Am I eligible for general dental care allowance?

You can receive general dental care allowance if you

• turn at least 20 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.

Insured in Sweden

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 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. The dental clinic´s IT-system is connected to Försäkringskassan. Your dentist or dental hygienist can see that you have a dental care allowance. 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.

How much do I receive?

On July 1st of every year, you receive your general dental care allowance. The amount you receive depends on how old you are.

• From the year you turn 20 you get 600 SEK per year.
  
  
• From the year you turn 24 and throughout the year you turn 64, you get 300 SEK per year.
  
  
• From the year you turn 65 you get 600 SEK per year.

It is possible to save the allowance and use it the following year, which means that you will get twice as much. However, it is not possible to save the allowance longer than that.

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 20 years of age during the year
• are insured in Sweden.

Insured in Sweden

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.

Regulations on special dental care allowance (in Swedish) (socialstyrelsen.se) External link, opens in new window.

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 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 much do I receive?

• You receive the special dental care allowance twice a year. You get 600 SEK on January 1st and 600 SEK on July 1st.
  
• You do not have to use the allowance during one single appointment. For example, you can use 200 SEK on one occasion and 400 SEK on another occasion. However, you have to use the allowance during a period six months.

What is 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 20 years of age during the year
• are insured in Sweden.

Insured in Sweden

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 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. 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. There are reference prices for different treatments that are eligible for dental care subsidies. However, the prices that your dentist or dental hygienist charge you may be higher. If this is the case, you cannot use high-cost protection for costs that exceed the reference price.

If you choose to use your general dental care allowance or the special dental care allowance, they are deducted from the total cost before the high-cost protection can be used.

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 cost of the treatment.

When the cost of your dental care treatment reaches a total of 3,000 SEK during a period of twelve consecutive months, you only have to pay 50% of costs exceeding that amount. If your costs exceed 15,000 SEK, you only pay 15% of the cost.

You can decide to start a new twelve-month period of high-cost protection before the previous period has ended. This can be favourable for you if you will need to receive an extensive and costly treatment.