Am I eligible for general dental care allowance?

You can receive general dental care allowance if you

• turn at least 24 years of age during the year
• are insured in Sweden. You are if you live or work here. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Even if you live in a country other than Sweden, you may be eligible for general dental care allowance in certain circumstances.

What can I use my general dental care allowance for?

You can use your general dental care allowance for examinations, preventive treatments, and all other dental care that entitles you to national dental care subsidy. You can also use the allowance for partial payment of an agreement for subscription dental care.

Your dentist or dental hygienist will be able to tell you whether you can use your dental care allowance for the treatment you want.

How much do I get?

On 1 July every year, you receive a new dental care allowance. There is a credit at Försäkringskassan.

• Your annual allowance is SEK 600 from the year you turn 24 until the year you turn 29.
• Your annual allowance is SEK 300 from the year you turn 30 until the year you turn 64.
• Your annual allowance is SEK 600 starting the year you turn 65.

You can save the allowance for the next year so you can use two allowances in a single year. But you can never have more than two allowance credits in your account at once. If you have two credits when 1 July rolls around, the new one simply replaces the oldest one.

How do I use my general dental care allowance?

To be able to use your general dental care allowance, you must go to a dentist or dental hygienist affiliated with the national dental care subsidy. Most are.

You do not need to apply for the allowance, but rather tell the dentist or dental hygienist that you want to use your general dental care allowance to pay a part of the cost. They will then deduct the allowance from your bill.

Your final cost depends on what price your dentist or dental hygienist charges for the treatment. They set their own prices, but you have the right to receive information about the cost of the treatment beforehand.

Can I receive special dental care allowance?

Special dental care allowance is a subsidy you can receive if you have a certain illness or a certain disability that could negatively affect your dental health.

You can receive special dental care allowance if you

• turn at least 24 years of age during the year
• are insured in Sweden. You are if you live or work here. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Even if you live in a country other than Sweden, you may be eligible for special dental care allowance in certain circumstances.

You may be eligible for the special dental care allowance if one of the following applies to you:

• dry mouth due to long-term use of medication
• dry mouth due to radiation treatment in the ear, nose, mouth or throat region
• Sjögren's syndrome
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease having been prescribed oxygen or nutritional drink
• cystic fibrosis
• ulcerous colitis
• Crohn's disease
• intestinal failure
• corrosion on the teeth and anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or gastroesophageal reflux disease
• difficult-to-treat diabetes
• undergoing dialysis treatment
• suppressed immune system due to use of medication
• have undergone an organ transplant.

Your dentist or dental hygienist will decide whether you are eligible for the allowance. In order for them to be able to assess whether you are entitled to the allowance, a basis of assessment is needed. The documentation required depends on what illness or disability you have. More information on these rules can be found on the National Board of Health and Welfare's website.

The National Board of Health and Welfare’s regulations on special dental care allowance (SOSFS 2012:16) (socialstyrelsen.se)

What can I use the special dental care allowance for?

You can use the allowance for preventive dental health measures, such as check-ups and tooth cleaning. You can also use the special dental care allowance as partial payment for subscription dental care.

How much do I get?

The special dental care allowance is SEK 600 every six months. You receive the allowance on 1 January and 1 July each year.

You can divide use of the allowance up. For instance, you can use SEK 200 at one appointment and SEK 400 at the next appointment. You cannot carry over the allowance from one six-month period to the next.

How do I use my special dental care allowance?

To be able to use your special dental care allowance, you must go to a dentist or dental hygienist affiliated with the national dental care subsidy. Most are.

You do not need to apply for the allowance, but the dentist or dental hygienist must have a document confirming your illness or disability. If your dentist or dental hygienist determines you are entitled to the allowance, it is deducted from your bill.

Your final cost depends on what price your dentist or dental hygienist charges for the treatment. They set their own prices, but you have the right to receive information about the cost of the treatment beforehand.

How can I use the high-cost protection?

High-cost protection is for individuals who have high dental care costs. This means that once your costs exceed a certain amount, you only need to pay for part of the cost yourself.

You can receive dental care compensation through the high-cost protection if you

• turn at least 24 years of age during the year
• are insured in Sweden. You are if you live or work here. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Even if you live in a country other than Sweden, you may be eligible for compensation through the high-cost protection in certain circumstances.

What can I use my high-cost protection for?

Your dentist or dental hygienist is required to let you know whether your treatment entitles you to compensation from high-cost protection or not. It applies for most treatments, but there are exceptions.

For example, you cannot receive compensation for teeth whitening, other forms of cosmetic dental care, or for dental care that is part of an agreement for subscription dental care.

Dental care that is part of treatment for an illness is not covered by the high-cost protection for dental care. Such dental care is subject to the county council’s regular patient fee and the county council’s high-cost protection for patient fees. For more information about this, please contact your county council or your region.

How much do I get?

You pay for costs that combined amount to SEK 3,000 over one year according to the national reference charges or the dentist’s/dental hygienist’s prices (whichever is lower). You then receive compensation for

• 50 per cent of costs exceeding SEK 3,000
• 85 per cent of costs exceeding SEK 15,000

The reference charge is a fixed price set by the government for each procedure eligible for national dental care subsidy. Procedures eligible for national dental care subsidy are examinations and different types of treatment. The reference charge for a procedure includes the cost of materials.

The dentist or dental hygienist does not have to follow the reference charge. They can set their own prices. If they charge more than the reference charge for a procedure that is part of the treatment, you will not receive compensation for the amount that exceeds the reference charge. You must pay this yourself.

High-cost protection is calculated year by year. This means that all procedures that are performed during a consecutive twelve-month period are included in your high-cost protection. You can choose to start a new compensation period before the old one expires. That might be to your benefit if you are about to undergo major dental work.

If you use your general or special dental care allowance to pay for part of your dental care costs, the allowance is subtracted before the high-cost protection is calculated.

For some treatments, you can only receive compensation equivalent to getting a filling, even if you choose to have a crown fitted to fix the tooth. Similarly, for some treatments you can only receive compensation for a bridge, even if you choose to get an implant instead of a bridge. The dentist must let you know what applies in each individual case.

How do I use my high-cost protection?

To be able to receive compensation through the high-cost protection, you must go to a dentist or dental hygienist affiliated with the national dental care subsidy. Most are.

You do not need to apply for the compensation. Your dentist or dental hygienist will deduct it from your bill.

Your final cost depends on what price your dentist or dental hygienist charges for the treatment. They set their own prices, but you have the right to receive information about the cost of the treatment beforehand. If your treatment must be spread out over a number of visits, you should be given a preliminary written estimate over the total treatment cost.