Guide to Dental Care in Switzerland

Just as medical costs in Switzerland are high, so are rates for dental services. However, when the best of technology combines with highly skilled and innovative dentists, no cost is too high.

Dental tourism in the country is currently highlighted by metal-free implantology, but for a wide range of dental services, from routine checkups to restorative and prosthetic dentistry to the most high-tech cosmetic dentistry techniques, the country offers the best of the best.

There are three ways expats can find dentists in Switzerland. Some are employed in public hospitals, others in school dental service and majority are in the private sector. The usual way to get treatment is to ask for an appointment at least two weeks early except during dental emergencies. In both cases, patients will not be attended to without proof of insurance.

There is an obligatory national health insurance system in Switzerland but it does not cover dental services. Hence, residents always prefer to take out private health insurance that provides specific coverage for dental treatments. Most expats have their teeth done in their home countries prior to flying to Switzerland to avoid cost issues.

One thing greatly advantageous to other nationalities in this country is the presence of many multilingual clinics. In other European countries, language can be a problem when getting dental treatment but in Switzerland, there are many dentists who employ multilingual staff in their clinics or dentists who actually speak English. All it takes is to look for these practitioners on the yellow pages or online.

Dental care is superior in quality in the country and many believe it is enough to even out the costs in the end, especially for expats who take out international health insurance in Switzerland.