FAQ - frequently asked questions

Here is a small collection of answers to the things we are often asked in our dental practice in Karlsruhe. If you have a question whose answer you cannot find here or whose answer you would like to read here, please feel free to by e-mail.

General

This is very individual, with recommendations ranging from once to four times a year. This depends on the state of health of the teeth and any accompanying illnesses. Two check-ups per year are recommended and are also covered by health insurance. Patients who suffer from severe periodontitis or diabetes, for example, should definitely be checked three to four times a year.
If you have any complaints or toothache, you can of course call us at any time during our opening hours. In urgent emergencies, you can also contact us by email after opening hours. You also have the option of booking pain appointments online, subject to availability. You can contact the Städtisches Klinikum Karlsruhe daily from 8 p.m. and at weekends and on public holidays. It is not absolutely necessary to book in advance by telephone.
The health insurance funds are only legally obliged to cover "necessary" services. What is necessary is defined in Section 12 of the German Social Security Code V: "The services must be sufficient, appropriate and economical; they must not exceed what is necessary. Insured persons may not claim benefits that are not necessary or uneconomical, service providers may not provide them and the health insurance funds may not approve them." This also means that, for example, aesthetically high-quality composite restorations or ceramic-veneered crowns in the posterior region exceed the "sufficient level" according to the legislator and are therefore only partially subsidized by the health insurance companies.
When allocating appointments, we do not differentiate between types of health insurance, but rather according to indication. This is why pain cases are called in as soon as possible, while routine check-ups generally do not have to be scheduled immediately. The need for treatment is therefore our priority, not the type of insurance.

Prophylaxis

This is very individual, with recommendations ranging from once to four times a year. This depends on the state of health of the teeth and any accompanying illnesses. Two check-ups per year are recommended and are also covered by health insurance. Patients who suffer from severe periodontitis or diabetes, for example, should definitely have their prophylaxis carried out three to four times a year.
Prophylaxis services, such as professional teeth cleaning, are preventive services that you are responsible for yourself, which are useful but are often not included in the health insurance benefit catalog. Unfortunately, this benefit catalog is still designed to repair damage, but not to prevent it, at least for adults. Nevertheless, more and more health insurance companies are beginning to reward and therefore subsidize preventive care. It therefore makes sense to ask your own health insurance company whether and to what extent a subsidy is provided.
If teeth whitening is applied correctly, it is not harmful to the teeth. Tooth enamel is the hardest biological substance and is very resistant. Only acids, such as those produced by caries bacteria, can damage the enamel. However, it should be noted that the tooth necks and gums must be protected by the bleaching gel. For this reason, bleaching should only be carried out by qualified prophylaxis assistants. The only side effect may be temporary tooth sensitivity. Allergies or intolerances are not known.

Tooth preservation

Root canal treatment is usually not painful, as the tooth is anesthetized so that you do not feel anything during the entire procedure.
Wisdom teeth do not need to be removed if no problems are expected, as they are fully-fledged teeth. They should only be removed if they cannot be kept hygienically clean, if they are very tilted or crooked or if it is foreseeable that they will not have sufficient space available when they erupt.
Unfortunately, this cannot be said in general terms, as it naturally depends on the filling material and the size of the filling. However, high-quality composite fillings can certainly last 10 years or longer.

