A dental implant is a metal pin inserted into the bony jaw, which replicates the root of a “normal” tooth. A prosthetic tooth replacement is placed on this artificial tooth root after a healing period. Since a dental implantation is a surgical procedure that requires the highest precision from the dentist and very high quality materials, the costs of such a treatment are correspondingly high.
The materials used must be compatible with the body, usually titanium is used. Initially, dentists use materials such as: from experience, however, most patients tolerated titanium best, since, among other things, it does not cause any allergic reactions and can grow very close to the bone.
- Ivory
- Wood
- Metals
- Iron
The exact costs of a dental implant cannot be given in a lump sum, because they depend mainly on the amount of surgery and treatment, the materials used and the subsequent prosthetic treatment (for example with dental crowns, dental bridges, etc.)
Basically, with a dental implant, as with almost all dental treatments, the patient has the choice between different solutions, which are more or less expensive. The statutory health insurance companies usually do not cover the entire costs that arise in the course of a dental implant treatment. Those parts of the costs that are not covered by health insurance have to be paid by the patient himself or ideally by his supplementary dental insurance.
An approximate, but not flat-rate list of the costs can be compiled on the basis of the existing dental accounting regulations. For example, the costs for diagnostics and planning of the procedure amount to approximately 150 – 300 Euros, the actual implantation costs between 300 – 700 Euros per implant in Germany. Most of the costs are for the subsequent restoration and the implant abutment, where the dentist calculates that the patient may have to pay several thousand euros.
What does the statutory health insurance pay for implants?
A dental implant is a purely private service that is not covered by health insurance. Every dentist can decide how expensive an implant is for his patient, depending on the difficulty of the situation. However, the dental laboratory that manufactures the implant must also be paid.
In Germany, the following applies: The statutory health insurance only pays for so-called standard care, which corresponds to a fixed allowance. This means, for example, in the case of a single tooth that is missing, that the gap can be filled with a crown by means of a bridge or an implant. No matter which option the patient chooses, the amount of the subsidy for closing the gap is always the same.
The restoration that is placed on the implant is subsidized very slightly and amounts to a maximum of 30% of the total price. This maximum rate is only paid to those who have been at least once a year for 10 years at the dental check-up. If the patient has only been at the dental check-up for five consecutive years, the health insurance company will pay 20% extra; if the patient has been at the dental check-up for fewer years, the insurance company will not pay anything.
In the same way, if several implants are inserted, the health insurance does not pay anything, only the dental construction attached to them is subsidized. The only case in which a statutory health insurance company completely covers the costs of implants is in a particular severity of the individual disease. If the patient has lost a part of the lower jaw or an eye due to a tumor, the removed part is replaced by transplants and implants and the patient does not pay any costs.
If, for example, an epithesis, a facial prosthesis, is necessary to replace an eye, it is fixed in the eye socket by means of implants. Such exceptional indications also include serious jaw diseases such as jaw defects caused by accidents, special allergies or cancer tumors, as well as the genetic absence of several teeth. It is not possible to say in which case and from when on the health insurance company will cover the costs completely. Every affected person has to inform himself personally at the respective health insurance company and clarify the assumption of costs. Hardship patients who earn so little per month that they are fully reimbursed for their dental costs also receive full coverage.The patient himself/herself must apply for a hardship case with the treatment and cost plan provided by the dentist to his health insurance company.
All articles in this series:
