I think that means that you will not be covered by an insurance for these things, as you often need to fill in a form and have it signed by a dentist who will state what work needs to be done.

All insurance plans I know then exclude that list from your cover. Often, the waiting time for other things is one year!

Lastly, I had a quote for an implant of 4500-5500 CHF. So if you need two, maybe think about doing them elsewhere?

Ouch ! Yip - it's a fair cop and the two gaping holes in my lower set would undoubtedly exclude from insurance claims for implants. Also, the reason I went to this guy literally 2 weeks before I left Blighty was because in the madness of moving I went for my NHS apointment at the right time but one day late - I've been ther 4 yrs and just got the cold shoulder like "don't bother comming back mate - one strike you're out" which only served to reinforce my reasons for leaving it all behind. The private guy I went two was by any other profession a robber - He was an impecable professional I'll grant you but I could not believe to prices probably more than here in Switzerland acctually. So it's not the cost that intimidates me as much as just embracing the system I guess - why does dentistry bring out all the demonds?? Anyway, I'll fid out what the insurance will cough up tomorrow and then see which quack gets the geld. Any recomendations in Basel area still appreciated. Bon nui 4 now

I've just finished a root canal at the Zahnarzt Zentrum in Baden on Saturday. I haven't got the last bill but the first two together were somewhat in excess of 600 CHF. Judging by some of the other replies I'm getting off lightly, the taxpoints are only CHF 3.40 and the dentist was extremely good and can speak English - don't really need it but it is easier. She told me to expect CHF1000-1500 but it's billed per visit which makes it a bit easier to manage.

By the way has anyone else seen the German dentist advertising on the Zürich trams?

Zahnartze Haus Bellevue Apotheke right by Bellevue tram stop
number is 044 262 11 11.
dentist is Dr Tudor - he speaks English and so does his assistant who has the whitest teeth i have ever seen!

OK here's an update on my situation. You may recall I moved to Basel in December07 and just cracked a tooth.

N.B. THE ISSUE OF INSURANCE IS THE THRUST OF MY DEBATE HERE but it is a dental matter so I will share it here ...
Question : Is the insurance claim valid at the point of incident or at the point of invoice (i.e. where a procedure may take 6 months and go beyond the insurance policy lapse point)?


Back to the story ...
Well I went to a dentist (Dr. Dervis) on recommendation who actually tried to glue the tooth back on as it had snapped off under the gum line. This failed and as the tooth had already been root filled, he just cut the filling and the back of the tooth off to a stump and put in a temporary filling until the work continues after I clarify the insurance position.

So, the options he gave me are (a) Crown - 2000CHF & 6weeks, post screwed into root then crown attached; (b) Implant - 4000CHF & 6 months as the root must be removed, 3 months to heal, then post inserted & another 3 months to heal then crown goes on.

INSURANCE
OK now the fun begins. I spoke to my insurance broker NVC. I explain the options and introduce the concept that I intend to buy a house in France (thus changing my residency). They seem OK with this but not quite clear about the claim format. They advise me that my 1500CHF dental policy is subject to an excess of 500CHF (no problem) but that this gives me 1000CHF reimbursement. However, as the tooth damage was as a result of an ACCIDENT then the full amount (less access) could be claimed from an accident policy (e.g. from work - but I'm not employed yet or house/general - this is in place). great I say and ask them to confirm the details by email.

Then something unusual happens ...I get the email late on Friday (below) saying that they are unclear about things due to the potential time frame of my policy and that I should contact the insurance company direct.

MY 2nd QUESTION IS :
If I engage a broker (who by contract insists on exclusive rights to my business) to acquire policies for me then are they shirking their responsibilities by telling me to effectively do what I perceive as their job for them? Also, this is a highly technical area based in legal policy wording (in German) which, even if I could read it, I cannot understand as a lay person. This is why I have a broker - right? Then I pay and trust them to assign the appropriate cover.

I should also say at this stage that I did inform them at the onset that our initial residence was temporary (up to 6 months) and that we intended to buy a house either in Switzerland or in France - we were totally upfront about this possibility! We have now decided to buy in France and will most likely move in March/April as we have not had a date from the Notaries yet.

