Dental Cost Estimate Request
Request a detailed dental treatment cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) from your Swiss dental practice. Upload X-rays, specify insurance details, and receive a transparent breakdown of planned treatments.
Cost estimates are rarely rejected because the treatment was wrong. They are delayed because something was missing — an X-ray older than twelve months, a diagnosis without FDI tooth numbering, a policy number nobody asked for. This form is arranged around that failure, collecting the documentation an insurer will ask for in one submission rather than in three rounds of email.
Incomplete documentation is the usual delay
Submitting a pre-authorisation request with missing documents is the most common reason estimates are held up or refused. Everything below exists because an insurer asks for it.
What the insurer will ask for
| Document | Why the insurer wants it |
|---|---|
| Completed KVA signed by the treating dentist | The estimate itself, priced against the SSO/SZO tariff |
| Current bite-wing or panoramic X-rays | Usually required to be no older than twelve months |
| Clinical diagnosis with FDI tooth numbering | Ties the proposed work to specific teeth rather than a description |
| Patient policy number | Identifies the supplementary cover being claimed against |
| Periodontogram (periodontal treatment) | Requested by some insurers to evidence the staging |
| Photographs (aesthetic procedures) | Requested by some insurers where the indication is partly cosmetic |
What this form collects
- Patient identity and contact details
- Insurance provider and policy number
- Planned treatment type and clinical description
- Existing X-rays and supporting documents, uploaded directly
- The patient's preferred timing for treatment
Why dental costs work differently in Switzerland
Dental care in Switzerland is largely financed privately or through supplementary dental insurance (Zusatzversicherung). Unlike most medical treatment, routine dental work is not covered by mandatory basic health insurance (KVG/LAMal) except in specific circumstances — accidents, congenital malformations, or severe systemic disease. The cost conversation therefore happens between the practice and the patient directly, which is exactly why it has to be written down.
What a Kostenvoranschlag actually is
A Kostenvoranschlag (KVA) is a written estimate of the costs of a planned treatment. Swiss practices are expected to issue one for any treatment likely to exceed a few hundred francs — crowns, bridges, implants, orthodontic appliances, periodontal surgery. It is calculated using the Swiss Dental Tariff (SSO/SZO), and lists each procedure code with its point value and the current point price.
Patients are encouraged to send the KVA to their supplementary insurer before treatment starts. Insurers generally require pre-authorisation for high-cost work and may ask for X-rays or a second opinion. Once approved, the insurer confirms the reimbursable portion in writing — which is the point at which the patient can actually make a decision.
Six months — and the tariff point that moves underneath it
A KVA is typically valid for six months from issue, though individual insurers set shorter or longer periods. If treatment does not begin within that window, or the clinical picture changes materially, a new estimate is needed. The detail practices most often overlook: tariff point prices can be revised annually, so a total can shift even on a treatment that was already approved.
Sensitive health data in a cost estimate request
A KVA request carries a diagnosis, radiographs and an insurance relationship — sensitive personal data under the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP/nDSG), in force since 1 September 2023. Any tool used to collect, transmit or store it needs technical and organisational measures to match: encryption, access control, and a retention policy someone has actually written down. With this form, submissions are encrypted end-to-end in the patient's browser and the encrypted submissions are stored in Switzerland; your practice remains the data controller and holds the only Vault key that opens them.
Running the request
Use this template
Copy it into your dashboard — the file upload for radiographs is already configured.
Match the treatment list to your portfolio
Add or remove treatment types from the multi-choice list so patients pick from what you actually offer.
Route it to the right person
Connect the form to your practice profile so submissions reach the correct dentist or treatment coordinator.
Publish and share
Send the link by email or SMS, or embed it on your practice website.
Review, then issue the KVA
Check the uploaded radiographs and insurance details, then prepare the formal Kostenvoranschlag.
Questions patients and practices ask
Is a cost estimate mandatory in Switzerland?
Swiss law does not explicitly require a KVA for every procedure, but the professional code of the Swiss Dental Association (SSO/SZO) and the contractual requirements of most supplementary insurers make it mandatory in practice above a few hundred francs. Patients are entitled to ask for a written estimate before consenting to any significant treatment.
Can I use this form for orthodontic treatment?
Yes — the treatment type selector covers orthodontics. Orthodontic KVAs usually attract a heavier documentation requirement: a full assessment report including cephalometric analysis and a treatment plan with expected duration. Those go in the file upload field alongside the radiographs.
What happens after the form is submitted?
The practice reviews the submission, prepares the formal Kostenvoranschlag, and sends it to the patient and — where agreed — directly to the insurer. The patient then has the estimated costs in writing and can schedule treatment.
See our use case for dental and orthodontic practices, the patient registration template that precedes a first consultation, and the treatment consent template used once the estimate is approved.