Adults living in the Czech Republic will no longer have to pay out of pocket for basic white fillings starting in January 2026, according to new amendments to the Public Health Insurance Act that were recently approved by the Czech Parliament and await the President’s signature.
The change will allow all insured patients to get a single-sided white (photocomposite) filling per tooth free of charge every two years – a service that currently costs around CZK 930 per year.
Teeth can be fully covered with a basic “white seal” (single-layer photocomposite filling) for both adults and children. However, for more complex or multi-layered fillings, the rules are different.
Adults will need to pay some fees (called co-payments) for more advanced fillings, such as multi-layer light-cured resin or dual-cured cement fillings.
These fillings are only partially insured. Children, on the other hand, can be fully insured if they are treating a temporary tooth, or if a basic filling is not possible.
The most comprehensive fillings – multi-layered light composite fillings – are fully covered for children, regardless of whether the tooth is temporary or permanent, while adults will still have to pay a co-pay.
In addition, many health insurance providers offer annual preventive care bonuses that can be used to reduce these co-payments.
Root canal treatments for anterior teeth (incisors, canines and premolars) using the standard “center pin” method will also be covered for the first time for adults. For children, all root canal treatments will be fully covered.
Molars (back teeth) remain excluded from public insurance for adults, but patients can still choose to have the treatment done by a state-insured dentist at their own expense, or opt for an extraction.
Pulpotomy, a procedure to partially remove the pulp from the crown of a tooth, will no longer be covered for adults starting in January 2026. For children, however, pulpotomies will be fully covered for all temporary teeth.
Šmucler stressed that dentists working with insurance companies must legally offer the new insurance-backed option at no cost to insured patients: “If patients refuse the higher-cost option, they still have to receive the basic, fully covered treatment,” he explained.
The new law also includes a ban on amalgam fillings, which will come into effect in July 2026, except in special cases. The switch to white fillings is part of a broad move toward safer, more modern dental care.
The Ministry of Health expects to finalize the payment rules by the end of 2025.
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