Anyway, I spoke with the dentist 1st thing this morning to ask if the invoice for implant (my preferred & most expensive treatment) could be sent prior to completion of the treatment and they seem to have no problem. My appointment to begin the procedure is tomorrow at noon.
I have established this in case the insurance company wish to pull the old "well your policy will lapse when your residency status changes" line. I figure I can always say, well I'll continue to honour the premium for the full 12 months if that's what is required! Scynically I am assuming their default position is to payout as little as possible so they will look to limit my options or strike me out on a technicality. But then I have to say that surely the sentiment of insuring a risk is in the moment - if you do not perceive a risk then there would be no requirement. Likewise, if at the outset there is a 50/50 chance that my residential status may change in the 1st 6 months of a 12 month policy then is there any negligence on the part of the Brokers (NVC) who should have factored this detail in - after all this was (a) my reason for disclosing the possibility & (B) my reason for engaging a Broker.

IF ANYONE HAS EXPERIENCE WITH ACCIDENTAL / DENTAL INSURANCE
I would appreciate your comments. As I said in an earlier post - it's not the cost that is the problem, it's just the whole insurance protocol that gives rise to my concern. Any yes, maybe I should post this on an Insurance thread too.

Thx in advance anyway guys,

Eugene

Oh - here’s the email I mentioned....
"Dear Eugene,

We spoke regarding the accidental damage to one of your tooth.

I discussed this matter with Beat and he suggested that you contact ASSURA directly in order to get the correct details of cover. Because of your situation (leaving Switzerland soon) we are not sure how you will be covered for exactly.

The person you should contact is called Frau Amstutz and she works in the section for dental treatments. Her direct phone number is 031 556 77 07. She should be able to assist you in English."

I just had a root canal in Zurich and it costed me 1,300 CHF. And the taxtpunktwert my dentist used was 4.15. Is this a fair price for a root canal in this country? I think I am slightly overcharged since the taxtpunktwert I have researched for many dentists are only between 3.0 - 3.5. Do I need to be careful with dentists in this country? Since I have a feeling my dentist is trying to rip me off. He told me I have to replace 10 of my old fillings when I'm pregnant and they can't be put off till after the delivery. And he can't tell how big is my cavity on a tooth after he took the x-rays. It just sounds crazy to me. Thanks!

visit one more dentist before deciding, it saved me a lot of money

Hi Kayser Soze
As I was also in Germany for a second opinion re root canal treatment, it was not that much cheaper than the Swiss dentist. Do you have any actual addresses of dentists in Germany that could be recommend? Would much appreciate your feedback.
Thanks in advance
Poppy

For 2 root canal treatment, I got a quote which is CHF 2800!
Would I be saving a lot in Germany? Can anyone tell me some ballpark figure?

http://www.google.ch/search?source=i...l=&oq=Zahnarzt+

The thread started in July 2007, it is a little bit old, maybe you could telephone one in Konstanz yourself?

I'm having similar dental problems — before I left the U.S. for Switzerland I had a crown put on my tooth because the dentist said the filling was pretty big and might fall out. So I paid my U.S. dentist (with insurance) about $350 for the crown and the work.

Now the crown is hurting (2 months later) and I'm afraid the tooth might need a root canal.

Should I go to Germany to get it done? Can anybody recommend a company that would cover this condition right away here in Switzerland?

One more thing: I haven't yet purchased the required basic Swiss health care so if there's a "top-up" or "add-on" dental component to a basic plan you could suggest ... ?

Many thanks for suggestions.

If your interested in saving a lot of money i would suggest going and getting dental care done in Budapest, this thread HERE helped me out a lot. I am actually going and getting a treatment done there at the end of the month. My flight, accommodation and dental procedures necessary will probably cost me less than 1 root canal here.

Regarding the root canal, i went to Swiss-Smile in Zürich HB two weeks ago and they quoted me 600 per filling and 1400 for a root canal. Hope this helps - Frank

My husband broke a crown and the adjacent tooth; the result was he needed a somewhat complicated root canal and replacement. The whole processs took 4 visits. Got the bill today, and was happily surprised to see the cost was 'only' CHF 2300.

Given that we were quoted something in the 4-5000 range, the final bill looks like quite a bargain.

Endobrendo, do read the limits to coverage carefully when considering dental insurance. We came to the conclusion that for us it made more sense to save our pennies and pay out of pocket when needed. YMMV.

