The bonus booklet for visits to the dentist was introduced in 1989. For regular dentist visits, members of statutory health insurance companies receive stamps in the bonus booklet, with which they can reduce their co-payments for dentures. Every adult should go to the dentist at least once a year for a check-up. Those who regularly take this precautionary measure will be rewarded with cost savings. However, the bonus booklet does not only offer the opportunity to save money; it also reminds the insured of regular visits to the dentist. In this way, the doctor can discover and remedy dental diseases at an early stage. Thanks to preventive measures, major interventions can often be avoided.
- Statutory health insurance should have a visit to the dentist certified in the bonus booklet every year.
- You can get the bonus booklet from your dentist.
- If you have been to the dentist at least once a year for at least five years in a row, you have to pay less for dentures yourself.
- Children (from 6 years of age) and young people can use the bonus booklet.
- The bonus booklet is to be digitized from 2022.
What is the bonus booklet?
The bonus booklet is slightly larger than an identity card and is available from every dentist. In this booklet, insured persons can get a stamp from their dentist for the annual check-up. Even those who do not have any complaints should have their teeth examined at least once a year. Important to know: There is no stamp for professional teeth cleaning , only for a dental examination.
Children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years of age need a stamp twice a year – both for check-ups and for so-called individual prophylaxis. Individual prophylaxis includes various examinations. This includes, among other things, the removal of plaque, hardening of the enamel as well as a discussion to avoid the formation of caries.
Who needs a bonus booklet?
Whether you should keep a bonus booklet depends on where and how you have health insurance:
- Statutory health insurance: Although a bonus booklet is not mandatory, it is standard for most statutory health insurance. Ultimately, you can save money in this way without additional costs or great effort. Anyone under the age of 18 even receives two stamps per year in their bonus booklet.
- Private health insurance: Members of a private health insurance company do not need a bonus booklet. Your health insurance does not give you any advantages for this. Private health insurance companies usually pay more for all types of dental treatment. However, there are differences in the tariffs.
- Private additional dental insurance: Anyone who has taken out additional dental insurance with a comprehensive service package that may even cover up to 100 percent of the costs of dentures does not necessarily need a bonus booklet. But often you can save a little with a complete bonus booklet, even with additional dental insurance: If a bonus booklet is available, some insurers increase their share of the costs.
When is there a bonus?
Basically, two levels can be reached with the bonus booklet.
- Those who can show stamps continuously for five years receive a 70 percent fixed allowance for a denture.
- Anyone who can provide complete proof of stamps for the past ten years receives a total grant of 75 percent.
The complete row of stamps must immediately precede the year of the upcoming treatment. If an entry is omitted between ten years with no gaps and the year of treatment, the bonus is forfeited.
New exemption: one year is missing
However, the health insurance companies can make an exception here. If the insured person can understandably explain a one-year gap, the health insurers can still grant him the bonus. However, this is entirely at the discretion of the health insurance company. Those who cannot benefit from the bonus scheme will still receive a 60 percent subsidy.
Another condition for a higher cost subsidy is that the condition of the teeth indicates regular dental care. If oral hygiene is neglected and this can be seen on the teeth, the insurance can refuse the bonus despite the presence of stamps.
Which treatments are there bonuses?
The bonus booklet only plays a role for dentures. The health insurance does not grant a higher subsidy for other treatments. Bridges, prostheses and crowns count as dentures .
A stamp is missing or the bonus booklet has been lost?
It is very annoying if a single stamp is missing in an otherwise complete ten-year period. In this case, it makes sense to ask your dentist: The examination may have taken place in the year in question and the patient just forgot to have his bonus booklet stamped. Then the entry can be made up without any problems, after all, all appointments and treatments are recorded in the patient file. Even if the bonus booklet has been lost, the examinations can be certified retrospectively. However, if you have changed dentists more often in recent years, you have to go to several practices.
Bonus booklet is not the same as a bonus program
The bonus book at the dentist must not be equated with the bonus program of the respective health insurance company . In various bonus programs, for example, professional teeth cleaning at the dentist can secure premiums. Regular visits to the dentist are noted in the bonus booklet in order to reduce additional payments for dentures.
