Welcome to our practice

How dental care works in the Netherlands

If you have recently moved here, the Dutch system probably works differently from what you are used to. The most important difference: you register with one practice, and that practice looks after you long-term. Dentists here are not walk-in clinics, so it is worth arranging this before you need it rather than during a toothache.

The second difference catches most people out. For adults, routine dental care is not covered by the basic health insurance (basisverzekering) that everyone living or working in the Netherlands is required to have. You either pay for it yourself, or you take out supplementary dental insurance (aanvullende tandartsverzekering). What that covers differs per policy, usually a percentage up to an annual maximum.

For children under 18, it is the opposite: almost all dental care is covered by the basic insurance, with no deductible (eigen risico). Orthodontics is usually the exception. A few adult treatments are partly covered as well, such as full dentures and certain surgical care, generally with a statutory personal contribution.

One thing that does work in your favour: dental tariffs are set nationally by the Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) and apply to every practice in the country. You cannot get a cheaper check-up by shopping around, and you will not be charged more here than anywhere else. Our full tariff list is on the Dutch site under "Tarieven".

Becoming a patient

We are accepting new patients, individuals and whole families. Registration goes through the form on our Dutch registration page; if the Dutch is a barrier, call us and we will go through it with you on the phone.

After you register, we call you within one working day to schedule an intake appointment. That first appointment takes twenty to thirty minutes: we go through your medical history, examine your teeth and gums, and take X-rays if there are none available. Please bring valid photo identification and your health insurance details, and a list of any medication you take.

If you already had a dentist, please request your file and recent X-rays from them yourself and bring them along, or have them emailed to us. Dutch privacy law allows a dental record to be transferred only at your own request, so we are not permitted to ask for it on your behalf. It does save us repeating images that already exist. You do not need to deregister with your previous practice first.

Waiting times for a first intake appointment are short, so you can usually be seen quickly. If you are in pain right now, say so when we call, or simply phone us: we keep emergency slots free every day and will not make you wait for the registration process.

What to expect at the practice

We work digitally wherever possible. That means an intraoral scanner instead of impression trays for most crowns and aligners, low-dose digital X-rays, and 3D imaging when a case calls for it. Crowns, veneers and night guards are made in our own laboratory on site, which often means fewer appointments and less waiting.

We explain what we see before we start anything, and for larger treatments you receive a written estimate in advance. Nothing is treated without discussing it with you first.

If you are anxious about dental treatment, tell us. We note it in your file so you do not have to explain it every visit, we agree on a stop signal before we begin, and a first appointment can be a conversation only, with nothing done in your mouth.