Dental implants, crowns and inlays in Germany: differences, costs and insurance

• Inlay (inlay filling): a filling made in a dental laboratory or with computer technology in the practice and then inserted into the prepared tooth, usually of gold or ceramic. Depending on how far it extends over the cusps, it is also called an onlay or overlay.
• Crown: used above all when large parts of a tooth are destroyed. The tooth is prepared first; the part of the natural tooth that is not visible remains under the artificial crown.
• Implant: an artificial tooth root. It is not the visible tooth itself: a crown, bridge or prosthesis is fixed on it, usually after the implant has healed in. This part on the implant is the implant-supported denture (superstructure).

An inlay is only possible if enough tooth substance remains after removing decay for the filled tooth to withstand chewing pressure. If large parts are destroyed, a crown is considered. If a tooth is missing, an implant or a bridge may be options; according to the KZBV, an implant requires surgery, may take longer and is more expensive, while a bridge requires grinding the neighbouring teeth. Which option suits you depends on the findings and is decided with your dentist — this guide gives no treatment recommendation.

We do not quote prices because we found no reliable current source that names a defined scope of treatment. Cost factors include:

• The findings and the scope of treatment: number of teeth, preliminary treatment, for implants possibly bone augmentation.
• Material and manufacture, for example gold or ceramic, laboratory work or production in the practice.
• For implants: the implant itself and, separately, the crown, bridge or prosthesis fixed on it.
• The fee rate the practice bills for private services according to the German fee schedule for dentists (GOZ).

Ask for a written cost estimate that lists which parts of the treatment are included.

• Fillings: the GKV pays for a filling with the materials it provides for. If you choose another filling such as an inlay, you pay the additional costs yourself.
• Crowns and other dentures: the GKV pays a fixed subsidy based on the findings — 60% of the average cost of the standard care, 70% after five years and 75% after ten years of documented check-ups in the bonus booklet. If you choose a more elaborate or different denture, you bear the extra costs.
• Implants: according to gesund.bund.de, implant treatment usually has to be paid privately; the health insurer only pays in a few particularly severe cases. The G-BA's denture guideline defines in which findings an implant-supported denture (superstructure) is a standard benefit.

A supplementary tariff can cover part of the remaining own share. Check what the percentage refers to: some tariffs calculate on the whole invoice including the GKV subsidy, others only on the remaining costs. Limits in the first years, eligible fee rates and exclusions also apply. There is no general reimbursement guarantee.

For the GKV fixed subsidy for dentures, the dentist draws up a treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan). It lists the findings, the standard care and the treatment actually planned, with statutory and private services shown separately. The health insurer must approve it before treatment. The amounts are an estimate, not binding; the actual invoice may differ.

Send the plan to your supplementary insurer as well and ask in writing how much it will pay. This way you know your own share before treatment starts.

Many tariffs exclude teeth that were already missing at the start of the contract and treatment that was already recommended or started. Example (provider information): the DFV ZahnSchutz conditions (08.2025, section 6) exclude the restoration of teeth that were already damaged, missing or not yet permanently replaced when the contract was signed, and treatments started, medically recommended or known before signing. According to the annex (version 01.08.2025, page 1), the same tariff family covers, among other things, inlays, crowns and implants including bone augmentation and the implant-supported denture — within the tariff's percentage and limits. Other tariffs regulate this differently.