Swedish dentistry doesn’t work like the rest of Swedish healthcare. Children get it free, adults pay prices that clinics set themselves, and the state helps through a separate system run by Försäkringskassan. Here is how the pieces fit, and what applies to you.
When you need this
You turned 20 this year and your first adult dental bill was a shock. You’re moving to Sweden, or studying here, and want to know whether a filling is covered. A dentist has quoted you for a crown and you want to know what the state pays. A parent turning 67 has heard about something called tiotandvård. Or you read online that dental care is free until 23 and want to check. It isn’t any more.
Free until 19, not 23
Under the Dental Care Act (Tandvårdslagen), each region’s public dental service, Folktandvården, is responsible for regular and complete dental care for residents up to and including the year they turn 19, and that care is free of charge for the patient.
Until the end of 2024 the limit was the year you turned 23. A law change in force on 1 January 2025 lowered it to 19 and moved the start of the state dental support from 24 to 20. Treatment that had already begun before 2025 could finish under the old rules, and regions published their own transition arrangements. We found no region that kept free care for 20 to 23-year-olds.
| Age (the year you turn…) | What applies to a resident |
|---|---|
| Up to and including 19 | Free regular dental care |
| 20 onwards | Clinic’s own price, minus the state dental support |
| 67 onwards | 10 % of the reference price for many treatments, plus the support |
The practical point: free care ends on 31 December of the year you turn 19, not on your 20th birthday. A treatment booked for January of the following year is billed at adult rates, so book outstanding work before the year ends.
Adults: free pricing
From the year you turn 20, there is no national price list. TLV, the state agency for dental and pharmaceutical benefits, puts it plainly: there is fri prissättning (free pricing) on the dental market, and every dentist and dental hygienist sets their own prices. Folktandvården’s adult fees are set by each region’s council, so they differ between regions too.
This is the biggest difference from a visit to a vårdcentral (health centre). There, the region charges a patient fee and a national ceiling caps what you pay over a year. Dentistry has no such ceiling for adults. It has high-cost protection, which pays a share above a threshold but never caps the bill.
What the state does set is a reference price (referenspris) for each treatment. It is not a price anyone must charge. It is the yardstick the state uses to calculate its subsidy. A clinic can charge more, and whatever it charges above the reference price you pay yourself.
What the state pays
From the year you turn 20, if you are insured in Sweden, the statligt tandvårdsstöd (state dental support) is deducted directly on your bill at any clinic connected to Försäkringskassan. It has three everyday parts:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Allmänt tandvårdsbidrag (general dental allowance) | A fixed yearly sum off your bill; larger at ages 20–23 and from 67. Credited every 1 July; can be saved one year |
| Särskilt tandvårdsbidrag (special allowance) | A half-yearly sum for people with certain illnesses that threaten dental health, such as dry mouth from medication, Sjögren’s syndrome or dialysis. Your dentist decides |
| Högkostnadsskydd (high-cost protection) | Within a 12-month period, you pay costs up to a threshold yourself; the state pays half above it, and 85 % above a second threshold |
Two details trip people up. First, the protection is calculated on the reference price or the clinic’s price, whichever is lower, so on an expensive clinic the state’s share is smaller than you might expect. Second, the protection is counted per 12-month period, and you can choose to start a new period before the old one ends. If a big treatment is coming, ask the clinic whether to start a fresh period first.
The exact amounts are in the practical information table below. They are set in an ordinance and revised, so check them against Försäkringskassan when you plan a large treatment.
Some people with long-term illness, disability or a large need for personal care get dental care at healthcare fees through the region’s särskilt tandvårdsstöd. The region assesses it; ask your dentist or the region.
The 67+ scheme
Since 1 January 2026, a new layer called särskild tandvårdsersättning, nicknamed tiotandvård (ten-percent dentistry), applies from the year you turn 67. For covered treatments you pay 10 % of the state reference price, and the clinic may not charge more than the reference price for them.
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Treatment of disease, pain and gum disease | Check-ups and examinations |
| Fillings | Preventive care such as cleaning and tartar removal |
| Crowns, bridges and implants in the front ten teeth of each jaw | X-rays |
Everything outside the scheme still runs through the ordinary high-cost protection. The government described the reform as a first step towards a dental high-cost protection that resembles the one in healthcare. Tandpriskollen now shows prices for 67+ patients separately.
Visitors, students and newcomers
The state dental support is built for people insured in Sweden, which Försäkringskassan ties to living or working here. A tourist is outside it. What you pay depends on where you are insured:
| You are… | What you pay |
|---|---|
| A visitor with an EU/EEA, Swiss or UK card | The resident price for necessary care, meaning care that can’t wait until you get home, as the dentist judges |
| A child or teenager with such a card | Necessary care free until 31 December of the year they turn 19 |
| A Nordic resident | The resident price for necessary care, with ID and your home address |
| From Australia or Québec | The resident price for certain dental care under an agreement |
| From anywhere else | The full price for all dental care, children included |
| An EU citizen working temporarily in Sweden | Insured here; show Försäkringskassan’s certificate to get resident prices |
| A new resident insured in Sweden | The full resident system, from the year you turn 20 |
Two things are easy to miss. For an adult, “the resident price” is usually just the clinic’s own price, because residents also pay in full until the threshold. A card makes a big difference for children, and very little for an adult’s single filling. And planned treatment, as opposed to necessary care, needs a certificate from your home country naming the Swedish dentist and the treatment. Without it you pay in full and claim at home afterwards.
