Supplementary dental insurance for dentures: Top 10 tariffs I test & comparison
Dentures can be used as dentures if so many teeth have already been lost that the tooth gap is difficult to close due to fixed dentures. A denture can either replace all teeth of a jaw (full denture) or just parts of a row of teeth (partial denture). Often the comparatively low cost is the main reason for choosing a denture. But the easy care and the high flexibility speak for this form of dentures. Nevertheless, the option of fixed dentures, such as bridges or implants, should be considered as an alternative. They promise better hold, greater comfort and a longer durability. Regardless of which form of denture you choose, high costs can arise, which are only subsidized by the health insurance company to a small extent. Private dental insurance, on the other hand, largely covers the cost of a denture or other dental prosthesis.
Table of Contents
What exactly is a "denture"?
A denture is an artificial form of denture that replaces several teeth. There are removable prostheses that the patient can remove and reinsert independently for sleeping and cleaning, and fixed prostheses that only the dentist can remove.
If all teeth of a jaw are to be replaced, a full denture is suitable. It consists of a pink plastic part for fastening and teeth made of plastic. Since there are no remaining teeth for anchoring, such a prosthesis is sucked onto the oral mucosa by means of negative pressure.
Partial dentures bridge larger tooth gaps, but require abutment teeth as an attachment. Today, the prosthesis is usually only used as a temporary restoration, in which a metal or plastic plate supports the artificial teeth and is anchored to the rest of the teeth via metal clamps. The more modern telescopic prostheses in turn use special, artificial tooth crowns (telescopes) on abutment teeth and prosthesis for a secure hold. So-called attachment prostheses are also anchored via special tooth crowns.
Implant-supported prostheses are a special form. If there are few or no remaining teeth, implants are inserted into the jaw like small screws and the prosthesis is screwed tightly to them.
Overview of dentures and the alternatives
With so many different dentures, it is difficult not to lose track. Most variants share some advantages. Dental prostheses are easy to care for and can be flexibly adapted and expanded. In addition, they are usually the cheapest alternative.
However, due to the lack of stress, they encourage the jaw to shrink, so that prostheses have to be readjusted again and again in order to ensure optimum hold as well as speaking and chewing functions. They also harbor a high risk of pressure points and gum irritation. Full dentures often have poor grip in the mouth, which limits comfort. Partial dentures, on the other hand, usually offer good hold due to the attachment to the remaining teeth. However, this represents an additional burden on the remaining teeth.
Fixed dentures offer significantly longer durability, as well as more stability and comfort. Bridges and implants largely reproduce the function of natural teeth, but are primarily suitable for smaller tooth gaps and are associated with significantly higher costs.
A middle ground is offered by implant-supported dentures. They combine the advantages of a denture with those of a fixed denture and represent the highest quality solution for edentulousness. However, correspondingly high costs (from 4800 euros per jaw) must also be expected.
Overview: dentures and their alternatives
The following tables show the differences between different types of prosthesis and some other types of restoration for dentures, in terms of functionality, aesthetics, durability, costs and how they are taken over.
| benefits | Inexpensive, easy to clean, simple oral care |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Pressure points and incorrect loading, shrinking of the jawbone, poor hold impaired speech and chewing function |
| durability | The prosthesis in detail |
| benefits | Gentle on the gums, flexibly expandable, adaptable, easy cleaning, low costs |
| disadvantage | Loading of the abutment teeth, usually temporary, pressure points, shrinkage of the jaw bone, requires stable remaining teeth, risk of caries on the remaining teeth |
| durability | 8 – 10 years, adjustments possible and necessary |
| aesthetics | Not satisfactory |
| functionality | Satisfactory results, some problems with denture retention |
| Total costs (example: 6 missing teeth) | € 400 |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 278 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | € 122 |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 40 (grant € 82) |
| benefits | Gentle on the gums, good chewing pressure distribution, durable, easily expandable, easy cleaning |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Abutment teeth have to be ground, costly, jaw bone shrinkage |
| durability | Approximately 10 years, extension possible |
| aesthetics | satisfactory |
| functionality | Good results |
| Total costs (example: 6 missing teeth) | 2500 € |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 740 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | € 1760 |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 250 (grant € 1510) |
| benefits | Gentle on the gums, good chewing pressure distribution, secure hold, aesthetically pleasing, easy cleaning |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Abutment teeth have to be ground, expensive, shrinking of the jawbone, caries on remaining teeth |
| durability | Durable, complete renewal if more teeth are lost |
| aesthetics | Good results |
| functionality | Good results require some practice |
| Total costs (example: 6 missing teeth) | € 2000 |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 500 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | 1500 € |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 200 (grant € 1300) |
| benefits | No loss of jawbone, good chewing pressure distribution, durable, optically and functionally first-class, easy cleaning |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Expensive |
| durability | Approximately 20 years |
| aesthetics | Excellent results |
| functionality | Excellent results |
| Total costs (example: edentulous lower jaw) | € 8,000 |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 334 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | € 7666 |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 800 (grant € 6866) |
| benefits | Long durability, optically and functionally good results |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Abutment teeth have to be ground, risk of caries on remaining teeth, no adjustment possible |
| durability | 15 -25 years |
| aesthetics | Excellent results |
| functionality | Excellent results |
| Total costs (example: for a tooth) | 1800 € |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 336 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | € 1464 |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 180 (grant € 1284) |
| benefits | Function like natural tooth, perfect hold and aesthetics, no bone regression |
|---|---|
| disadvantage | Very costly and treatment-intensive, possibly bone building necessary, very maintenance-intensive |
| durability | 20 years |
| aesthetics | Excellent results |
| functionality | Excellent results |
| Total costs (example: for a tooth) | € 3000 |
| Fixed grant from the health insurance company (GKV) | € 336 |
| Selbstb. without dental insurance. | € 2664 |
| Selbstb. with premium dental insurance. | € 300 (grant € 2364) |
What should a good tariff for dentures include??
A comparison is worthwhile to find the tariff with the best possible performance for dentures or an alternative. The focus is on the following aspects:
- Reimbursement share of costs: Dental supplementary insurance usually reimburses 80 to 90 percent of the invoice amount. Some top tariffs even offer 100 percent reimbursement.
- Reimbursement limits: The benefits of a tariff are often limited by so-called sum caps in the first 4 to 5 years. Especially with regard to more expensive versions of prosthesis care, the total limit should not be less than 3000 to 4000 euros in the first 4 years.
- Waiting period: In many tariffs there is a waiting period of 8 months after the contract has been concluded, during which no insurance benefits have yet been paid. However, some top tariffs waive the waiting time and pay from the first day.
- Additional services: The tariffs often include the assumption of costs for modern functional analytical and therapeutic measures, in which the interplay between the jaw, muscles and teeth or dentures is examined in detail.
- Coinsurance of missing teeth: Many tariffs offer the possibility to insure missing teeth that have not yet been replaced.
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