The cost of crowns, implants and dentures

Due to rising costs of dental care in France many people had given up on going to the dentist, leading to poor dental health. To tackle this, the government implemented the 100% Santé reform.

As a result, all basic dental care products and services are fully reimbursed by a combination of state care and a ‘responsible’ mutuelle.

This includes most types of crowns, bridges, dentures and resin prostheses.

Under the reform, dentists are able to extend the tiers payant option to patients, exempting them from advance payment, but this is not mandatory.

If the dentist chooses not to do this, the patient must pay the full cost of their dental care and claim reimbursement from Assurance Maladie and their mutuelle.

The tiers payant system only applies if the prices charged by the dentist do not exceed the government-approved price (tarif de convention).

The 100% dental health offer bears the full cost of: 

• ceramic-metallic and monolithic ceramic crowns for all visible teeth (incisors, canines and first premolars) 
• zirconium crowns for visible teeth (incisors, canines and second premolars) 
• metal crowns for all teeth 
• ceramic-metal bridges to replace incisors 
• metallic bridges for all teeth

The reimbursement scheme takes aesthetic considerations into account to some extent and the choice of material that is used is adapted to the location of the tooth or teeth that require work.

In further reforms this was extended to include partial or complete resin dentures, denture repair and a partial or full denture replacement. The state covers the cost of a denture up to €1,100.

Three ‘baskets of care’

As part of the 100% offer, all dental procedures, products and materials fall within three separate categories called ‘care baskets’ (panier de soins). These are:

1) The 100% Santé basket

This covers crowns, bridges and dentures that are fully reimbursed if the patient has purchased a ‘responsible’ mutuelle policy; there is no remaining cost for the insured person with this.

Treatments must be billed at no more than set designated ceiling prices, eg. €500 for a ceramic crown, €290 for a metallic crown, €440 for a zirconium one or €1,465 for a ceramic-metal bridge.

2) The controlled fees basket 

This includes crowns, bridges and dentures whose prices are capped by the state but, depending on the terms of your private policy, there may be a small to moderate amount still left for you to pay.

3) The freely-set rates basket 

This includes products and materials that are not covered by the reform. The cost of these may be significantly higher and your reimbursement will be determined solely by the precise terms of your private health insurance as regards dental care.

All dentists are required to extend the 100% Santé offer to their patients.

The reform requires dentists to provide patients with a dental treatment plan and an estimated cost for each procedure. All procedures should be clearly categorized to show their respective ‘care basket’. The estimate given must include a 100% Santé option.

If you have a ‘responsible contract’ with your mutuelle, you are automatically entitled to the 100% Santé dental care coverage. Following the reform, most – but not all – mutuelle policies are ‘responsible’.

Responsible contracts refer to private insurance policies that stipulate minimum and maximum levels of coverage and are designed to encourage policyholders to follow the government’s coordinated pathway of healthcare.

Since the reform, responsible contracts provide for nearly 98% of top-up cover.

If you wish to use the 100% Santé option, it is recommended that you submit the estimate provided by your dentist to your mutuelle to ensure all costs will be reimbursed.