Crown, prosthesis or ceramic filling – dental treatments can be very expensive. Is additional dental insurance a useful addition for those with statutory insurance?
The most important things at a glance
For many people, the fear of going to the dentist is not only associated with the thought of pain. Often it is the potential costs that keep many people awake at night.
Some people even go abroad to get treatment from a cheaper dentist. But that is not absolutely necessary – at least not if you take out additional dental insurance. t-online explains the advantages and disadvantages.
Supplementary insurance can be useful for those with statutory insurance – especially if you value high-quality materials or expect a lot of dental treatment. This is because statutory health insurance companies do not cover all of the costs of treatment. In most cases, the insurance companies cover 60 percent of the costs for so-called standard care. This is the so-called fixed subsidy. If you go for a preventive medical examination every year and keep a bonus booklet, the reimbursement rate increases to 70 percent after five years and to 75 percent after ten years.
Standard care includes services that are medically useful – but not necessarily those that would be desirable from an aesthetic point of view. For each dental problem, the health insurance companies have determined which type of treatment is covered. If you want more, you have to pay more.
- Further grants: What other supplementary insurances make sense?
If you need a filling for a molar, for example, an amalgam filling would be the service that a statutory health insurance company would cover in full as part of its standard service. You would have to cover the additional costs for a plastic filling or an inlay yourself.
While dental fillings may only cost 100 euros, dental implants are significantly more expensive. The costs can quickly reach 3,000 euros. If several teeth need to be replaced, the whole thing becomes an expensive affair. In this case, additional dental insurance will save you a lot of money. Basically, whether additional dental insurance is worthwhile depends on your age and the condition of your teeth.
As with any voluntary insurance, the question arises with additional dental insurance whether you could simply save the annual premiums for yourself and then pay for treatments from this pot if necessary. Additional dental insurance usually costs around 180 euros per year.
Assuming you keep investing this amount as a fixed deposit at 3 percent interest, it would amount to 984.31 euros in five years. If an implant costing 3,000 euros is required during this time, you would be much better off with insurance. The same applies if you save the premiums for ten years at the same interest rate. Then you will still have 2,125.40 euros – but even one denture in ten years is enough to make additional dental insurance the better choice.
Yes, additional dental insurance can be worthwhile even if you have healthy teeth. The insurance does not cover any costs for existing damage. This means that anyone who wants to take out additional dental insurance should do so sooner rather than later.
But be careful: the earlier you take out additional insurance, the longer you will have to pay premiums for it in your life. If you are thinking about taking out additional dental insurance, you should therefore calculate the costs for the next 10 to 30 years. You should then compare these costs with the possible dental costs.
Important: Not everyone needs expensive dentures at some point in their life. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether additional dental insurance is worthwhile.
Basically, it is important that you choose an insurance policy that suits you and your requirements. Look at what services the insurance company offers and whether the costs match the services offered. You can also get advice from the consumer advice center.
Many additional dental insurance policies become more expensive the older you get. So consider whether the more expensive option still makes sense. An alternative could be a plan with age provisions. This will ensure that the premiums do not increase as you get older.
It is also important to know that most supplementary dental insurance policies do not cover the entire dentist bill. You usually have to pay between 10 and 20 percent extra. However, there are also plans that really pay for everything – but be sure to pay attention to the price.
