There are two parallel forms of dental care available – public (folktandvård) and private (privattandläkare). In both systems, you cover most of the cost of the dental treatment yourself although about 20% is covered by social insurance – if you have paid into this.
Children up until the age of 19 receive free dental care and people with a serious long term sickness, the elderly and the disabled may be entitled to subsidies from their social insurance. Check with Forsäkringskassan on an individual basis. There is also a subsidy available for young people (over 19 but under 29) to help cover the costs of regular check-ups. This is to encourage them to visit the dentist regularly.
Lists of public dentists are available from the yellow pages (Gulasidorna) or from your regional Folktandvården website. Their national website www.folktandvarden.se not only lists the regional websites but also covers an extensive range of issues from flouride to tongue piercing – unfortunately only in Swedish. On your regional website you will find a list of public dentists. Private dentists can be found on www.ptl.se. However, the best way would be ask for personal recommendations – both for the quality of care and for those that speak English (or another language). Most dentists work along with dental hygienists who support them with teeth cleaning, plaque removal and cavity prevention advice.
You can expect a check-up to cost anywhere between 400 and 1,000kr and fillings start from 500kr at the time of writing. Always ask for prices before making an appointment and be prepared to ring around if you feel that the charges are too steep.
Finally, the coalition government introduced a ceiling on dental costs (högkostnadsskydd) which means that you pay a maximum of XXX per calender year, after which dental treatment is free.