Does dental insurance pay for braces for adults in Germany?
In short
Supplementary dental insurance in Germany does pay for braces for adults, but only in some plans. Many pay from age 18 only after an accident, others up to a cap of about EUR 1,800 to 2,000, a few up to around EUR 8,000. Public health insurance only pays for severe jaw problems that need surgery. Once treatment has been recommended, no new plan pays. Aligners cost about EUR 3,500 to 6,500.
90 percent up to EUR 1,800 or 100 percent up to EUR 2,000
Range of caps on the market
about EUR 2,000 to 2,500, rarely up to around EUR 8,000
Monthly premium for a plan with adult orthodontics
from about EUR 14 to 17, more with age
As of October 2026, from published cost overviews,
a plan description and a market review of dental plans.
The first year limits come from published plan descriptions.
The advantage after two years in the example is a guide value from day-to-day quoting practice and
depends on age, payout limits and treatment plan.
We find a suitable plan for you.
Worked example
Aligners at 34, plan with a cap
A 34 year old has crowding of her front teeth that makes chewing and cleaning harder. Her dentist has never suggested treatment. She takes out a plan paying 90 percent up to EUR 1,800 for adults and starts aligner treatment two years later for EUR 5,000.
Cost of aligner treatment
EUR 5,000
90 percent of that
EUR 4,500, capped at EUR 1,800
Her own share
EUR 3,200
Premiums over two years at about EUR 15 a month
around EUR 360
Advantage compared with no plan
around EUR 1,440
Same case, braces already discussed before signing
EUR 0 paid
The plan saves her around EUR 1,440 but covers only just over a third of the bill. It only pays off if treatment had not been recommended when she signed and there is a medical reason.
What public health insurance pays for adults
Statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) pays for marked misalignment in children and teenagers. Under the German Social Code, Book V, anyone who is 18 or older when treatment starts is no longer covered. The only exception is a severe jaw anomaly that needs jaw surgery and orthodontics together, in practice usually an operation on the jaw.
For crowding, crooked front teeth, gaps or a mild overbite you therefore pay for adult braces yourself. If you moved to Germany as an adult, the same applies: the age at the start of treatment counts, not your insurance history.
Three ways plans deal with adults
Supplementary dental plans (Zahnzusatzversicherung) handle orthodontics for adults in very different ways. Many do not pay at all, or only if an accident caused the misalignment. Others pay without an accident, but only up to a fixed cap and only if the treatment is medically necessary. A small group pays higher amounts, up to around EUR 8,000.
One published plan shows the scale: 90 percent of costs up to EUR 1,800, or 100 percent up to EUR 2,000, if public insurance does not pay; after an accident without a cap. Also check whether aligners are expressly included and whether the plan pays above the standard rates of the German dental fee scale (GOZ).
Plan rule for adults
What it means for you
Orthodontics for children only
EUR 0 for your braces
Only after an accident
only if an insured accident caused the misalignment
With a cap of about EUR 1,800 to 2,500
covers roughly a third to half of aligner costs
High cap up to around EUR 8,000
rare and usually with a higher premium
Only if public insurance contributes
only helps in severe cases with surgery
The catch: already recommended means not insurable
As with every dental plan, anything that was recommended, planned or noted in your dental records before you signed is not paid by a new policy. If your dentist has already talked to you about braces, that treatment can no longer be insured. Leaving it out of the health questions puts the whole contract at risk.
On top of that come waiting periods of up to eight months and, in the first years, usually a limit on total payouts, often EUR 500 to 1,750 in year one for all dental treatment together. An expensive brace straight after signing rarely fits into that.
After the braces: retainers
After active treatment, fixed or removable retainers keep your teeth in place. Plans do not always treat these the same way, and repairs or new retainers may have their own rules. Ask for written confirmation before you start that retention is part of the covered treatment plan.
When a plan is not worth it
If you mainly want straighter teeth for looks and already know it today, a plan rarely pays off. Weigh premiums, waiting period and cap against each other: at EUR 14 to 17 a month and a cap of EUR 1,800 to 2,000, after two years you are often only a few hundred to just over a thousand euros better off, if at all.
A plan that includes adult orthodontics makes sense if you are looking for dental cover for crowns, bridges and implants anyway and cannot rule out a later correction. Then it is a bonus, not the reason for the contract.
Step by step
Ask your dentist or orthodontist whether public insurance pays because of a severe jaw anomaly.
Check whether treatment is already recommended or planned in your records.
Compare plans by whether they pay for adults without an accident, and up to what cap.
Read the terms on aligners, retainers and waiting periods.
Before starting, send in the treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan) and get written confirmation.
Set the premiums during the waiting period against the possible payout.
Checklist
Adult orthodontics included without an accident
Cap in euros known
Aligners expressly covered
Retainers and repairs covered
Waiting period and first year limits checked
No recommended treatment before signing
Treatment and cost plan sent in before starting
Common mistakes
Taking out a plan after the dentist has already recommended braces
Leaving a discussed treatment out of the health questions
Assuming that orthodontics in the plan also covers adults
Starting aligners without the insurer's confirmation
Overlooking the cap and expecting full reimbursement
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does public health insurance pay for braces for adults?
Only for severe jaw anomalies that need combined jaw surgery and orthodontic treatment.
For crowding or crooked teeth you pay yourself.
Does dental insurance pay for aligners?
Some plans do, if the treatment is medically necessary and aligners are included.
A cap of about EUR 1,800 to 2,500 is common.
Can I take out a plan if braces are already planned?
You can sign, but the planned treatment will not be paid.
The plan then only helps with other treatment such as crowns or implants.
Does insurance pay for braces after an accident?
Many plans pay for orthodontics after an accident for adults too,
some without a cap and without first year limits.
Report the accident straight away.
Is a plan just for braces worth it?
Rarely.
Waiting period, premiums and cap eat up much of the benefit.
It makes sense if you need the plan for crowns and implants anyway.
Are retainers paid after treatment?
Each plan handles this differently.
Ask before you start whether retainers,
repairs and replacements belong to the covered treatment plan.