The dental insurance here does not cover much.... It is very wise to save for things such as this... 2300 is excellent for this, especitally if the work was great....

Hi Endobrendo

Just to add to the replies you've already received - concerning your query about the required (compulsory) Swiss Health Insurance (Krankenkasse). They usually only cover the X-ray costs and any medication (e.g. pain killers) as a result of treatment. Actually, the dental insurance is another kettle of fish and usually taken out by those who need constant dental/medical care.

Hope this helps
Poppy

Thanks for the advice folks. I'll probably make an appointment to see a dentist on Monday. I'll post follow up information about what I decide to do.

I think it's time to make a few things clear.

A root canal is not a treatment. It is a normal anatomical feature of every tooth. A tooth has one or several root canals. Incisors and canines normally have only one root canal. Premolars have one or two root canals. Molars can have up to four, rarely even more. What you folks talk about is not a root canal but a root canal treatment.

Asking, "How much does a root canal treatment cost?" is about the same as asking, "How much does a car cost?" Are you talking about a Fiat Uno or a Rolls Royce?

A simple, straight-forward treatment of a one-canal tooth (1 session, pulp was dead anyway, so no anesthetics needed, no deep infection with pretty resistant bacteria) may be as cheap as CHF 160.00 without the examination, X-rays, filling etc. (Swiss dental tariff). A simple glass-ionomer cement filling will cost around CHF 85.00. The entire procedure may cost 275.00 incl. examination and said filling, an x-ray will add some 18 francs.

On the other hand, a complicated root canal treatment of a four-canal tooth with a heavy and very stubborn infection of the deeper parts, needing, say, five sessions, two of them with anesthetics, several x-rays to determine the length of the canals etc., four temporary fillings, but still without the final filling or whatever, may easily set you back CHF 1350.00 or so, in very difficult cases even up to 1700.00, and that without any additional work like screw posts in three canals, core build-up plus crown, which will be somewhere in the 2k range or above, depending on many, many details.

So you see, it's totally useless if you ask, "I had a root canal [!], it cost me 750, did I get ripped off?"

One of the early posters, years back, suggested to have your teethies examined in Switzerland and then go to Germany with the result. Yeah, sure.

First of all, you'll never ever find two dentists, no matter where on this globe, who will find the same things in your mouth. Please don't expect any German dentist to do what the Swiss guy suggested.

And then, please know that, if everybody in Switzerland followed that advice, in just a few years you'd have a hard time finding a dentist in Switzerland to take care of your acute tooth troubles. You'd find that practically all dental practices in Switzerland have gone out of business.

The reason is very simple: Basic measures such as examination, x-rays, simple fillings, etc., are way too cheap to keep a dentist afloat. The reason why they are so cheap is a political matter. It is meant to make sure that even people who do not know how it feels to drive a Mercedes can afford basic dental care. The dentist has to do other, more profitable work too. A full-ceramic crown is overpaid, so to speak, because it is not a medical necessity but an object of luxury. The difference pays many examinations, x-rays etc.. It's a matter of social thinking and solidarity.

Ok, now you may say that in other nations, the same fundamental social objective has been realized in a completely different manner, for instance by using tax money or insurance premiums to pay the dentist. Sounds nice. But honestly, do you like to pay the dental treatment of those who do not brush their teeth?

__________________

"So, let me get this straight. We can drop bombs on people for 'humanitarian' reasons but we can’t feed American citizens in still hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico?" — Will Fischer

Good post and many thanks for the excellent information.
I do beg to differ though in regards to the last sentence. You can have really difficult health issues with your teeth and yet brush them 3 times a day !!

Dental problems really connected to general health issues are covered by health insurance, just like dental accidents are covered by accident insurance and hereditary issues are covered by disability insurance, but, of course, the insurance people and the rules they have to abide by are very strict. You cannot just say your dad had bad teeth too to get your caries treatment payed.

Yes, but you can't paint those who brush three times a day yet still have crumbling, caries-ridden teeth with the same brush as those who don't brush. Some of us, as you should well know, are not blessed with good teeth. I know people who never brush their teeth and never have any decay. I brush several times a day, floss, etc. and have a mouth full of root canal treated teeth.