Pregnant women and nursing mothers are not allowed to receive dental fillings containing amalgam. This is regulated in an EU directive that has been in force in Germany since 2018. The ban also applies to children and young people under the age of 15. This means that patients can receive other fillings— mostly made of plastic—without co-payments during this time. “People insured by a statutory health insurance fund are entitled to a filling for which they do not have to pay a co-payment in any case. The dentist must point this out in the consultation before the start of treatment,” says a letter from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists. In individual cases, however, it is always worth asking the health insurance company: “The AOK will pay the costs for the medically necessary alternative. However, requests that go beyond this can result in additional costs, as warned on the homepage of the AOK Federal Association, for example.
According to the consumer advice centre, pregnant and breastfeeding women who have statutory health insurance pay for a check-up at the dentist twice a year, just like all other adults. Once a year, the health insurance also pays for the removal of tartar, and every two years for an examination for periodontosis. “As a rule, the statutory health insurers do not pay for special preventive dental care for pregnant women,” the consumer advice centre continues. Good dental health is particularly important during breastfeeding, as hormonal changes can increase the risk of dental problems.
According to the EU Commission, it has decided to completely ban amalgam in dental fillings by 2025. However, the law still has to be approved by the European Council and the EU Parliament.
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Utensilien zum Zähneputzen. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Martin Klaus.
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