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Dental Care in the Netherlands In the Netherlands, dental care is provided by university-educated dentists, all of whom are government-registered. The quality of the care provided, compared to other countries, is without a doubt, excellent. Of course there are exceptions in both directions but, this being the Netherlands, these are never very extreme.
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The Dutch visit their dentist on a regular basis - approximately 85% go once or twice a year. Consequently, you won’t see many people with poorly cared-for teeth.
Types of Practices Almost all dental practices in the Netherlands are private, there are no state practices. Most of them are modest undertakings, with one dentist and one assistant. In the larger cities there are larger practices, including several dentists, assistants, and dental hygienists; this allows the practice to diversify its services. Many of the Dutch practices are full and can hardly - or don’t - take on new patients.
Rates The government determines the rate for services rendered, which makes these rates, generally speaking, lower than in most wealthy countries. Anything a dentist might carry out is described in uniform (so-called UPT) codes that allow the insurance company to determine the related costs. All dentists who work in the Netherlands must adhere to these codes.
Insurance Dentistry is privatized in the Netherlands, meaning that you are responsible for paying for the related costs and not your insurance company. However, if you are covered by a Dutch basic health insurance, your insurance company will fully bear the costs of all dentistry for your children through the age of 21 as well as dental surgery for all adults. All other dental care (the majority of the care you receive!) can only be insured by taking out an additional insurance. This supplementary insurance can cover up to 75% of the cost.
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THE XPAT JOURNAL