Dental care in Tenerife vs the NHS and AOK: what actually changes, and how to choose a clinic

If you've moved to Tenerife from the UK or Germany, the dentist is one of those things that works differently from what you're used to. What public healthcare covers, how prices are set, how you check a dentist is registered: almost none of it looks like the NHS or the Krankenkasse. This is for you if you're at that point.

It's a practical guide to help you find your way, with links to the official sources so you can check them yourself. It isn't medical advice: that's your dentist's job. The hard part isn't finding a clinic, it's realising that the rules you learned as a patient back home don't apply here.

What does public healthcare in Spain cover at the dentist?

Dental care in Spain's National Health System was updated by Order SND/606/2024 (in Spanish). For the whole population, adults included, it covers:

• Information and advice on oral health.
• Treatment of acute problems: infections and inflammation in the mouth, injuries to teeth and jaw, wounds and lesions of the lining of the mouth, and acute problems with the jaw joint.
• Medication when needed.
• Extractions, including surgical ones, and minor oral surgery.
• Early detection of pre-cancerous lesions and, if needed, a biopsy.

There's extra cover for children and young people up to age 14 (check-ups, sealants and, when indicated, scaling and fillings), for pregnant women, for some people with disabilities and for patients with head and neck cancer. The order explicitly excludes, among other things, root canal treatment on permanent teeth (except after injuries in children), orthodontics, purely cosmetic treatment, and dental implants and dentures (except those under the orthoprosthetic benefit). Its preamble also says the expansion will be rolled out gradually, starting with those priority groups.

This table sums up the order treatment by treatment: whether an adult is covered and, if not, who is:

In plain terms: if you're an adult and not in one of those groups, a scale and polish, a filling, a root canal, braces or an implant are not in the common package, and you'll normally pay for them at a private clinic. Ask at your health centre what applies to you. The UK government's guide to healthcare in Spain sums it up like this: some basic dental treatment is available under the state system, but most people use private dentists.

What about the European Health Insurance Card?

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is for temporary stays. The European Commission explains that it gives you access to medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay, under the same conditions and at the same cost as people insured in that country; that it doesn't cover private healthcare; and that it's not an alternative to travel insurance. It adds that if you move to another country and make it your habitual place of residence, you should register using the S1 form instead of relying on the card.

If you're British and living here, the UK government's guide lists the routes into Spanish state healthcare: working and paying social security in Spain, registering a UK-issued S1 form, permanent residence after five years, or paying into the Convenio Especial scheme. Whichever route applies to you, at the dentist you'll be covered for the package above. For most adult treatment you'll be going to a private clinic.

What changes if you come from the UK

In England, the NHS charges for dental treatment in fixed price bands: Band 1 covers the check-up, X-rays if needed and simple gum treatment such as scaling; Band 2 adds fillings, root canals and extractions; Band 3 adds crowns, bridges, dentures and orthodontics. At a private clinic in Spain there are no bands: each clinic sets its own prices. That has two consequences:

• Comparing is normal. The same treatment can cost different amounts at two clinics, and both can do it well. Asking for a second opinion isn't rude.
• A written quote is your best friend. Before you agree to treatment, ask for the plan and a detailed written quote, item by item. Ask too whether the first consultation and the quote cost anything. If you're pressured to decide in the chair, take your time and come back another day.

What changes if you come from Germany

With a Krankenkasse, much of the basic treatment was covered. The German Federal Ministry of Health (in German) explains that, for people with statutory insurance, fillings, root canal treatment, oral surgery, gum treatment and removal of tartar are free in principle, as long as you see a dentist approved to treat Krankenkasse patients. For dentures, the insurer pays a fixed subsidy of 60% of the cost of the standard solution, rising to 70% or 75% if your check-up booklet (Bonusheft) has been kept up for five or ten years.

In Germany, the question was whether the dentist was approved by the Krankenkasse. With private dental insurance in Spain, the equivalent question is whether the clinic is on the insurer's list. If you have a policy, ask which clinics are on its list, which treatments it includes and which have a special price, and ask for the current list for your area before you choose. If you're still insured in Germany, check with your Krankenkasse what it covers abroad before starting any treatment.

How do you check that a dentist in Spain is registered?

