockets.

Today, there is a wide range of supplementary dental policies available.
Even experts sometimes find it difficult to maintain and overview and understand all the insurance conditions.
In general: All rates should be carefully compared and information from customer-oriented magazines should be used as guidance. We have summarized for you the aspects which should normally be considered.

There are pure supplementary dental insurance policies and extended supplementary dental insurance policies.
“Classic”
Supplementary dental insurance policies only apply to the costs of dentures, i.e. crowns, bridges and prostheses.
They result in a reduction of the co-payment.
Extended supplementary dental insurance policies refund more and include further services such as professional dental cleaning, inlays, implants, orthodontics or meeting the costs of additional payments for fillings or root canal treatments.
If you decide to take out an insurance policy, then it should usually be a real supplementary dental insurance policy.
Full insurance cover normally only applies several years after the policy has been taken out.
Before this, only certain claims are paid out at specific amounts.
This should be considered when planning insurance.
Certain policies even set certain annual limits in the long run.

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Usually, before the policy is taken out, the condition of the teeth must be checked by a dentist.
Often, treatment for existing gaps in the teeth, treatment which has already been started or treatment which the dentist already considers necessary are excluded from the insurance cover.
This type of exemptions may also apply if a health check is not necessary before the insurance begins.
Supplementary dental insurance usually does not cover the entire cost of the treatment but only a portion of it, which is usually given as a percentage.
When comparing policies, pay attention to what the percentage given refers to: the fairest is a reference to the total billing amount.
In some cases, however, insurance policies are oriented towards the fixed subsidy from the health insurance company or other criteria.
Compensation from supplementary dental insurance should also take place independently of possible payments from statutory health insurance.
Some insurance companies calculate their rates on the basis of the patient receiving the highest bonus from the health insurance company.
However, only very few patients actually fulfil the criteria for this (for more information, see Health insurance bonus system)
In some cases, insurance companies completely exclude some services from the policies, for example inlays.
Watch out for this type of exclusion.
It can be annoying if this particular treatment is desired.
We recommend ensuring that coverage for professional dental cleaning (sometimes also referred to as prophylaxis) is included in the insurance cover.
Professional dental cleaning is strongly recommended twice a year at all ages, as it can effectively prevent caries and periodontitis.
It is particularly important after placement of dentures (crowns, bridges, prostheses) or implants.
Effective supplementary dental insurance reimburses dentist’s fees of up to 3.5 times the rate of the GOZ (schedule of fees for dentists).
If possible, there should be no limit to the maximum invoiced amount for certain services such as implants or inlays.
Health insurance companies often advertise certain insurance policies with special discounts.
You should also compare policies in this case.
It is also worth considering that the special discounts often cease to apply if you change health insurance companies.

Who can provide you with more help?

If you have questions regarding certain rates, feel free to ask our doctors.
However, useful advice can only be given after an individual examination.
Only then can we form an opinion together of which treatment – and therefore which insurance coverage – would be useful for you in the future.

You can use comparison portals online for orientation, such as https://www.waizmanntabelle.de.
These often provide useful tips regarding the advantages and, if appropriate, disadvantages of individual insurance policies.

The Association of Insured Persons (BdV) also gives numerous suggestions regarding supplementary dental insurance.