Will I definitely get my share back?

Yes, if treatment is completed to the medically necessary extent. If it stops early, the fund keeps the share.

Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Dental insurance

What do the KIG grades mean for braces in Germany?

In short

The KIG grades mean how urgently a misalignment needs treatment, from 1 (mild) to 5 (severe). What matters for braces in Germany: public insurance only pays from grade 3, and only if treatment starts before the 18th birthday. For KIG 1 and 2 parents pay everything themselves, often EUR 2,500 to 7,000.

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What do the KIG grades mean for braces in Germany?

What it costs

Costs of braces by KIG grade and premiums for children's tariffs in Germany from published guides and tests.

Example	Typical range
Braces at KIG 1 or 2, fully private	about EUR 2,500 to 7,000
KIG 3, private extras on top of public cover	about EUR 500 to 2,000
KIG 4, private extras	about EUR 1,000 to 2,500
KIG 5, private extras	about EUR 1,500 to 3,000
Children's tariff with orthodontics, signed at age five	about EUR 4 to 13 a month

Guide values, as of October 2026.

Costs depend on the practice, duration and type of braces.

The public treatment cost of EUR 4,000 in the example is a guide value from everyday quotes.

The orthodontist's treatment plan is what counts.

Worked example

A child with KIG 4, treatment from age twelve

How the money flows when public insurance pays and you add tooth-coloured brackets.

Public treatment cost, guide value	EUR 4,000
Your share during treatment (20 percent)	EUR 800
Refund after successful completion	EUR 800 back
Private extras, such as tooth-coloured brackets	about EUR 1,000 to 2,500

In the end only the private extras remain, about EUR 1,000 to 2,500. In between you advance around EUR 800.

What the KIG grades stand for

KIG is the German abbreviation for orthodontic indication groups. The Federal Joint Committee, the body that decides what German public health insurance (GKV) covers, sets them in its orthodontic guidelines. Each group has a letter for the type of problem, such as D for protruding upper front teeth or E for crowding, and a number from 1 to 5 for the treatment need.

The orthodontist measures in millimetres directly before treatment starts and records the finding with the highest treatment need. So if your child has mild crowding (E2) and a crossbite on one side (K4), K4 counts.

Grade	Typical findings	Public insurance
KIG 1	mild misalignment, mostly a matter of looks	does not pay
KIG 2	minor findings, such as crowding over 1 to 3 mm or an edge-to-edge bite (K2)	does not pay
KIG 3	crowding over 3 to 5 mm (E3), open bite 2 to 4 mm (O3), crossbite on both sides (K3), deep bite injuring the gum (T3)	pays
KIG 4	upper front teeth 6 to 9 mm ahead (D4), crossbite on one side (K4), crowding over 5 mm (E4), missing teeth where the gap must be closed orthodontically (U4), eruption problems (S4)	pays
KIG 5	cleft lip and palate (A5), displaced teeth (S5), upper front teeth more than 9 mm ahead (D5), lower more than 3 mm ahead (M5)	pays

What public insurance pays from KIG 3 and what you advance

From KIG 3 the whole orthodontic treatment is covered, including minor findings treated alongside. You first pay 20 percent of the public treatment cost yourself. If two or more children under 18 from the same household are in treatment at the same time, the share is 10 percent from the second child.

Once treatment is completed to the medically necessary extent, the fund pays this share back. You need the orthodontist's completion certificate, so keep every invoice. If treatment stops early, for example because the braces are not worn, there is no refund.

Anything beyond basic public treatment, such as tooth-coloured or smaller brackets and special wires, you always pay yourself. Ask for a written list of these extras with prices. Public treatment may not be made dependent on you buying extras.

The age limit of 18 and early treatment

Public insurance only pays if treatment starts before the 18th birthday. If you are 18 or older at the start, braces are only covered for severe jaw anomalies that need jaw surgery and orthodontics together, for example congenital malformations or misalignment after an accident.

As a rule, public treatment starts in the second phase of tooth change, the late mixed dentition. For certain severe findings early treatment is possible. It should not start before the fourth birthday and should be finished within six calendar quarters.

Where dental insurance helps

At KIG 1 and 2 the family pays the whole bill. A good children's tariff pays a fixed share up to a cap here. At KIG 3 to 5 the tariff mainly covers the private extras.

Timing decides: a tariff only pays for treatment that had not been recommended or diagnosed when you signed. Once the KIG grade is on record, it is too late for those braces.

When you do not need insurance for this

If your child already has a grade of KIG 3 or higher, public insurance pays the basic treatment anyway, and a new contract will not cover these braces. If you could pay a few thousand euros from savings without strain, the insurance is mainly a matter of convenience.

Step by step

Ask your dentist for a referral to an orthodontist if you notice a misalignment.
Ask for the KIG grade with letter and number and write it down.
At KIG 1 or 2, ask for a written cost plan for private treatment.
From KIG 3, have the treatment plan sent to your fund and the private extras listed separately.
Keep all invoices and hand in the completion certificate to your fund for the refund.

Checklist

KIG grade with letter and number in writing
Treatment starts before the 18th birthday
Private extras listed one by one with prices
Sibling rule with 10 percent checked
Completion certificate requested for the refund
Dental insurance for siblings signed before anything is diagnosed

Common mistakes

Signing up for private extras without knowing what public insurance already pays
Postponing treatment until just before the 18th birthday
Throwing away invoices and having no proof for the refund
Taking out dental insurance only once the KIG grade is known

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

From which KIG grade does public insurance pay?

From KIG 3.

For KIG 1 and 2 German public insurance pays nothing for braces.

What do the letters in the KIG grade mean?

They show the type of problem, such as D for protruding upper front teeth,

M for protruding lower ones, E for crowding, K for crossbite or S for eruption problems.

Can the KIG grade still change?

The grade that counts for public insurance is set directly before treatment starts.

An earlier measurement can lead to a different result later.

Does public insurance pay for adults under KIG?

No.

From 18 it only pays for severe jaw anomalies that need jaw surgery and orthodontics together.

What do braces cost at KIG 2?

The whole treatment is private, often about EUR 2,500 to 7,000,

depending on the practice and type of braces.

Does dental insurance pay at KIG 1 and 2?

Good children's tariffs do, up to a cap,

provided no treatment had been recommended when you signed.

Sources

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