The energy crisis and the high inflation rate are forcing many people to save. Each issue is examined more closely. And there are also cost traps in healthcare. FITBOOK explains how you can save money on dental treatment.
«Everything is getting more expensive» was a cliché for a long time. However, in recent months inflation has not only felt high, it is actually the highest it has been in decades. In order to absorb this to some extent, you should optimize your expenses and, above all, avoid unnecessary costs. Even in the healthcare sector there are cost traps that can be avoided. For example at the dentist. Because here, despite statutory health insurance, patients often have to pay for it themselves. That’s why we give a few tips on how to save money on dental treatment.
1. Pay attention to precaution
The best way to save money at the dentist is to avoid expensive treatment and, most importantly, costly dentures. Of course, this includes thorough oral hygiene with daily tooth brushing from childhood. However, preventive care does not only take place in your own four walls, but also at the dentist, as the consumer center of North Rhine-Westphalia explains. All you have to do is know your own patient rights. There are a number of preventive services that are completely covered by statutory health insurance companies:
- Children from 6 months to 6 years of age are entitled to a total of six early detection examinations.
- Adults can have a free check-up twice a year.
- Once a year, the health insurance covers a tartar removal.
- You can have periodontitis screening every two years.
- Some health insurance companies offer subsidies for professional teeth cleaning.
Those who take advantage of these free services can identify and treat any problems such as caries or periodontitis at an early stage. This protects against tooth loss and expensive dentures.
Also interesting: The mistake that almost everyone makes when brushing their teeth
2. Bonus booklet helps you save
The so-called bonus booklet is also part of the provision. Every check-up at the dentist is noted in it. However, this does not happen automatically. That’s why you have to take the bonus booklet with you when you go to the dentist. But if you are meticulous and document the annual check-up visit in the bonus booklet, you can save money on dental treatment.
Without the bonus booklet, statutory health insurance companies usually only cover 60 percent of the costs for standard care. Standard care only includes the medically necessary dentures such as crowns, bridges and prostheses as well as the associated standard therapies. However, if you can prove that you have had the annual check-up in the last five years, you will receive a 70 percent subsidy from the health insurance company. And anyone who has kept their bonus booklet with annual visits to the dentist for at least ten years will even be reimbursed 75 percent of the treatment costs.
The consumer advice center uses the example of a single tooth gap in the side area to show that it is worth not forgetting the bonus booklet:
- For the standard solution of a bridge made of non-precious metal, 785.23 euros are due.
- Without the bonus booklet, the health insurance pays 471.14 euros.
- With a bonus booklet that has been running for five years, it is 549.66 euros.
- A bonus booklet that has been in existence for ten years or more results in a takeover of 588.92 euros.
Important: Children and young people between the ages of 12 and 18 must have a check-up with the bonus booklet twice a year in order to receive the higher subsidy.
Also interesting: How dangerous are «dead teeth» for health?
3. Pay attention to cost traps with dentures
But even if you pay meticulous attention to preventive care, you are not safe from tooth loss. A mishap or an accident while playing sports and you lose a tooth. When the first shock is over, you should make sure you get good advice from the dentist. Because there are always several treatment options, as the consumer center points out. It is best to have two or three different cost proposals made: In addition to the cheapest and the most expensive solution, a good compromise can possibly be found.
It is also advisable to obtain a comparative offer from another dentist or to seek advice from the health insurance company at the usual costs. There are also so-called “auction portals for dentures”. Patients can upload their cost plans there and then receive a counter offer from other dentists. Even if you don’t accept the offer, it helps to get an overview. And even «Stiftung Warentest» praised comparison portals such as 2te-Zahnarztmeinung and Zahngebot.de as a good way to save money on dental treatment.
Also interesting: Broken off, fallen out – how to behave properly in the event of a tooth accident?
4. Anyone who is considered a hardship case does not have to pay anything extra
If you are really tight on cash and live on the subsistence level, you do not have to be afraid of dentures. Because in such a situation, the so-called hardship rule applies. This means that people who cannot afford dentures are entitled to have the health insurance company cover the entire cost. These include the following groups:
- recipients of social assistance
- BAföG recipients
- People with basic security in old age
5. Dental treatment is tax deductible
Those who pay taxes also have a good chance of deducting their expenses for dentures or dental treatment from their taxes. However, the level of income plays an important role. Because if you earn well and have no children, you will probably hardly benefit from your tax return. On the other hand, low earners with children have a good chance of a tax reduction. The following costs can be claimed in the tax return as an extraordinary burden, provided that invoices and receipts are available:
- Costs for dentures and implants
- Orthodontic Treatments
- Replacement of amalgam fillings
- Accommodation and travel expenses if long distances have to be covered
6. Dental treatment at a university clinic
This tip may sound unusual, but it is even mentioned by the consumer advice center as a way to save money on dental treatment: treatment by dental students. Because at university hospitals, the fees are greatly reduced or only the material costs are due. In some cases you even get financial compensation because the treatment there takes longer.
One should not be afraid of being treated by students. They are in higher semesters and are supervised during treatment by assistant and senior physicians. More information is available at Uni-Zahntreatment.de.