ENReviews of dental care in Germany return to the same themes: praise for thorough examinations and the effort to save teeth, complaints about waiting times, costs beyond insurance and language. People look for them on forums such as Reddit because they want an unvarnished account, not clinic advertising: how long you wait for an appointment, whether the dentist explains things, what the bill looks like.
It matters who is writing. Many posts come from people living in Germany with statutory health insurance, which pays part of their costs. An international patient paying out of pocket is in a different position: the whole bill is theirs, and every visit means a trip. This page covers typical praise and complaints, how to read forums and reviews, what to ask before treatment, university dental clinics and how AlenMed arranges treatment.
What patients praise and what they complain about
Patients mostly praise thoroughness and complain about organisation and money. The praise centres on a detailed examination with X-rays before treatment, cleanliness and sterile instruments, and a dentist who explains the options and leaves the decision to the patient. Another theme is the effort to save a tooth rather than extract it.
Complaints include waiting weeks for an appointment and costs beyond insurance — the patient’s own share (Eigenanteil), the part of the bill the insurance does not pay. Before larger treatment such as crowns or dentures, the dentist draws up a treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan), a written plan of the work and its expected cost, and the total can be an unpleasant surprise. Language is another theme.
Private and international patients are billed under the German fee schedule for dentists, the GOZ (Gebührenordnung für Zahnärzte): the official scale that lists dental services and sets a fee range for each. The Federal Chamber of Dentists publishes the full text, including an English version. Where a fee falls within the range depends on the difficulty and time involved; the final bill also depends on the materials and the dental laboratory. For figures, see dental prices in Germany.
How to read forum threads and reviews
A forum thread is one person’s story: different insurance, a different city, sometimes several years old. Check the date and what was done: a check-up, a filling and implants differ in complexity, number of visits and cost.
Reviews on intermediary websites often sound alike and praise without detail. A useful review names the treatment, the number of visits and what happened afterwards. Complaints about the cost plan or waiting times say little about the quality of the work itself. Our page on reviews of treatment in Germany explains how to spot promotional ones.
Questions to ask before dental treatment in Germany
Before treatment starts, ask for a written treatment and cost plan, and find out how many visits and trips will be needed and how far apart. An implant has to grow into the bone, which can take several months, and the crown is usually fitted only afterwards. So find out early whether the work can be finished in one stay or needs a second trip.
Ask about documents too: copies of your X-rays and, after an implant, the implant passport (Implantatpass), which records the implant’s type and manufacturer, details useful to whoever treats you next. Agree who provides aftercare at home and the language of consultations. Root canal treatment and wisdom tooth removal raise their own questions; for an overview, see dental treatment in Germany.
University dental clinics and specialists
University hospitals divide dentistry among specialist departments, each with its own head. At Charité Berlin, Prof. Florian Beuer has been director of the Department of Prosthodontics, Geriatric Dentistry and Craniomandibular Disorders since 2015. His focus includes digital dental technology, all-ceramic restorations, implant-supported prostheses and CAD/CAM, where crowns and bridges are designed on a computer and milled from a block. He is a certified implantology specialist under the guidelines of the German Society of Implantology (DGI) and a prosthodontics specialist under DGPro guidelines; in 2021 he was DGI president. Charité’s Department of Orthodontics, which corrects the bite and the position of teeth, is headed by Professor Kathrin Becker.
At the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), the Center for Dental and Oral Medicine (Zentrum für Zahn-, Mund- und Kieferheilkunde) comprises departments of orthodontics and prosthetic dentistry, a department of periodontics, preventive and restorative dentistry, and a dental X-ray unit. For other addresses and how to choose, see dental clinics in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Can you trust reviews of dentists in Germany?
Yes, as accounts of service and organisation rather than a verdict on treatment. A patient can tell how long they waited, how they were spoken to and what the bill came to, but rarely whether the right method was chosen. The most useful reviews name the treatment, the number of visits and what happened afterwards. Your own treatment is decided on your X-rays and examination.
Do you have the right to a written cost estimate before treatment?
Yes, if the dentist knows that insurance will not cover the full cost, as when you pay yourself. Under § 630c of the German Civil Code (BGB), the dentist must then state the expected cost in text form, on paper or by email for example, before treatment begins. The exceptions are urgent treatment and an explicit waiver by the patient. So get the estimate before any work starts.
What if a filling or crown needs redoing after you return home?
First, contact the clinic that treated you with X-rays and a description of the problem. For patients with German statutory insurance, the law obliges the dentist to redo fillings and dentures, including crowns, free of charge for two years, with some exceptions (§ 136a SGB V). That is a statutory insurance rule, so if you pay yourself, agree the terms for corrections in writing beforehand. Your X-rays and implant passport will help your local dentist.
How AlenMed arranges dental treatment in Germany
Before the trip, we translate recent X-rays and a description of the problem and send them to the clinic. The dentist gives a preliminary plan and says how many visits are likely to be needed.
We book the appointment, obtain the clinic’s cost estimate and the visa invitation letter, help with transfers and accommodation, and provide an interpreter for consultations. AlenMed’s office is in Munich.
Back home, you receive documents and X-rays in your language, and we contact the clinic if questions arise.
This material is for reference only and is not an offer; the treatment plan is decided by the dentist at an in-person examination.