Spain's General Council of Dentists publishes GuíaDentistas (in Spanish), a search tool for registered (colegiado) dentists based on data sent by the official professional colleges. Before starting a long treatment, look up the name of the dentist who will treat you, not just the clinic. It's quick and settles an important question.

Your rights as a patient, private clinics included

Spain's patient autonomy law, Ley 41/2002 (in Spanish), applies to public and private centres. Three articles worth knowing:

• Understandable information (article 4). You have the right to know, at a minimum, the purpose and nature of each procedure, its risks and its consequences, and the information has to be given to you in a way that is understandable and suited to your needs. The article doesn't mention languages, but if you don't understand what you're told, ask for it to be explained again or bring someone to translate.
• Written consent (article 8). As a rule, consent is verbal, but for surgery and invasive procedures it has to be in writing. Read it before you sign and ask about anything you don't understand.
• Access to your clinical record (article 18). You have the right to access your clinical record and to get a copy of the data in it. If you want a second opinion, take copies of your X-rays and the treatment plan.

How do you know the dentist will speak English?

One important nuance: the person answering the phone speaking English doesn't mean the dentist who'll treat you does. When they explain a treatment plan, the risks of a root canal, or whether an implant or a bridge is the better option, you want to follow every word. Ask when you book: "Will the dentist seeing me speak English?". A serious clinic gives you a straight answer; if they dodge the question, keep looking.

If the clinic's website says they treat patients in your language, check whether it's genuinely written in that language or looks machine-translated. It's a clue, not a guarantee: what counts is the answer to the question above.

Reviews: how to read them with a critical eye

You'll find all sorts on Google Maps, so it pays to read critically. A few pointers:

• Look for detail. A review that says what treatment they had, how it was explained and how the follow-up went tells you more than five stars with no text.
• Separate emergencies from long treatments. A tourist who came once with toothache tells you how they handle an emergency; a resident who has been going for years tells you what the follow-up is like.
• Check the reviewer's profile. An account with varied reviews of restaurants, shops and services over time is easier to believe than one with one or two reviews, all of clinics. Lots of similar reviews within a few days, from accounts with no history, are a reason to look more carefully.
• Read how the clinic replies, especially to criticism. It gives you an idea of how they'll treat you if something goes wrong.

Checklist before you agree to treatment

• Have you checked on GuíaDentistas that the dentist is registered?
• Do you have the plan and the quote in writing, item by item?
• Have they explained the options, the risks and what happens if you do nothing?
• Does the dentist treating you speak your language, or are you bringing someone to translate?
• Do you know what the price includes (check-ups, adjustments, any guarantee) and how you pay?
• If you have insurance, have you confirmed with the insurer what it covers at this clinic?
• Do you have copies of your X-rays in case you want a second opinion?

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the European Health Insurance Card if I live in Tenerife?

It's meant for temporary stays. If you make this your habitual residence, the European Commission says you should register using the S1 form instead of relying on the card; the UK government's guide also lists other routes, such as working and paying social security in Spain. And it never covers private healthcare, which is where most adult dental treatment happens.

Does public healthcare cover a scale and polish or a filling?

For adults in general, they're not in the common package. They are covered, when indicated, for children up to 14 (fillings in permanent teeth and scaling), for pregnant women (scaling) and for some people with disabilities. Ask at your health centre what applies to you.

Can I ask for my X-rays to get a second opinion?

Ley 41/2002 gives you the right to access your clinical record and to get a copy of the data in it, at a private clinic too. Ask for it in writing and take the copy to the second consultation.

How do I know if a dentist is registered?

Look them up by name on GuíaDentistas, the search tool of Spain's General Council of Dentists, which publishes the data sent by the official colleges.

Why I am writing this

I design websites for businesses in Tenerife, and dental clinics are one of the sectors I focus on. If you run a clinic and treat foreign patients, what helps is a website that answers these same questions in their language, properly written rather than run through a machine translator: who speaks which language, how to ask for a quote, which insurers you accept.

Related guides: if you are looking for a dentist in your language, I have two patient guides: English-speaking dentist in Tenerife and Deutscher Zahnarzt auf Teneriffa. And if you run a clinic, here is how I build websites for dental clinics in Tenerife.

If you run a clinic and want a site that actually speaks to British and German residents, see the sectors I design websites for (in Spanish) or the Plan Teide Completo. If you are a patient just trying to find your way, I hope this helped.