Dental care

From checkups to braces, dental care in Sweden is free of charge for children until the year they turn 20. As adults, patients can take advantage of the voucher system for reasonably priced quality care that is always high-cost protected.

Recent reforms have made the dental care process much more open. Providers now have to show price lists comparing their prices with the reference prices set by the state. Patients who need extensive treatments get both a treatment plan and a cost estimate before treatments begin. And all patients get a copy of their dental results, which includes advice for at-home dental care.

While dental care is free of charge for everyone until the age of 20, older patients receive a dental care allowance for regular visits to the dentist. According to the 2009 rates, the allowance is SEK 300 every year for those aged 20–29 or 75 and over, and SEK 150 every year for people aged 30–74.

High-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd) allows for subsidies when dental care costs exceed SEK 3,000, according to 2009 rates. Costs between SEK 3,001 and 15,000 are subsidized by 50 percent, while those over SEK 15,000 are subsidized by 85 percent.