Supplemental dental insurance in Germany: Why expats should get extra cover

Healthy teeth are important, but dental work can be costly. The German dentistry system is semi-privatised, so depending on your health insurance and the type of treatment you need, you might have to contribute a (sometimes big) portion of the cost of any dental work. Many people therefore choose to take out supplemental dental insurance to protect themselves from high costs. ottonova walks us through the basics of this kind of additional coverage. 

For expats (and non-expats as well) who aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of the dentistry system in Germany, it can be confusing having to consider which treatments are covered by their health insurance and which aren’t. 

In a nutshell, the benefits catalogue of public health insurance - especially in the area of dentistry and dental prostheses - has been drastically reduced in recent years. Nowadays, only the costs for medically necessary and basic treatments are covered, including:

• Dental check-ups
• Teeth de-scaling
• Basic fillings

For any treatment beyond basic care, including complicated and cosmetic dentistry or extensive preventative examinations, the additional costs must be paid partially or entirely from your own pocket. Depending on the type of treatment you choose and the condition of your teeth, this can be quite expensive. 

Supplemental dental insurance policies with ottonova start at just 8,80 euros per month 

What is supplemental dental insurance (Zahnzusatzversicherung) in Germany?

Plenty of people, therefore, choose to opt for supplemental dental insurance (Zahnzusatzversicherung), to cover these extra costs and take the stress out of visits to the dentist. 

Additional dental insurance policies can be tailored to suit your personal situation and budget, with insurers taking on either part of or all of the costs of additional dental work - meaning you never have to budget for unexpected costs for dental treatments. 

It’s important to note that supplemental dental insurance needs to be taken out in advance. If you have already started treatment, the costs will not be covered by your insurance policy. 

What benefits are included in a good top-up dental insurance policy?

There are lots of insurers out there offering additional dental insurance - so how do you work out which one to choose? Ideally, your supplemental dental insurance policy should cover four different areas: 

• Preventative dental care, like professional teeth cleanings
• Dental treatments, like root canal treatments
• Dentures
• Orthodontics

Covering these four areas means that you’re prepared for a whole variety of situations that may come your way. Take a look at the chart below to get an idea of the possible costs you could face for different types of treatments, which are usually not or only partially covered by public health insurance in Germany:

Opt for additional dental insurance from digital insurance provider ottonova

ottonova, the first digital private health insurance company in Germany, also offers supplemental dental insurance policies, with transparent cost breakdowns, fully English-speaking support, and zero paperwork. 

With ottonova, you can choose from three high-performance tariffs (Economy, Business and First Class), depending on your individual needs. Prices start at 8,80 euros per month. ottonova covers: 

• Preventative dental care: Up to 200 euros each year for professional cleanings, as well as prophylaxis treatments, caries risk diagnostics and fissure sealants
• Dental treatments: 100 percent of costs for all three tariffs
• Dentures: 70 - 100 percent of costs for dentures including implants and inlays, depending on your tariff
• Orthodontics: Up to 100 percent of costs for children and adults, depending on your tariff

You can check out ottonova’s tariffs and coverage on their website, and easily calculate your own premium with just a few clicks.

What else does ottonova health insurance offer?

ottonova also has many other customer perks to enjoy, including: 

• Quick reimbursement within 48 hours: Monday to Friday for bills of up to 500 euros
• Real-time support in English: Via live chat or call, to get answers to any questions you might have about your tariff, or your health 
• Zero paperwork: Scan your documents with your phone camera and have them neatly organised in your ottonova app
• Digital appointment booking: Book medical appointments with English-speaking doctors in just a couple of clicks
• Extra goodies: Get a 30-euro Amazon voucher when you sign up for an insurance contract with ottonova with the code DENTAL2022

Arrange a non-binding consultation with ottonova’s English-speaking insurance experts to get answers to all your questions.