Exchange students from the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK use their card, like visitors. If you are moving to Sweden, see our guides to the personnummer and to healthcare as a new resident, since registration is what brings you into the resident system. For toothache or a broken tooth on holiday, go to dental emergencies in Sweden.
How to cut the bill
- Compare first. TLV’s Tandpriskollen shows median prices per clinic for common treatments, for essentially every clinic connected to the state support. It updates in January, July and October. The figures are medians, not quotes.
- Check the clinic is connected to Försäkringskassan. An unconnected clinic deducts nothing.
- Ask for a written cost estimate (kostnadsförslag) before anything bigger than a filling. With free pricing, Vad kostar det? (“What does it cost?”) is a normal question.
- Time big treatments around your 12-month high-cost period.
- Use or save the yearly allowance. It lands on 1 July and can be carried one year.
- Consider a subscription. Many regions’ Folktandvården offer abonnemangstandvård (often called Frisktandvård): a fixed price over three years, whatever you need.
- Visitors: check your travel insurance. For an adult from outside the resident system, it is the only thing that pays the bill. See our travel insurance guide.
Common mistakes are the mirror image: assuming care is free until 23, expecting the high-cost protection to cap the bill, letting the allowance lapse, and expecting the 67+ scheme to cover a check-up.
Practical information
| Item | Amount (2026) | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Residents’ dental care through the year they turn 19 | Free | 2026-10-14 |
| General dental allowance, ages 20–23 and from 67 | SEK 600 per year | 2026-10-14 |
| General dental allowance, ages 24–65 | SEK 300 per year (SEK 600 in 2026 if you turn 66) | 2026-10-14 |
| Special dental allowance | Up to SEK 1,000 per half-year | 2026-10-14 |
| High-cost protection | You pay the first SEK 3,000 in 12 months, 50 % between SEK 3,000 and 15,000, 15 % above SEK 15,000 (on reference prices) | 2026-10-14 |
| 67+ scheme | 10 % of the reference price for covered treatments | 2026-10-14 |
| Clinic prices and Folktandvården adult fees | Set by each clinic or region; compare on Tandpriskollen | 2026-10-14 |
| Visitors with an EU/EEA, Swiss or UK card | Resident price for necessary care | 2026-10-14 |
| Visitors from elsewhere | Full price, children included | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
Is dental care free in Sweden?
Only for children and young people. Residents get regular dental care free through the year they turn 19; the limit was 23 until the end of 2024. From the year you turn 20 you pay the clinic’s own price, minus a small state allowance and, for large bills, the high-cost protection. Visitors with an EU card pay the resident price for necessary care; others pay in full.
How much does the state pay towards adult dental care?
As of October 2026, an insured adult gets a yearly allowance of SEK 300, or SEK 600 at ages 20–23 and from 67. Within 12 months you pay the first SEK 3,000 yourself; the state then pays half of costs above that and 85 percent above SEK 15,000, counted on reference prices. Clinic charges above the reference price are yours.
What is tiotandvård?
It is the nickname for särskild tandvårdsersättning, in force since 1 January 2026. From the year you turn 67, you pay 10 percent of the state reference price for treatment of disease, pain and gum disease, fillings, and crowns, bridges and implants in the front teeth. The clinic may not charge more than the reference price. Check-ups and cleaning are not included.
Why do dental prices differ so much between clinics?
Because Sweden has free pricing in dentistry. Every dentist and dental hygienist sets their own prices, and the state only uses its reference prices to calculate the subsidy. TLV’s Tandpriskollen shows each connected clinic’s median prices, updated in January, July and October. They are not a quote, so ask for a cost estimate before larger treatment.
Does my EU card cover dental care in Sweden?
It covers necessary care: treatment that cannot wait until you get home, as judged by the dentist. You pay the same price as residents, which for an adult usually means the clinic’s own price. Card-holding children get necessary care free until the end of the year they turn 19. Planned treatment needs a certificate from your home country.
I am moving to Sweden. When am I covered?
When you are insured in Sweden, which Försäkringskassan ties to living or working here. From then on, from the year you turn 20, you get the yearly allowance and the high-cost protection at connected clinics. Children who live in Sweden get free care through the year they turn 19. Visitors from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay the full cost.
Related guides
- Dental emergencies in Sweden: which dentist to call for toothache or a broken tooth, by time of day.
- Healthcare as a new resident: health centres, patient fees and the outpatient ceiling that dentistry doesn’t have.
- What the EHIC and GHIC cover: the card rules in full, including the physical-card requirement.
- The personnummer explained: the registration that brings you into the resident system.
- Exchange students: the first two weeks: registration and insurance for students.
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Tandvårdslagen, the state dental support act and ordinance, and the 2024 and 2025 bills), Försäkringskassan, TLV and 1177 — full register in this topic’s source file. Clinic prices are not published here: dentists set their own. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.