Dentures

Dentures from Germany meet the highest quality standards in the world. This means that the legislator places high demands on the quality and compatibility of materials, the training of dentists and dental technicians and hygiene. The technical and human involvement in production is therefore very high. Even though some processes in dental technology can be carried out by machine, the majority of the work is still done by hand, so every dental prosthesis is an individually manufactured masterpiece. When you consider that such work can last 15, 20 or often even 30 years, the price is put into perspective. Nevertheless, the sum is naturally a high financial burden for many people. For this reason, we also offer the option of paying in installments in cooperation with the German Dental Computing Center (DZR), which is even interest-free for up to 6 months.
Many people abroad who make dentures work for €200-300 a month. Often these are not trained dental technicians, but assistants. A German dental technician earns 7-10 times more. In China, the profession of dental technician does not even exist. Although the glossy brochures of large providers often promise checks by German master dental technicians, with up to 2,000 employed unskilled workers it can hardly be assumed that everything can be checked by five German dental technicians.
Another important point is the quality of materials and hygiene standards, which are often nowhere near the level of German laboratories. To make matters worse, many well-known manufacturers bring out products under the same name but with different compositions in different markets, adapted to local standards. For allergy sufferers or patients with intolerances in particular, such procedures naturally harbor risks. In addition, the loose standards abroad have not only produced reputable providers. The market leader for foreign dentures in Germany in particular - MDH (Mamisch Dental) - made the headlines a few years ago (unfortunately also together with some dentists) due to fraudulent activities (at that time still under the name Globudent). The founders, the Mamisch brothers, were convicted of fraud and some of them were sent to prison. This history does not necessarily encourage people to trust such companies and entrust their own health to them and raises the question of whether foreign dentures are really cheaper. Of course, there are also reputable providers on the market who offer good quality work at reasonable prices from abroad. Unfortunately, we dentists hardly have the means to name these providers with absolute certainty.
The bonus booklet provides proof of regular check-ups at the dentist to the health insurance company. The health insurance company rewards this with higher subsidies for dental prostheses, such as crowns, bridges and dentures. If you can provide proof of uninterrupted check-ups over a period of 5 years, the bonus increases by 20%, and by 30% for 10 years.
All treatments are documented by us, so it is no problem to create a new bonus booklet and enter the check-ups. Unfortunately, we cannot add entries from other dentists as these are not documented by us. You will have to add them yourself.
For legal reasons alone, we are not allowed to recommend supplementary insurance. The fact is, however, that the market for such insurance is very extensive, so we can only recommend that you critically review and scrutinize the policies on offer. From our experience, however, we can say that you should not expect any major benefits from so-called "bargains" or cheap policies, some of which cost less than €10. Higher-quality insurance policies do, however, offer sensible subsidies for dentures, aesthetic fillings and professional dental cleaning.

Children

Basically from the moment the first teeth erupt. Although there are usually no direct dental problems this early, trust can be built up early on and the association with the dentist is not immediately associated with pain. In addition, you can approach dental treatment in a playful way, e.g. through polishing etc., so that if the worst comes to the worst, a pleasant relationship of trust without fear prevails.
Decayed or damaged milk teeth can of course cause pain and make eating difficult. But healthy milk teeth also play an important role in a child's psychological well-being (teasing, etc.). Milk teeth set the course for healthy permanent teeth. If milk teeth are damaged or attacked, the caries bacteria are virtually "bred" in the oral cavity if left untreated and can later have a negative impact on the spectrum and number of pathogenic bacteria and even attack the permanent teeth. The primary dentition also plays an important role in the development of the jaw. Milk teeth also serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth. If milk teeth are lost prematurely or have to be removed, this placeholder function can no longer be performed and crowding and malocclusions in the permanent dentition can result, which then often have to be corrected at great expense with braces.
Experience shows that the parents' fear is transferred to the child. Even if your child has never been to the dentist before, careless comments from you or someone else can trigger anxiety. Unfortunately, psychological mistakes are also often made when treating children, so that the cause of anxiety can lie in improper treatment. This is why you should consult a dentist who is experienced in treating children.
Sugar is and remains the main trigger for the development of tooth decay. It is not the sugar itself that destroys the teeth, but the acidic excretion products of bacteria that the sugar serves as food for. If you are unable to reduce your sugar intake, brushing your teeth after eating is certainly a good way of preventing tooth decay.
No, tooth decay is not hereditary. Caries is a disease of civilization and is primarily diet-related. However, the germs responsible for it can be transmitted from parents to children, especially if they have a high risk of tooth decay. This is why you should not lick children's spoons or pacifiers.

THEARPIE DOG

Especially for children who shy away from going to the dentist and like dogs. Adults who are tense when they go to the dentist can also let go better in the presence of a therapy dog.
The procedure differs for treatment of children and adults.
In principle, the therapy dog is present during the dental treatment, but lies passively on the dog blanket.
Beforehand and afterwards, the patient is allowed to make contact with the dog by stroking it, feeding it treats and practicing small tricks.
Yes, the dog may be petted both before and after dental treatment.
No, but the practice is happy to provide these so that treats can always be fed.