Booking your first dentist appointment in Germany: the phone call, the forms and the first half-hour

You do not need a referral (Überweisung) to see a dentist in Germany, and you are free to choose any practice you like and change it whenever you want. Booking is usually a two-minute phone call: give your name, say what you need, and agree a date — that is what Termin means. Bring your health insurance card (Gesundheitskarte / eGK) and photo ID; the card is what turns your visit into a covered one instead of a private bill. A first appointment normally runs 20 to 45 minutes and consists of paperwork, an examination, a conversation about what was found, and a written plan if anything needs doing. Nothing irreversible happens on day one: German law requires the dentist to explain a treatment and obtain your agreement before starting it.

Decide which of three things you want. German receptionists sort callers into rough categories, and naming yours immediately gets you the right slot. A routine check-up (Kontrolluntersuchung) is planned weeks ahead. Pain (Schmerzen) goes into the acute slots kept free each day. A consultation about something specific — a gap, a crooked tooth, a crown you have been putting off — is eine Beratung, and it needs a longer appointment than a check-up.

Know your insurance type. You will be asked whether you are gesetzlich (statutory) or privat (private) insured — not small talk, since the two are billed differently. If you are unsure, the answer is on the card in your wallet: a statutory card carries your fund’s name, such as TK, AOK, Barmer or DAK.

Have two or three windows ready. “Whenever suits you” turns a short call into a long one. Early and late hours make this easier for anyone working full time; ours run 07:30 to 19:30 on weekdays and 08:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays, and the first and last slots go quickly.

You can get through the whole conversation with about eight sentences. Say the English question early — most practices will tell you straight away whether English is possible, and there is no awkwardness in asking.

Two habits make the call easier. Spell your surname without being asked — Ich buchstabiere (“I’ll spell it”) is a useful thing to be able to say, because German ears will not guess an unfamiliar spelling. And write the date down while you are still on the line; confirmation by SMS or email is common, but not something to rely on.

Online booking through a practice website or a booking portal is now normal, and it is the obvious route if the German phone call is what has been stopping you.

Email works for non-urgent requests, though a reply may take a day or two.

Walking in is possible and sometimes necessary, but expect to wait: the appointment book is full of people who rang first.

For pain, ring anyway. A phone call is still the fastest route to a same-day slot, because the person on the other end can hear how bad it is and slot you in accordingly. Out of hours the rules change entirely — that is a separate subject, covered in Emergency dentist: what to do out of hours.

• Your eGK card. In the statutory system you present it once per calendar quarter; reception reads it and bills your fund directly. Forget it, and most practices will ask you to bring it in during the same quarter, invoicing you privately in the meantime.
• Photo ID, especially at a first visit.
• A list of your medicines, with doses. Blood thinners, bisphosphonates, immunosuppressants and diabetes medication all change how a dentist plans treatment.
• Your allergy card or anticoagulant card, if you carry one.
• Your Bonusheft if you already have one — the small booklet that records yearly check-ups and later raises the subsidy towards dentures. If you have never heard of it, start one at this appointment: Bonusheft: why you should start it today.
• Recent X-rays from a previous dentist, in Germany or abroad, on a CD or as a file — they save you a repeat image — and, if you are privately insured, an idea of what your tariff covers.

Reception. You hand over the card and are given two forms: a medical history (Anamnesebogen) asking about illnesses, medication, allergies and pregnancy, and a data protection declaration (Datenschutzerklärung) about how your records are handled. Ask for help with the wording rather than guessing — ticking the wrong box on a medical history is the one mistake with real consequences.

The chair. The examination itself is quick and quiet: each tooth checked and its condition called out to the assistant in numbers, the gums probed, the soft tissues and the joint looked at. A finding (Befund) is being recorded, not a verdict pronounced. An X-ray may be taken if there is something the eye cannot settle.

The conversation. This is the part worth slowing down. You should hear what was found, what needs doing now, what can wait and what is optional. Ask which of the proposed items your insurance covers and which are private — a good practice expects that question rather than resenting it. Our first consultation is free, which is meant to take the pressure off exactly this conversation.

Consent, in a form you will recognise. Before any treatment beyond a simple examination, German law requires an Aufklärung — an explanation of the procedure, its risks and the alternatives — and your agreement afterwards, often in writing. If you did not understand the explanation, you have not consented; say so, and ask again in English.

Leaving. If work is needed, you leave with a date and, for crowns or dentures, a treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan, HKP) to submit to your fund. Never sign one you have not understood; Heil- und Kostenplan: the document you should never sign unread goes through it line by line. If you need a certificate for your employer, ask before you get up from the chair.

• Befund — the finding: the state of your teeth as recorded today.
• Aufklärung / Einwilligung — the explanation that must come before a treatment, and your consent afterwards.
• Privatleistung — a service your statutory insurance does not cover, agreed in writing in advance.
• Recall / Erinnerung — the reminder system for your next check-up. Say yes to it; it is the cheapest dental care there is.

The language question at a dental appointment is not about vocabulary. It is about consent: you are being asked to agree to something being done to your body, and agreement you did not understand is worth nothing to either side.

Where you can choose, choose a practice that treats in English as a matter of course. In our rooms English is a working language, not a favour — you can go from the phone call to the medical history form to the plan without switching. If you are still looking, English-Speaking Dentist in NRW explains what to look for and what to ask before you book.

Where you cannot choose, take three precautions: book the first slot of the day, when nobody is running late; bring a friend who speaks German if the appointment involves a decision; and write your medical history out in advance, in German, using a translation app, so that the one document that must be exact is exact.

Say “stop” in any language. Raising a hand is the universal signal in a dental chair, and any dentist will pause. You never have to sit through something because you could not find the words.