Dentist in France

[sunflower]

I have been living in France for 18 months, but have not yet registered with CMU (I have no health problems, and had other things to think about.) But I do need to see a dentist, quite urgently - I definately need a couple of fillings. What's the procedure about paying privately? My French is adequate to basic needs, but not too many details.

[Bevdeforges]

I've moved this to the general French section, since you're not really talking about Jobs per se.

Depends on where you're from and what you're expecting, but seeing a dentist isn't really a big deal. If you are paying privately, a standard dentist appointment runs about 27€ as long as you're seeing someone who sticks to the standard fee schedule. (You've reminded me I need to book with my own dentist - it has been a while and it's possible the fee has risen by a euro or two since my last visit.)

As with all medical stuff in France, you pay the dentist or doctor at the appointment. If you have coverage, the sécu reimburses about 70% and your mutuelle (private top up coverage) reimburses the rest. If you don't have coverage (not sure how that works if you're on the CMU), you just don't get reimbursed.

Sécu coverage for dental care isn't great. If you need anything more than a filling, you often need pre-approval (usually from your mutuelle) - so better get in touch with the Sécu so you can at least get that basic reimbursement! Fillings usually are covered with the standard appointment fee, but crowns or root canals can run up the bill pretty quickly. (Still, fairly cheap compared with, say, the US!)
Cheers,
Bev

[Matou]

As Bev said what you should look at Before picking a particular dentist is if he/she is "conventionné" (standard SECU fees) or not because if it is not the case it means that his/her "honoraires" (fees) are "libres" (free) and possibly way more expensive. Just ask the secretary before taking an appointment, it is a perfectly legitimate question.