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Dental Insurance with No Waiting Period
- Supplemental dental insurance is highly recommended to get access to dental services not covered by statutory health insurance in Germany. However, many dental insurance providers have waiting periods of 3 to 12 months, depending on the type of treatment.
- Imagine the relief of knowing that you can get immediate coverage for your dental needs. Digital providers like ottonova, Feather, and Getsafe offer plans with no waiting period — ideal for expats and new residents in Germany. These policies include immediate reimbursement for dental check-ups, fillings, crowns, implants, and, if part of the plan, even orthodontics.
- These policies include immediate reimbursement for dental check-ups, professional dental cleanings, high-quality fillings, crowns, implants, and, if part of your dental plan, even orthodontics.
- Monthly dental insurance costs for policies with no waiting periods may be slightly higher, but they offer faster access and less financial risk for early treatments. This will improve your chances of good dental health.
- With digital insurers, you can enjoy fast onboarding, clear terms, and bilingual customer service. This convenience can make navigating the German healthcare system much easier.
- However, dental reimbursement scales still apply in most cases, even for policies without a waiting period; maximum reimbursement amounts increase gradually during the first few insurance years.
Why Choose A Dental Insurance Policy with No Waiting Period?
Waiting periods are a common feature in many private dental insurance plans. They define how long an insured person must wait after signing the policy before certain treatments are reimbursed. Understanding these timeframes is essential to avoid unexpected dental costs, especially if you need dental care shortly after your policy starts.
No waiting time in the German statutory health insurance
Germany’s health insurance system is built on 2 pillars: statutory health insurance (GKV) and private health insurance (PKV).
Statutory health insurance funds provide standardized medically necessary healthcare benefits and allow free family insurance for spouses and children with no or low income up to certain thresholds.
PKV, by contrast, offers individually contracted coverage based on your chosen plan and personal risk profile. All family members must take out their policy.
While public insurance does not include waiting periods, private comprehensive insurance and private additional dental insurance plans for GKV members may impose waiting times for dental care.
What are the waiting periods in German dental insurance?
Waiting periods refer to a fixed period—typically 3, 8, or 12 months—during which dental insurance does not reimburse certain treatments.
Even though you are fully insured during this time, you must wait until this period ends to use several personal services. Costs covered only after waiting periods are, for example, expenses for crowns, root canal treatments, implants, or orthodontics. Preventive dental care, like check-ups or professional teeth cleaning, may be exempt depending on your dental policy.
Even if your dental insurance includes a waiting period, emergency and pain-relief treatments are usually covered from day one. This also applies to dental therapies following an accident. These exceptions ensure you can still access urgent care even before the waiting period for planned procedures like crowns or implants has ended — for example, after a sudden event such as an accident or acute inflammation.
Why are waiting periods used — and when do they matter?
Waiting periods protect the health insurance company from covering treatments already planned before the policy began.
They matter most if you need treatment shortly after joining — for example, if you arrive in Germany with urgent dental needs. Even with insurance, you might have to cover these dental costs out of pocket unless your plan offers immediate coverage as well as fast digital processing.
Who benefits most from immediate dental coverage?
Dental insurance with no waiting period is particularly useful for:
- Expats and newcomers to Germany, who may need early treatment before the waiting period ends
- Freelancers and self-employed individuals who want full insurance coverage from day one
- Anyone with pre-existing dental issues who expects near-term procedures like crowns or implants
- Families with children, especially if orthodontic consultations or treatments are already anticipated
Plans with no waiting period remove the financial risk of early treatment and provide fast access to modern dental care — a key benefit for many expats and mobile professionals.
What Treatments are Usually Affected by Waiting Periods?
Dental insurance policies with waiting periods typically apply restrictions to higher-cost or planned treatments. Basic treatments, such as check-ups or simple dental fillings, are often exempt — but not always. Here’s an overview:
- Basic treatments (e.g., fillings): Some providers allow immediate reimbursement for fillings or professional cleaning. Others may apply a 3-month waiting period, even for routine care, unless the policy states otherwise. It’s important to read the fine print.
