Is dental insurance with ageing reserves worth it?
In short
Is dental insurance with ageing reserves worth it? Usually yes, if you sign up young and keep the plan into retirement. Example: without reserves EUR 12.94 a month at 25 and EUR 30.64 from 61, with reserves a flat EUR 21.11. Until about 63 you pay more in total with reserves, after that less. If you switch insurer, the reserve is lost.
Published monthly premiums of one German dental plan with 75 percent reimbursement, with and without ageing reserves.
Example
Typical range
Without reserves, signed at 25
EUR 12.94 a month, from age 61 EUR 30.64
With reserves, signed at 25
EUR 21.11 a month, no age increases
Good dental plans in general, depending on age
about EUR 20 to 40 a month
As of October 2026, example plan of one insurer.
Totals in the table are our own calculation without future premium adjustments;
we obtain the exact offer for you.
Worked example
Two plans signed at 25, compared until 70
Same cover, once with and once without ageing reserves, calculated without premium adjustments.
Total without reserves until 70
about EUR 12,530
Total with reserves until 70
about EUR 11,650
Advantage with reserves
about EUR 880, then a good EUR 110 more each year
Switching insurer at 45
reserve lost, about EUR 1,000 paid extra until then
Reserves pay off if you stay long. If you switch early, you paid for the cushion for nothing.
What ageing reserves mean in dental insurance
With dental insurance with ageing reserves (Alterungsrückstellung), you pay more in your younger years than your teeth cost the insurer. The surplus is saved and used later, when crowns and implants become more likely.
Plans without reserves start cheap and rise in fixed age bands, usually every 5 or 10 years. You then pay the most exactly when you are most likely to need treatment.
The numbers over 40 years
One published plan with 75 percent reimbursement costs EUR 12.94 a month at 25 without reserves and rises at 31, 41, 51 and 61. With reserves the same cover costs EUR 21.11 throughout.
From 41 the monthly premium with reserves is already lower. But dental insurance with ageing reserves only catches up in total at about 63.
Age
Without reserves
With reserves
Total without
Total with
25 to 30
EUR 12.94
EUR 21.11
EUR 932
EUR 1,520
31 to 40
EUR 17.39
EUR 21.11
EUR 3,018
EUR 4,053
41 to 50
EUR 21.55
EUR 21.11
EUR 5,604
EUR 6,586
51 to 60
EUR 27.10
EUR 21.11
EUR 8,856
EUR 9,120
61 to 70
EUR 30.64
EUR 21.11
EUR 12,533
EUR 11,653
What reserves do not prevent
Even with ageing reserves the premium can rise if treatment becomes more expensive or the insurer pays out more than planned. The reserve only protects you against increases because of your age.
If you cancel or move to another insurer, the saved reserve stays behind. A switch to another plan with the same insurer usually keeps it.
Protection against cancellation applies anyway
With or without reserves, dental insurance is legally partial health cost insurance. Under § 206 (2) of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) the insurer may cancel it only within the first three years, and many plans waive even that.
So the reserve is not about cancellation, it is about how your premium develops. Look for an explicit waiver of the insurer's right to cancel in the terms.
When a plan without reserves fits better
If you sign up at 50 or later, there is little time to build reserves. The gap is then small, and dental insurance without reserves is often cheaper.
If you expect to switch within a few years, for example because statutory subsidies or plans change, skip the reserves. Otherwise you pay for a cushion you never use.
Step by step
Decide how long you want to keep the plan.
Ask for both versions with the premium path until 70.
Compare totals over the years, not just the starting premium.
Look for the insurer's waiver of its right to cancel.
Then choose the version.
Checklist
Premium path by age bands known
Starting age under 40 for reserves
No switch planned in the next years
Same benefits in both versions
Cancellation waiver checked
Common mistakes
Comparing only the starting premium
Believing the premium never rises with reserves
Moving to a cheap plan with another insurer after years of reserves
Choosing reserves at 55 without doing the maths
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Altersrückstellung and Alterungsrückstellung?
None.
Alterungsrückstellung is the technical term, Altersrückstellung the common short form.
Both mean ageing reserves.
At what age are ageing reserves worth it?
Most when you sign up in your twenties or thirties.
From about 50 the advantage is usually small.
Do I get the reserve back if I cancel?
No.
It stays with the insurer and benefits the other policyholders.
Can I switch from without to with reserves later?
With some insurers yes, the premium is then based on your age at the switch.
Will my premium stay the same forever with reserves?
Not guaranteed.
It does not rise because of your age, but it can be adjusted when treatment costs rise.
