Swedish dental care explained – navigate the system

Lately I was explaining how the Swedish healthcare system works but promised to come back later with details regarding Swedish dental care. It is a bit different than the general healthcare so I decided to dedicate a separate article to it.

Swedish dental care in general

In Sweden you can choose from both public and private dental care facilities. Public dental clinics are run by the regions and they are called Folktandvården. Similarly to general healthcare, preventive measures are extremely important. What is more, you have right to completely free dental care if you are under age of 23.

Costs in Swedish dental care

As in many other countries, Swedish dental care is quite expensive. What you pay for dental care varies between different clinics, so it’s important to compare prices before choosing a dentist or dental hygienist. How much you need to pay for dental care depends, among other things, on how old you are and what treatments you need.

For dental care, you pay a large part of the cost yourself. It is important to ask the dentist or dental hygienist what an examination or treatment will cost. You have the right to be told in advance.

Free dental care

Kids and young people have the right to dental care without having to pay. This applies until the end of December in the year they turn 23. That includes pretty much all examinations and treatments, and it doesn’t matter if you go to a private dentist or to Folktandvården.

When dental care in Sweden costs the same as general healthcare

Sometimes you can get dental care for the same fee as medical care in your region. If you need a lot of dental care, the usual high-cost health care cover applies. This means that the care costs a maximum of SEK 1,300 over the course of a year. The limit for free dental care may be higher in some regions. For people aged 85 and over, such dental care is free of charge.

Dental care for the same fee as for medical care applies in the following situations:

• You have an illness and need dental care as part of the treatment. For example, if you are going to undergo a heart operation, you must not have any infections in the oral cavity. Then you need dental care with treatment against the infection before the operation.
• You have a great need for care in daily life. You can also get that if you are covered by the LSS, which means the Act on support and services for certain disabled people.
• You have a long-term illness and disability that means you need more dental care than others. This may be because the disease itself leads to an increased risk of tooth damage or because you have problems with your oral hygiene.

Financial support in Swedish dental care

From the year you turn 24, you are entitled to an annual dental care allowance. It’s called ATB – Allmänt tandvårdsbidrag. You recieve it on the first of July each year. The ATB is usually deducted when you have to pay, but just in case, mention you want to use it while paying for your dental care.

• From the year you turn 24 until the year you turn 29, the contribution is SEK 600 per year.
• From the year you turn 30 until the year you turn 64, the contribution is SEK 300 per year.
• From the year you turn 65, the contribution is back to SEK 600 per year.

You can save the ATB from one year to the next. With two contributions, you can withdraw the entire amount at once or split it into two different treatments. You can’t save and use more than two ATB amounts at once.

High-cost protection in Swedish dental care

To ensure that dental care does not cost too much, high-cost protection exists but it differs from the high-cost cover in healthcare. You can start using the high-cost protection from 1st January of the year you turn 24.

You pay the entire cost of a dental treatment up to SEK 3,000. For higher amounts, you will receive dental compensation from the state. It is deducted immediately when you pay and calculated based on a reference price. It is a price that is calculated by the Tandvårds- och läkemedelsförmånsverket (Dental Health and Medical Benefits Agency), TLV.

Remember that you have to pay the difference between the dentist’s price and the reference price if the dentist’s prices are higher than the reference prices. For that difference, you will not receive dental care support.

Visit this website to check prices in dental clinics and their comparison to reference prices.

You can add up your dental care costs and receive dental care support in a period of 12 months. After 12 months, a new period starts and the high-cost protection resets to 0 until you reach costs over SEK 3,000 again.

If you do not have time to complete treatment within a 12-month period, you must start over with a new period. You can also choose to end and start a new period earlier than after 12 months if, for example, you have already started a period and close the end of it you know you’l need an expensive treatment that will last beyond the end date of the period. Remember, that you can’t change the start date afterwards.

If you change your clinic during 12-month period of high-cost protection, your new clinic will be informed about costs you’ve already paid and you don’t need to collect spendings all over again.

What is NOT included in Swedish dental care high-cost protection

All examinations and most treatments give the right to dental high-cost protection, however cosmetic treatment that is done only to improve the appearance of the teeth is not included.