- Restorative care: Treatments such as dental crowns, bridges, inlays, dental prostheses, and implants typically have 8–12-month waiting periods. These procedures are pricier and often pre-planned, so they are typically not reimbursed early.
- Orthodontics: Waiting periods are the longest for orthodontic treatments, especially cosmetic braces or aligners — typically 12 months or more. Necessary orthodontic treatment may be immediately covered at the level of public health insurance. Your private supplementary insurance will initially only cover orthodontic treatments for severe malocclusions (orthodontic indication groups 3-5). However, additional services, such as treatments for minor misalignments, ceramic and lingual braces, or Invisalign, are still subject to the plan’s specific waiting periods.
- Cosmetic and preventative treatments: While check-ups and tartar removal may be covered early, treatments like professional dental cleaning, teeth whitening, or ceramic inlays can still be subject to waiting period restrictions unless the policy explicitly waives them.
Choosing a plan with no waiting period ensures access to standard and complex dental care from day one — a major benefit for expats, families, and anyone with immediate dental needs.
Reimbursement Scaling: Why Full Coverage Doesn’t Start on Day One
Even if your dental insurance has no waiting period, most providers apply a concept called ‘reimbursement scaling’ during the first few years of your policy. This means your maximum reimbursement amount increases gradually over time, instead of being fully available from day one of insurance.
For example, your insurance might cover up to €300 in the first insurance year, €600 in the second, and so on. With most providers, you will reach full coverage after 4 years. This scaling protects insurance companies from high upfront costs and encourages long-term membership.
It’s important to distinguish between 2 types of limits: some tariffs apply fixed annual caps (e.g., €1,000 per year), while others offer percentage-based coverage (e.g., 60%, 80%, or 100%) combined with scaling limits in the early years. Both models impact your reimbursement, especially if you need major treatments soon after joining.
While these limits don’t affect small treatments like check-ups or simple fillings, they are particularly relevant if you require major work early, such as implants or crowns. It’s essential to check your policy details carefully and plan higher-cost treatments accordingly.
Taking out additional dental insurance as early as possible is also advisable. This will ensure that you have comprehensive dental cover when you require it.
Best Dental Insurance Providers with No Waiting Time
Most dental insurance plans in Germany still include waiting periods. These typically range from 3 to 12 months and apply even to common procedures such as fillings or crowns. Such delays can become costly and frustrating for people who require immediate treatment or want fast access to reimbursement.
Fortunately, a new generation of digital insurance providers now offers modern alternatives — without waiting periods and with simplified onboarding, often tailored to the needs of expats and mobile professionals.
Digital insurers like ottonova, Feather, and Getsafe are especially popular among expats. Their plans come without waiting periods and often include immediate reimbursement for dental check-ups, fillings, crowns, implants, and partially even orthodontics — depending on provider and tariff. Special conditions apply to orthodontics. For example, ottonova only offers these services up to age 21 as standard benefits.
These insurers focus on speed, transparency, and customer service, including English-language support and digital claims processing via apps or web portals. With them, you manage your complete insurance online.
- Ottonova specializes in digital private health insurance (PKV) and offers broad coverage of high-end additional dental insurance, including cosmetic treatments and implants. Stiftung Warentest — an independent and highly renowned organization for product evaluations in Germany — has awarded ottonova’s supplementary dental insurance 2024 top marks for the fifth time in a row.
- Feather and Getsafe go beyond dental insurance: in addition to private full and supplementary health insurance, they offer other types of expat-friendly insurance, such as legal or personal liability insurance — with digital onboarding and clear contracts.
Their dental insurance policies are designed for a modern, mobile lifestyle. Dental insurance cost starts depending on your chosen plan, with less than €10. You can decide between basic tariffs and dental plans with comprehensive coverage.
How to Find the Best Dental Insurance without Waiting Periods?
Dental insurance with no waiting period offers a clear advantage, but not all plans are created equal. To find the best option, especially as an expat in Germany, you should compare coverage details, limitations, and practical aspects like service and digital access. Here’s what to look for before you apply.
What to check: reimbursement rates, treatment limits
A no-waiting-period policy only delivers value if it covers the treatments you need. Be sure to review:
- Reimbursement rates: Does the plan cover 60%, 80%, or up to 100% of treatment costs?
