Dental Insurance in Switzerland: A Practical Guide and Comparison

Switzerland may be the land of delicious chocolates, herbal candy and quality ice cream, but it is also the land of eye-watering dental costs. And unlike many other countries, Switzerland includes only minimal coverage for dental care in its basic mandatory health insurance.

Dental coverage from health insurance, accident insurance, and social security

Some conditions and situations are covered by mandatory accident insurance, disability insurance, school programs, and health insurance. Some optional supplementary health insurance offers also include some dental coverage.

Which dental work is covered by mandatory Swiss health insurance?

The costs of dental treatment are only covered by basic mandatory health insurance if the discomfort caused by the problem reaches illness-like proportions. This primarily applies in the following cases:

• The intervention is necessary to treat serious illnesses.
• The treatment is for serious, unavoidable infections of the jaw. 
• The dental problems result from serious illnesses.

In other words, your mandatory health insurance only covers dental work in exceptional cases. Your dentist must submit an application to your health insurance provider, which then determines whether your condition is covered. You can find more information in the guide to compulsory health insurance coverage.

Which dental work is covered by Disability Insurance (DI)?

Swiss social disability insurance may cover orthodontic treatments in children who have exceptional dental problems – primarily in the case of birth defects. For example, orthodontic treatments may be covered if the dental issues are severe enough to risk posing a difficulty to the child’s later professional life.

You can apply using a form and evidence provided by a Swiss dentist, and the DI will judge your case individually. Approved treatments are covered until you turn 21. The DI covers the cost in full.

Which dental work is covered by accident insurance (UVG)?

If you are employed, then dental damage resulting from accidents is covered by your employer's accident insurance. If you are employed more than 8 hours per week, then you are covered outside of the workplace as well.

For dental work to be covered, the damage has to result from an accident, meaning an unexpected, unforeseeable and unusual damaging event caused by an external force.

Which dental work is covered by school dental programs?

Although dental care is not covered by Swiss health insurance, school-age children are entitled to basic dental checkups in certain school years. These checkups are paid for by your municipality. You are informed when check-ups reveal exceptional dental problems.

Some municipalities will subsidize needed dental work if your income is relatively low. The dental work may have to be done at special school dental clinics to be eligible for subsidies.

Which dental work is covered by supplementary health insurance?

Swiss supplementary health insurance policies bundle many different coverages related to health and wellbeing.

Some of these offers include some coverage for dental care or orthodontics. Some policies only cover specific procedures, such as surgically removing wisdom teeth or damaged teeth. You can find a clear overview of supplemental health insurance offers with dental and orthodontics coverage in the guide to health insurance for orthodontics treatments.

You can easily check whether your supplemental insurance includes orthodontics or dental coverage using the filter and sort tools in the supplementary health insurance comparison.

Which costs can I insure with specialized dental insurance?

Most major Swiss health insurance providers offer separate dental insurance. With very few exceptions, you have to get a dental examination as part of the application process. Depending on the results of this examination, your application may be turned down, or pre-existing dental conditions will be excluded from coverage. Most offers have age limits for applications (60 years old, for example).

How much does dental insurance cost?

Premiums for dental insurance vary broadly between insurance providers and dental insurance models. The main factors which determine how high your insurance premium is are:

1. Your age: The older you are, the higher your insurance premiums will be.
2. The sum insured: The higher the limit for dental expenses covered by the insurance each year, the more you will pay. For example, a dental insurance which covers up to 2000 francs of dental work each year will cost more than an offer from the same insurer which only covers up to 1000 francs.
3. The coinsurance: The smaller the portion of bills which you have to cover is, the more the insurance will cost. For example, an insurance company will charge more for an offer which covers 75 percent of each medical bill than for insurance which only covers 50 percent of each bill.

Dental insurance premiums range between around 20 and 250 francs per month, depending on the insurer, the coverage you want, and your age.

Is dental insurance worth the cost?

That depends on how high the premiums are, which in turn depends on your age. The insurance premiums for adults are high in relation to the covered costs, so the advantages of dental insurance for adults are marginal.

Premiums for children are generally affordable, so getting dental insurance for your kids can save you money in many cases. But if your children already have supplemental health insurance with orthdontics and dental coverage, getting additional dental insurance may be unnecessary.

The PDF available below gives you a clear overview of the benefits and limitations of Swiss dental insurance offers.

More on this topic:
Compare Swiss compulsory health insurance now
Compare Swiss supplemental health insurance now
Guide to orthodontic coverage from Swiss supplementary health insurance