What's Included

A written, itemised treatment plan should connect each fee to a named procedure, component or service. It should distinguish what is included, what is excluded and what remains subject to assessment. Ask for the payment schedule and the terms for changes, cancellation and refunds alongside it.

Use this checklist to ask any clinic for clarification before agreeing or paying a deposit. These are suggested document fields and questions; they do not describe this clinic's inclusions or payment policies.

Start with the proposed treatment itself. The Dutch dental association's patient guidance advises obtaining written information in advance about the treatment, risks, alternatives and costs¹. Keep those explanations with the dated plan and its terms.

Ask for your name, the clinic's legal name and contact details, the treating dentist, the document date and how long the offer remains valid. Keep the treatment description and fee breakdown together under the same document reference.

The plan should identify the problem being addressed, the teeth or areas involved and the proposed work. Request a tooth diagram if the wording is unclear. Ask for the quantity and charging unit beside each item: for example, per tooth, per appliance, per appointment or for the complete course.

For each relevant entry, request an explicit status:

• Included: covered by the stated total, with its scope described.
• Excluded: outside that total, with responsibility for arranging and paying for it explained.
• Awaiting assessment: unresolved, with the assessment needed to decide it identified.
• Not applicable: not part of the proposed treatment.

Ask the clinic to complete any blank entries. A heading such as “complete treatment” is a reason to request the underlying detail.

Ask whether the fee covers the initial consultation, clinical examination, treatment planning and any proposed imaging. Request the name and purpose of each scan, including whether it is an X-ray examination or a digital impression of the teeth.

Dental X-ray decisions should follow a clinical examination and reflect the individual patient's needs². Ask which investigations the dentist recommends for you and whether existing images can be used.

If you received an estimate remotely, ask what remains unconfirmed. Have the document state what assessment is included, what further investigations would be charged separately and what you would owe if you attend for assessment but do not proceed.

Request a sequence of appointments showing what each stage covers, who carries it out and when payment is due. Ask whether laboratory work, impressions, fitting appointments and adjustments are included in the relevant entry.

Where proposed, list tooth removal, gum treatment, root canal treatment or bone grafting separately. Ask whether each is confirmed or conditional, why it is being considered and how accepting or declining it would affect the plan.

For implant treatment, distinguish the implant, its connecting components and the replacement teeth. An abutment connects an implant to the replacement crown³. Check that the document identifies the proposed system and components, their quantities and their fitting fees.

For treatment across several visits, ask which payments relate to work already completed and which relate to future stages. Healing around an implant takes time, and the timing of replacement teeth varies⁴. Request an estimated schedule, the checks before proceeding and the arrangements if a stage is delayed.

Ask for temporary teeth and the final restoration to have separate descriptions, even when they are priced together. In implant treatment, a temporary crown, bridge or denture may be provided while the final replacement is being made⁴. Confirm what is proposed in your own plan.

Temporary teeth

Ask whether temporary teeth are included, which teeth they cover, what they are made from and when they are to be fitted. Request the terms for adjustments, repair or replacement, including what happens if the temporary stage lasts longer than expected. Ask what the alternative arrangement would be if the proposed temporary teeth cannot be fitted.

Final restoration

Check that the plan names the final crown, bridge, veneer, denture or other restoration. Request the tooth positions, quantity, material and any supporting framework. Where relevant, ask whether it is fixed in place or removable by you.

Confirm whether the fee includes laboratory work, trial fittings, final fitting and subsequent adjustments. Ask how concerns about fit or appearance will be discussed before final fitting, and what terms apply if further laboratory work is proposed.

Ask whether local anaesthesia is included in each relevant procedure. If sedation is proposed, request a separate explanation of the service and fee, including assessment, the person providing it, monitoring and recovery arrangements.

For medicines, ask which are supplied by the clinic and which you would obtain separately. Request confirmation of whether prescriptions, pharmacy purchases and any proposed aftercare products are covered.

Ask the treating dentist to explain any proposed medicines, how to use them and whom to contact with questions afterwards. Keep the written instructions with your treatment documents.

After you return, routine care is usually with your dentist at home. Check that the plan distinguishes routine follow-up from assessment or treatment of a complication. For each, request the provider, location, contact route and payment arrangements.

• Which checks, cleaning appointments and adjustments are included, and until when?
• Which require attendance at the treating clinic?
• Who can be contacted outside opening hours?
• Who assesses a problem after you return home?
• Who pays for investigations, repairs, replacement components or further treatment?
• If another visit is advised, who pays for travel and accommodation?

The Dutch dental association advises patients to discuss treatment abroad with their own dentist and ask about access to care if problems arise¹. Have that conversation before travelling, and request confirmation from anyone expected to provide follow-up. In an emergency after you return, call your local emergency number.

Ask your insurer or the health service in the country where you live what, if anything, it covers. Keep its answer with the plan. For wider travel questions, see dental treatment abroad.

Ask in advance which records will be available, when you can receive them and in what language and format. The Dutch dental association recommends requesting your patient file after treatment and checking that it identifies the materials used¹.

Request a document list covering:

• The agreed treatment plan and any revisions.
• A summary of treatment actually carried out, with tooth positions and dates.
• Copies of relevant X-rays, scan files and reports.
• Details of the materials and devices used; for implants, the system and component identifiers.
• Medicine and aftercare instructions.
• The follow-up schedule and contact details.
• An itemised invoice and payment receipts.

Ask how records can be shared with your dentist at home. If you need translation or a particular file format, clarify availability and any separate charge before agreeing.

Read the payment terms alongside the treatment plan. Ask what the deposit reserves, who receives it, whether it is credited towards treatment and when the remaining payments fall due.

Request written answers for the situations that matter to you:

• You cancel or postpone before travelling.
• The examination leads to a different proposal or finds the proposed treatment unsuitable.
• You decline an additional procedure or the revised plan.
• The clinic postpones treatment or changes the treating dentist.
• Treatment begins but a later stage does not proceed.

For each situation, ask what is refundable, what deductions could apply, which deadlines matter and how a refund is requested and processed. These are questions to resolve in the agreement, not statements that a particular refund entitlement applies.

Ask how treatment changes will be explained and recorded. Request a revised plan showing the reason, changed work, revised fee and effect on appointments before deciding whether to accept it. Keep each version and ask which one replaces the previous agreement.

If an intermediary arranges travel or accommodation, clarify which organisation is responsible for each service and which cancellation terms apply. Request the written complaint route for unresolved billing or treatment concerns.

Review the treatment decision as well as the fee. FDI World Dental Federation guidance supports explaining the diagnosis, benefits and risks of treatment or no treatment, future related care and potential costs⁵. It also calls for a two-way consent discussion and time to reflect before complex or elective procedures⁵.

Ask yourself:

• Can I identify every procedure and component I am agreeing to?
• Are exclusions and unresolved items clearly marked?
• Do I understand the temporary and final stages?
• Do I know who handles follow-up and additional care, and who pays?
• Do I have the deposit, cancellation and change terms?
• Have my questions about alternatives and risks been answered?

Your treatment choice should be respected within professional standards⁵. You can decide not to proceed. If you remain unsure, ask for more explanation and time before agreeing.