Free for under-23s

Dental care is completely free for children and young adults under the age of 23. For older adults, prices for check-ups and treatment can vary between clinics, so it is a good idea to look at price lists in advance and compare them, especially if you need a lot of work done.

You usually pay per check-up, but people who are registered with Försäkringskassan get a dental subsidy each year to use towards dental care, and there is also a high cost ceiling to keep your costs low if you need a lot of care.

How much does the dental subsidy cover?

The basic subsidy is known as allmän tandvårdsbidrag (ATB), and the amount you get depends on your age. You get:

• 600 kronor per year if aged between 24 and 29, or over 65,
• 300 kronor per year if aged between 30 and 64.

This subsidy renews every year on July 1st, and you can save it for up to a year – so if you still haven’t used the previous years’ subsidy by July 1st, you can use two years’ subsidies at once. If you already have two subsidies when the next years’ is granted on July 1st, you won’t get a new one.

There’s also a särskilt tandvårdsbidrag (STB) or “special dental subsidy” available to certain individuals who have an illness or disability which makes them more likely to need dental care, such as people on dialysis treatment, people who have had organ transplants or those with certain types of diabetes.

STB consists of 600 kronor every six months, paid out on January 1st and July 1st every year.

High-cost protection

Sweden also provides högkostnadsskydd or “high-cost protection”, to help you cover the costs if you need expensive dental treatment.

High-cost protection doesn’t cover all types of dental treatment, but will usually cover the cheapest possible treatment for your situation. It may, for example, cover the cost of a dental bridge, but not an implant.

You also can’t use it for cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth whitening.

Dentistry as part of a medical treatment isn’t covered either, as that falls under the standard healthcare rules, meaning you will pay your region’s standard patient fee with its separate high-cost protection instead.

How much does high-cost protection cover?

You pay the full cost of all dental treatment in the same 12-month period up to a limit of 3,000 kronor. This is based on national reference prices, or your dentist or dental hygienist’s prices if they are lower. If your dentist charges more than the national reference price for the treatment in question, you will have to pay the difference yourself.

If your dental treatment over the course of a 12-month period costs more than 3,000 kronor, Försäkringskassan (the Social Insurance Agency), will cover:

• 50 percent of all costs over 3,000 kronor, and
• 85 percent of all costs over 15,000 kronor.

For example, let’s say you have a dental bill of 20,000 kronor for treatment within the same 12 month period, and your dentist charges the national reference price.

You pay the first 3,000 kronor yourself. You pay 50 percent of everything between 3,000 and 15,000 kronor (so, 6,000 kronor), then 15 percent of the last 5,000 kronor (so, 750 kronor), as that’s over the 15,000 kronor cap.

This means that, on a 20,000 kronor bill, you end up paying 9,750 kronor (3,000 + 6,000 + 750), meaning Försäkringskassan covered 10,250 kronor of your 20,000 kronor bill.

Frisktandvård

If you visit the public dentist, you can also choose an option called frisktandvård which is a kind of dental insurance. You pay a certain amount of money each month (based on your age and the condition of your teeth, but starting as low as 90 kronor in some regions) and in return, your check-ups and many treatments are available at no extra cost.

This only applies if you have no pre-existing conditions – you’ll need to visit a dentist for them to assess your teeth and decide if you qualify.

Who qualifies?

To be able to use these subsidies, you need to be registered with Försäkringskassan.

Some people, especially those moving to Sweden with children, should be contacted by Försäkringskassan as soon as they are registered with the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), but in many cases, it is up to you to actively register with them. That’s important: unlike healthcare, simply having a personnummer is not enough to receive subsidies and high cost protection for dental care, and the process of becoming registered with the agency can take several months, so you should do it as soon as possible after your move.

What if I don’t have a personnummer?

If you’re new or just visiting Sweden, you may be liable to pay higher costs for dental care, including if you are under 23.

If you’re just visiting, or are newly arrived and have not yet become registered as a resident, as a non-EU citizen you should take out medical and dental insurance that covers you while you are in Sweden. Citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland should be able to receive dental care at the same cost as Swedish citizens if it’s an emergency, as long as you’re insured in your home country – make sure you bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and show the dentist. If you don’t have the card, you should save your receipts as it may still be possible to apply for reimbursement in your home country afterwards.

Remember, it isn’t only having a personnummer that entitles you to dental subsidies, but actively registering with Försäkringskassan.

If you are living in Sweden long-term but have a coordination number (samordningsnummer) rather than a personnummer, you may well not be eligible for insurance with Försäkringskassan, so you should arrange your own dental insurance or be prepared to pay the full cost upfront.