When does the health insurance not pay for root canal treatment?

As soon as the dentist classifies the tooth as not worth preserving and sees few chances in a treatment, the health insurance company does not pay. If you still wish to have treatment, it must be paid privately. It is up to each patient to decide for a root canal treatment.

The patient would also have to bear the costs if the teeth have already been root-treated, or if you decide to have treatment even though there are already gaps in the affected tooth row. However, due to the high costs, one should also consider the alternatives, such as pulling the tooth and fitting a dental prosthesis. Especially in root canal treatment there are other methods that make the treatment more precise and thus increase the chances of success.

However, the costs will be higher in any case and have to be paid privately. This includes the use of a special microscope and the use of a laser device. According to studies, the latter in particular promises a success rate of 90 percent.

The laser beam kills all bacteria. However, this method is not available to every dentist, as he or she does not have the necessary equipment. The dentist can refer the patient to a specialist with such instruments.

Additional costs for root canal treatment

Additional costs may arise in the context of root canal treatment if, for exampleB. the length is measured electrometrically, a surgical microscope is required or ultrasound is used to disinfect the canal. This is not covered by the statutory health insurance.

Root-treated teeth can become discolored and brownish over time, so that there is a desire to match the color of these teeth to the other teeth again. This whitening process (see Bleaching), which is performed from inside the tooth, is not covered by the health insurance. Also, dentists often advise to crown the root-treated tooth, which means extra costs for making the crown.

If the tooth is located in the anterior region, the standard treatment includes a ceramic veneer on the side facing the cheeks and lips. The framework is therefore made of metal, which is then veneered with ceramic. Because of its color, ceramic is almost the same as the color of the natural tooth, so that a difference is hardly noticeable.

If you wish to have a complete crown made of ceramic, i.e. without metal, you will have to pay more. In the molar region, as soon as it is no longer in the visible field, the cost of a pure metal-covered crown is paid by the cash register. If you wish to have a ceramic veneer or a full ceramic crown, you will have to pay a higher contribution.

If you are in the anterior region, it is standard procedure to veneer the tooth with ceramic on the side facing the cheeks and lips. The framework is therefore made of metal, which is then veneered with ceramic. Because of its color, ceramic is almost the same as the color of the natural tooth, so that a difference is hardly noticeable.

Electrometric length measurement is considered the safest method of determining the length of the canal to be filled. However, it is not yet covered by statutory health insurance. Up to 2 times 9-14 € can be charged per canal.

Alternatively, the length can be determined by means of X-ray measurement images. This is less accurate and usually requires several X-ray images of the tooth. General anesthesia for a root canal treatment is usually not covered by the statutory health insurance.

The presence of an anesthesiologist is necessary for the execution and monitoring of the anesthesia. In order to be able to react quickly in case of complications, such an operation is performed in the operating room. This leads to costs of at least 100 € for general anesthesia. Learn more under: General anesthesia at the dentist – What you should know