Free dental care for adults

Free dental care is available throughout life to people who, according to the assessment of a family doctor or specialist, have:

physical and mental special needs and are unable to take care of their own oral hygiene;
certain oncological and hematological diagnoses (see below for details).

Free dental care is only available from Health Insurance Fund contract partners(Opens in new tab) and does not extend to prosthetic services.

Please note!

If your doctor has prescribed free dental care for you, it may take up to two months before your right to free treatment takes effect.

If your health problem requires urgent treatment, you can receive free emergency dental care(Opens in new tab).

Please note!

If your doctor has prescribed free dental care for you, it may take up to two months before your right to free treatment takes effect.

If your health problem requires urgent treatment, you can receive free emergency dental care(Opens in new tab).

Important to know

What are the criteria for receiving free dental care?

Special mental health needs:

intellectual disability,
autism spectrum disorder,
dementia,
other severe mental disorders.

Mental conditions that prevent a person from maintaining oral hygiene even with guidance.

Special mental health needs:

intellectual disability,
autism spectrum disorder,
dementia,
other severe mental disorders.

Mental conditions that prevent a person from maintaining oral hygiene even with guidance.

Physical conditions:

paralysis affecting both upper limbs (CNS/neuromuscular disease);
severe movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson's syndrome, generalized dystonia, severe epilepsy);
congenital or acquired deficiency (e.g., absence of a limb or a significant part thereof) that prevents oral care.

Physical conditions that prevent a person from performing oral care themselves.

Physical conditions:

paralysis affecting both upper limbs (CNS/neuromuscular disease);
severe movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson's syndrome, generalized dystonia, severe epilepsy);
congenital or acquired deficiency (e.g., absence of a limb or a significant part thereof) that prevents oral care.

Physical conditions that prevent a person from performing oral care themselves.

Cancer-related conditions:

malignant tumor in the head and neck region; ongoing or previous radiation or chemotherapy and/or antiresorptive therapy (bisphosphonates, denosumab).

Diagnoses C00–C14, C30–C32.

Cancer-related conditions:

malignant tumor in the head and neck region; ongoing or previous radiation or chemotherapy and/or antiresorptive therapy (bisphosphonates, denosumab).

Diagnoses C00–C14, C30–C32.

Blood and lymphatic system tumors:

multiple myeloma or other malignant tumors of the lymphoid/hematopoietic tissue, if treatment services 8101, 8102 or antiresorptive therapy (486R) are involved.

Diagnoses C90–C96.

Blood and lymphatic system tumors:

multiple myeloma or other malignant tumors of the lymphoid/hematopoietic tissue, if treatment services 8101, 8102 or antiresorptive therapy (486R) are involved.

Diagnoses C90–C96.

The treatment of people with special needs requires the dentist to have the relevant experience and training. The Health Insurance Fund cooperates with the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People to train dentists.

How to book an appointment with a dentist for a person with a disability?

Before booking an appointment, make sure that the selected medical institution is a contractual partner of the Health Insurance Fund.
Provide the patient's personal identification code and be prepared to share information about their health condition. For example, a description of their special needs, information about their mobility and ability to sit, a description of their communication skills and understanding of what is happening, their ability to keep their mouth open, stay still, etc.
Point out how the dentist can best communicate with the patient and what they should pay attention to (e.g., in the case of an autistic patient, it is very important to know what irritates them and what calms them down).
Be aware of when their last visit to the dentist was and what their previous experiences have been.

Before booking an appointment, make sure that the selected medical institution is a contractual partner of the Health Insurance Fund.
Provide the patient's personal identification code and be prepared to share information about their health condition. For example, a description of their special needs, information about their mobility and ability to sit, a description of their communication skills and understanding of what is happening, their ability to keep their mouth open, stay still, etc.
Point out how the dentist can best communicate with the patient and what they should pay attention to (e.g., in the case of an autistic patient, it is very important to know what irritates them and what calms them down).
Be aware of when their last visit to the dentist was and what their previous experiences have been.

Describe the reason for the visit (pain, routine check-up, need for tooth extraction, etc.).
If you have them, previous X-rays will be helpful.
If you are the patient's caregiver or companion, you should accompany them to the treatment room to assist with contact, lifting, etc., if necessary.

Important to know!

A bedridden patient cannot be treated in a regular dental office, so the service must be provided in a hospital.

Important to know!

A bedridden patient cannot be treated in a regular dental office, so the service must be provided in a hospital.

What if the patient lives in a nursing home?

The dental care needs of nursing home residents are assessed on site.

If necessary, the nursing home nurse will arrange a video consultation with a dentist: she will book an appointment for the resident via the digital registration system and give them clear instructions on how to get treatment.

The dental care needs of nursing home residents are assessed on site.