Dental cleaning
Which health insurer pays for dental cleaning?
It is not mandatory, but many subsidise it.
Professional dental cleaning is not a mandatory benefit of public health insurers. But many insurers voluntarily pay a subsidy. Here is what every insurer covers and what to look out for with the subsidy.
Author: Jan Ortgies · As of 11 November 2026 · If a switch comes about through our comparison, we receive a fee from the new insurer, not from you.
For everyone
What every insurer pays
- Check-ups and tartar
- Every insurer pays for a check-up once every half calendar year and the removal of tartar once per calendar year, or once every six months for people with a care level or receiving integration assistance.
- Children and teenagers
- From age 6 to 17, preventive care once every six months is included, with oral hygiene instruction and fluoride treatment.
- Periodontitis
- Treatment of periodontitis (gum disease) is paid for by the insurer once it has approved the application beforehand, including cleaning in follow-up care, normally for two years.
- The cleaning itself
- Professional dental cleaning as prevention is not a mandatory benefit. Without a subsidy you pay for it yourself.
Voluntary
What insurers add voluntarily
- Subsidy
- Many insurers subsidise dental cleaning as a voluntary benefit. Often it is a fixed amount per year, sometimes only at certain dental practices.
- How it usually works
- Often you pay the bill yourself first and submit it to the insurer. Read the conditions before your appointment.
- Extras can change
- Voluntary benefits are set out in the insurer’s rules (Satzung). It can change or drop them, and when you switch, the new insurer’s rules apply. Ask before treatment what currently applies.
- Check in the comparison
- In the calculator below, pick “Professional Teeth Cleaning” under “Selected benefits”. You then see, for the insurers listed there, whether and up to what amount they contribute according to the calculator. Only the insurer’s own information is binding.
Other benefits
What else does the insurer pay?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does public health insurance pay for professional dental cleaning?
What preventive dental care does every insurer pay for?
Do I lose the subsidy if I switch insurer?
What does your help cost?
This page is general information based on our own research, without guarantee, and does not replace individual advice, legal or tax advice, medical advice or information from your insurer. Which voluntary benefits an insurer pays is set out in its rules and can change.
Sources: § 11 SGB V · § 22 SGB V · National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (German) · IGeL-Monitor: professional dental cleaning (German)
Why is the comparison free?
The comparison and advice on statutory health insurance cost you nothing. If a switch comes about through us, we receive remuneration from the new health insurer – not from you. Your contribution is the same as if you switched directly with the insurer, and you enter into no obligation.
for the comparison
You don't have to cancel your old health insurance yourself. Your new insurer handles the entire cancellation. You just briefly tell your employer which insurer you're switching to – the new insurer then sends them the membership certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung) electronically.
The entire switch happens online. No public office, no fax, no waiting room. Your membership application takes just a few minutes to submit online.
All statutory health insurers open nationwide are obliged to accept members – with no health check and no waiting period. Company health insurers (Betriebskrankenkassen) may be restricted to certain groups of people.