Quality of life through comfort
When natural teeth or parts of teeth need to be replaced, the dental restoration should:
- look good, and look natural,
- not feel like a foreign body in the mouth,
- function well and be dependable,
- be made from safe, biocompatible materials (particularly important for patients with allergies),
- and make the wearer feel good about their teeth again.
Since 1st January 2005, patients with German statutory health insurance have to pay more towards the cost of dental restorations
As a dental laboratory, we specialise in the manufacture of high-comfort dental restorations. We want to enhance patients’ quality of life by providing them with a restoration of the best possible quality.
Since 1st January 2005, patients with German statutory health insurance receive a fixed contribution towards dental restorations. The amount depends solely on the diagnosis (e.g. missing tooth, crown required etc.). For each diagnosis there is a set contribution from the statutory insurance. This is the same for every statutory health insurance fund (Gesetzliche Krankenkasse). The contribution will normally be at least half the average cost of the required treatment. (Exceptions are made in cases of genuine hardship, where the health insurance funds may pay up to 100% of the required treatment).
With dental restorations, “required treatment” means – according to the directive governing the contributions from statutory health insurance funds – doing what is dentally necessary to provide appropriate treatment and a functional, satisfactory and economical clinical solution. That does not mean that taking advantage of the latest technology and obtaining the aesthetically best solution is the main focus, or that these factors will be fully taken into account when establishing the health fund’s contribution. A satisfactory solution is far more likely to mean exactly what says: could do better. Restorations that correspond to the most up to date aesthetic standards and that have the best possible biocompatibility will not be considered to be required treatment.
These rules have been in force in Germany since the beginning of 2005. The fixed contributions from the statutory health insurance funds mean the patient has to decide whether to:
__pay the minimum and get a “satisfactory” result (for a molar in need of a crown, required treatment would be in the form of a metal crown),
__or pay more for higher quality treatment (in the above-mentioned case the crown could either have a ceramic surface fused to it so that the metal cannot easily be seen, or it could be an all-ceramic crown which cannot be distinguished from a natural tooth).
The decision to go for a high quality dental restoration means better aesthetics, more comfort and in many cases better biocompatibility. And that will make a real difference to your quality of life.