Expats more than welcome to our practice

As an expat living in Amsterdam, you are more than welcome to our practice. We have English, German and French speaking staff and we are indicated as the preferred dentist for employees at Heineken, booking.com and Expedia.

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 care, also in comparison with other countries, is excellent. The Dutch visit their dentist on a regular basis – approximately 85% go once or twice a year. As a result, only a relatively small part of the population has badly 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 consisting of several dentists, a number of assistants and dental hygienists. Such a structure allows the practice to diversify its services. Many practices in the Netherlands are full and therefore cannot take on any new patients.

Insurance

Dentistry is privatized in the Netherlands, i.e. the patient is responsible for the payment of the costs of the treatment, not the insurance company. However, under Dutch basic health insurance, the insurance company will fully cover all costs of dentistry for children up to the age of 18 as well as dental surgery for adults. All other dental care, which constitutes the majority of care provided, can only be insured when you have an additional insurance. This supplementary insurance can cover up to 75% of the costs. For the exact coverage, please check the policy terms or contact the insurer.

Specialities

In the Netherlands, all regular dental specialities can be found. The best-known are oral surgeons, who are usually affiliated with a hospital, and orthodontists, who usually have a private practice. Moreover, the number of periodontists (who specialize in gums), endodontist (root canal specialists), implantologists and children’s dentists is steadily growing. Patients are referred to these specialists by regular dentists. A growing number of Dutch dentists employ the services of a dental hygienist, but in the larger cities in particular, there are also separate dental hygienist practices. Patients can visit these practices without a referral from their dentists.

Other issues of interest

All dentists in the Netherlands must comply with the rules on hygiene as set out by the Dutch government. Most dentists will give a local anaesthetic before a painful treatment. Laughing gas is seldom used and when it is used, it is only used by a limited number of specialized dentists.

Rates

Rates are determined by the Dutch healthcare authority (Nederlandse Zorgautoriteit NZa) and the Minister of Health. This means that prices are the same at all dental practices in the Netherlands.