- Treatment categories: Are expensive procedures like implants, orthodontics, or ceramic inlays included, and to what extent?
- Cosmetic treatments: Is bleaching or Invisalign part of your plan, or explicitly excluded?
- Exclusions: Watch out for missing teeth clauses or restrictions related to pre-existing or ongoing dental issues.
- Scaling rules: Many plans still impose an annual reimbursement limit during the first years, even if no waiting period applies.
Digital claims and bilingual support
If you’re new to Germany or not fluent in German, digital-first insurers are particularly helpful. They offer:
- Fast onboarding
- Digital claims handling
- Bilingual customer support
- Transparent policies
These features are especially valuable for expats navigating the German health system for the first time.
A no-waiting-period plan is only worth it if the coverage matches your needs. Always check the fine print for reimbursement limits, exclusions, and how long it takes to reach full benefits. If you are very unsure whether you are making the right decision with a particular insurance contract, you can also seek advice from an insurance broker.
Conclusion: Is Dental Insurance Without a Waiting Period Worth It?
Yes — especially if you require quick access to dental treatment. Policies with no waiting period allow you to receive benefits for check-ups, fillings, crowns, or even orthodontics from day one. This can be a major financial relief for expats, freelancers, or anyone new to Germany with pending dental issues.
However, even no-waiting-period plans often include scaling rules and reimbursement caps in the early years, so checking the fine print is essential. The expat-friendly providers — such as ottonova, Feather, and Getsafe — offer digital applications, English-language support, and structured policies. Choosing the right provider ensures both early access and long-term protection.
Frequently Asked Questions — FAQ
Additional dental insurance work like any other private health insurance: you select a dental plan whose benefits meet your individual needs. You pay your dentist directly for dental costs and are reimbursed by your insurance company.
Yes, definitely. If you have statutory insurance in Germany, a supplementary private insurance policy usually provides you with significantly more comprehensive dental services and access to modern treatment methods, which are not always covered by public insurance. Root canal treatments are an example of this. Public health insurance coverage is only given if the affected tooth is deemed worth saving – otherwise, you will have to accept tooth extraction or pay for treatment out of pocket. In addition, public insurance does not cover specific dental procedures, such as microscopic root canal treatment. A supplementary dental insurance allows you to protect your oral health optimally at affordable costs.
That depends on your treatment needs and financial expectations. Percentage-based coverage (e.g., 60%, 80%, or 100% of treatment costs) is generally more transparent and often more flexible, especially for expensive procedures like implants or orthodontics. However, many plans with percentage coverage still apply annual reimbursement caps during the first years of the contract — known as scaling. A good plan will gradually increase these limits and eventually offer full annual reimbursement.
In contrast, dental plans that rely solely on annual reimbursement caps (e.g., €1,000/year) may appear generous but can limit your flexibility in the case of multiple treatments.
Be cautious with policies that include lifetime reimbursement caps — for example, a fixed total amount for implants or orthodontics over your entire contract period. These can be very restrictive if your dental needs change over time.
Dental insurance typically does not cover medicines like antibiotics or painkillers prescribed after dental procedures. These costs are usually covered by your general health insurance (statutory or private).
Yes. To apply for a Schengen visa, you must present proof of valid international health insurance that includes coverage for medical treatment, hospital stays, and emergency dental care. This requirement is based on EU and Schengen regulations and ensures access to essential medical services during your stay in the Schengen Area. If you plan to stay in Germany long-term, you will have to switch to a German health insurance plan — either statutory or private. If you choose statutory insurance, supplementary dental insurance helps reduce the cost of treatments not fully covered by GKV.
Supplementary dental insurance in Germany typically only applies within Germany. If you need dental care abroad, you usually need separate international health insurance that covers emergency treatments.
As an EU citizen with statutory health insurance, you can use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for urgent care within the EU.
Private comprehensive health insurance often includes worldwide dental care, depending on the chosen plan. Some insurance companies like ottonova and Getsafe offer this advantage also for their supplementary dental insurance.