It is one of the first concrete shocks when arriving in Switzerland. Mandatory basic LAMal insurance does not cover adult dentistry, with very specific exceptions: accidents with dental sequelae, certain serious diseases that directly affect the mouth, and little else. A routine check with cleaning can cost between 150 and 300 francs. One extraction, more. A crowned root canal can easily reach 1,500 or 2,000 francs depending on the dentist and canton, with no legal ceiling - the fees are free. Many people find out when the first bill arrives.
To be covered there are specific supplementary insurances. The main boxes (CSS, Swica, Helsana, Sanitas, among others) have dental modules that cost between 20 and 80 francs per month depending on the coverage and age of the insured. What you should know before hiring: there are waiting periods of up to three months before you can use them, annual refunds are usually limited to 1,000 or 2,000 francs, and conditions vary considerably from one company to another. Those who wait until they have a dental problem to seek insurance are usually late.
There is an alternative that many people in Switzerland use without announcing it too much: going to the dentist in France or Spain. There's no legal problem with that. A crown in France can cost between 300 and 600 euros. The same krona in Switzerland can triple that price. For those who live near the border, the calculation is straightforward. For children, some cantons have free or heavily subsidized school dentistry services: Geneva and Vaud, for example, offer basic check-ups and treatments at no cost to minors. It is worth asking in the commune, because the service varies greatly by canton and is sometimes not advertised.