German Dentist

The German dentist (Zahnarzte in German, meaning tooth-doctor), as with any other professional of the German health care system, is knowledgeable, efficent and up to date with new practices and treatments.

There are dentists all over Germany, even in small towns. So, finding one should not be a problem. You can find a lists of dentists under the Ärzte section of the phone book under Zahnärtze. It is a good idea to ask friends and colleagues, for advice or suggestions to choose one, as you might have done to find your family doctor.

As with many other professionals, many German dentists speak English and you should not have much problem finding one who does.

While it is pretty straight forward to find one, German dentists are rather expensive. So much so, that some Germans now go to other European countries for treatments and foreigners wait until they visit their home country to schedule a visit to the dentist! So, it might be good to go to your dentist for a complete exam before moving to Germany.

All this came about when the government made reforms to the state insurance system, greatly reducing coverage of dental treatments. The routine treatments such as filling and bucal hygiene are still completely covered by state (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung)
and private (Krankenversicherung) health insurance, but major dental works is not.

Also, either with a state or private insurance, you must get a written estimate of the costs (“Heil- und Kostenplan”) from the dentist and show it to your insurer before agreeing to any orthodontic treatments.

If you are part of the state health insurance and do not have extra dental insurance, you can expect to pay between 30% to 80% of the dental work. You can get extra dental coverage, for a fee, if you are part of the state health insurance.

If you have your own private health insurance, you should read carefully what is and what is not covered by it. You can also shop around for better coverage. Also, you can expect a delay of up to 8 months before receiving reimbursement for treatments and to receive between 60% to 80% of the total cost covered.

In the end, if your teeth hurt and you must go, then go. You will be in good hands. It just that they are expensive hands!

Dental emergency services are available throughout Germany and you'll find a list of dentists on emergency call in the daily newspapers.

Return from German Dentist to German Health Care or to Home Page