ENParents usually look for paediatric dentistry in Germany in two situations: the child is terrified of treatment after attempts at home with coaxing and holding, or there is extensive decay in the milk teeth or a dental injury, and everything must be done in one trip.
This page explains how a child’s appointment differs from an adult’s, what one visit in Germany can achieve, when sedation or general anaesthesia is justified and what makes up the bill. The general page covers treatment of children in Germany.
How an appointment with a paediatric dentist is run
A paediatric appointment differs in three ways from an adult one (see dentistry in Germany). First, time: the first visit is not a ten-minute check but an introduction, where the child is shown and may touch the instruments and hears step by step what will happen. Treatment may not start at all; that is not a wasted appointment but the condition for the child later sitting in the chair unaided.
Second, prevention comes first: a paediatric appointment in Germany includes cleaning and brushing instruction, fluoride varnish or gel, fissure sealing (the grooves of the back teeth are sealed so decay does not start) and a talk about diet and the habit of drinking sweet drinks from a bottle. Prevention is billed separately and discussed with parents before treatment.
Third, the conversation with the parent. The dentist explains the plan tooth by tooth: what to treat, what to watch, what can wait until home and roughly how many visits it will take. In Germany the plan is given in writing, so ask for it.
What is treated in children
Decay in the milk teeth is the most common reason for coming. It is treated with fillings, deep decay also with nerve treatment (removing part of the nerve or treating the root canals), and a badly broken-down tooth gets a paediatric crown. In Germany a milk tooth is not pulled on the grounds that “it will fall out anyway”: it keeps the space for its successor, and early loss, especially of a back tooth, shifts the permanent teeth.
Dental injury is a separate and urgent topic: a knocked-out or chipped front tooth needs care within hours, so help is given on the spot. If the injury happened at home, bring the X-ray and a description of what was done.
The rest includes inflammation at the root, abscesses, a tight frenulum, delayed eruption and early orthodontic treatment, when a jaw growth problem is easier to correct before or early in the change of teeth. Complex surgery, as in adults, is covered under oral surgery.
Sedation and general anaesthesia: when they are justified
Sedation or anaesthesia is justified when the child is under three, many teeth are affected or the child cannot cooperate: German clinics then offer sedation (nitrous oxide or medication) or general anaesthesia, so that everything is done at once instead of putting the child through five visits. Nitrous oxide suits an anxious but cooperative child and small treatments; otherwise general anaesthesia is chosen. The dentist decides with a paediatric anaesthetist. An examination always precedes anaesthesia; blood tests are ordered when there is a reason.
What parents should expect: anaesthesia is not given on request; the dentist justifies it and records the reasons in the file. Afterwards the child stays under observation, sometimes overnight in the clinic. How dentists and anaesthetists share responsibility is set out in the German dental society (DGZMK) statement on dental treatment of children under general anaesthesia.
Where children are treated and what the bill is made of
Children are seen in private paediatric dental practices, the dental and maxillofacial departments of university hospitals and children’s hospitals, where treatment under anaesthesia is organised with paediatric anaesthesia. The general directory is under dental clinics in Germany.
The bill covers the first consultation, the X-rays, every treatment item separately under the German dental fee scale GOZ (Gebührenordnung für Zahnärzte), and separately the anaesthesia and the observation after it; see dental treatment costs in Germany for details. In Germany the estimate (Heil- und Kostenplan) is given in writing before treatment starts, and parents should ask for it that way.
What to take home and how to carry on
The report must say what was done on each tooth, which materials were used, which teeth are being watched and when the next check is due, along with brushing and diet advice that child and parent can actually follow at home.
Next: a check with the local dentist at the stated interval, continued prevention and, with early orthodontic treatment, an agreement on who supervises between trips; without it the result of one trip is quickly lost.
Frequently asked questions
Can all of a child’s teeth be treated in one trip?
Often yes, if the plan is drawn up in advance from the X-rays and reports. Under general anaesthesia the aim is to treat every tooth that needs it in one session; otherwise appointments are booked on consecutive days. Some teeth may be watched and treated later at home.
Is general anaesthesia safe for a child’s dental treatment?
Anaesthesia carries a risk, like any medical procedure, so it is used only when treatment under local anaesthetic is impossible. An anaesthetist examines the child beforehand and monitors them until the drugs wear off. The risk is weighed against leaving the teeth untreated; if day-case anaesthesia seems unwise, the child is admitted.
What if my child is afraid of the dentist?
Give the child time: the first visit is an introduction, and treatment sometimes starts only at the next appointment. If the fear remains but the child can cooperate and little needs treating, nitrous oxide sedation is an option; otherwise general anaesthesia is discussed. Tell the dentist how earlier attempts went.
How AlenMed arranges dental treatment for a child
AlenMed starts with the documents: X-rays, the home dentist’s report and the list of past treatment go to the clinic, whose dentist answers how many visits are needed, whether sedation or anaesthesia is required and how long the trip takes. Then come a written estimate, a visa invitation, appointments on consecutive days rather than a week apart, and an interpreter, because the conversation is a plan for every tooth.
Plan ahead: bring earlier X-rays and reports, allow a spare day, remember that after anaesthesia the child needs a quiet day without a flight, and have the final documents translated for the dentist at home.
This material is for information only and is not an offer. The treatment plan is decided by a dentist in person.