Following treatments, among others, are included in the high-cost protection:

• Almost all treatment of pain and illness. For example, a hole that needs to be fixed wherever in the mouth is included.
• Removable prostheses.
• Crowns are replaced for all teeth except wisdom teeth if the tooth has extensive damage.
• Tooth extraction also includes anaesthesia, hemostasis and any stitches that need to be sewn. Control and post-treatment are also included, for example removing the stitches.
• Anesthesia is always included regardless of which treatment you are going to have.

Subscriptions for Swedish dental care

Subscription dental care is a way to spread your dental care costs over three years. You usually make such an agreement with Folktandvården, however it’s not common for private dentists to have such a subscription.

The monthly cost of subscription dental care depends on how healthy and well-maintained your teeth are in the moment of signing the agreement. How much you have to pay in fees also varies between Folktandvården in different regions.

How much you need to pay depends on the examination by the dentist. They first examine your teeth to assess your need for dental care and assigns you to one of 10 groups that have different monthly fee. The monthly fee that you must pay must cover the treatments that the dentist thinks you will need over the next three years. You can use your ATB to cover your subscription fee.

What is and is NOT covered with subscription?

What is included in subscription dental care can vary but in general the list of covered treatments is as it follows:

• Emergency dental care.
• Investigations.
• Advice on what you can do to improve your oral health, such as how to clean your teeth and what foods and drinks to avoid.
• Treatment of caries, tooth loss and other diseases of the mouth.
• Remove a tooth, root fillings and bite splint.
• Repairs and single crowns.

Following treatments are not covered with Swedish dental care subscription:

• Replacing lost teeth with dental implants, bridge structures and dentures.
• Orthodontics, such as braces.
• Teeth whitening.
• Cosmetic dental care, for example dental jewellery.
• Dental care that you may need after an accident or a work injury is not included in subscription dental care so it’s smart to have insurance that covers those kinds of dental expenses.

Swedish dental care if you come from other countries

If you come from countries other than Sweden, you can still have right to Swedish dental care on rules that apply to Swedish residents.

Other Nordic countries

If you come from Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, Grernland and Åland, you pay the same price for emergency dental care as those who live in Sweden. This applies if you are in Sweden on holiday, if you live here or if you are a cross-border worker. A cross-border worker lives in one country but works in another Nordic country. You need to show your passport or valid ID card and state your residential address.

EU, EEA, Great Britain or Switzerland

To get an emergency dental care, show your EU-card. Then you pay the same price as those who live in Sweden. You can order your EU card in your home country. Children must also have an EU card. If you don’t have an EU-card, you need to ask for a document from an equivalent of Försäkringskassan in your home country.

If you are insured in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, you receive either a Global Health Insurance Card or a European Health Insurance Card. The card gives you the same rights as an EU card.

If you don’t have your EU-card provisional certificate or certificate showing that you are entitled to planned care, you pay the entire cost of the dental care. When you return home, you can apply for compensation for your expenses from your country’s equivalent of Försäkringskassan. You need to show them receipts for what the care has cost. This doesn’t apply to Switzerland.

If you are a child or young person from an EU country, EEA country, Switzerland or Great Britain, you get free emergency dental care in Sweden. It applies until December 31 of the year you turn 23. You need to show your EU card.

If you live and work temporarily in Sweden, you must be insured in Sweden if you come from another EU country, EEA country or Switzerland. You must also show a special certificate when you seek dental care. You apply for the certificate at Försäkringskassan. Then you pay the same prices for emergency and planned dental care as those who live in Sweden.

If you are student from an EU country, EEA country, Switzerland or Great Britain, you can receive emergency dental care if you show your EU card. Then you pay the same price as those who live in Sweden.

Swedish dental care for other countries

If you are from a country that doesn’t belong to the EU, EEA or Switzerland you have to pay the entire cost of all Swedish dental care. This applies to both emergency and planned dental care and children or young people as well. If you are Swedish citizen living in countries outside EU, EEA, Switzerland or Great Britain, yo ustill pay full cost of Swedish dental care, both on emergency and planned treatments.

However, Sweden has special agreements on dental care with some countries. The agreement means that people from the countries pay the same amount for certain dental care as people who live in Sweden. This applies people that come from Australia and the state of Quebec in Canada.

I hope now you know more about functioning of Swedish dental care. In case of any questions, drop them int he comments – I will update this post if needed. Don’t forget to share the article with friends that may need it.