How to find an English-speaking dentist in Switzerland

There is no national list of English-speaking dentists. A language appears in the public MedReg register only once the dentist has shown at least B2 level in it (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026), so search by language, then confirm with the practice.

Where to look

• Our directory: dentists who treat patients in English, by city, each listing checked by hand.
• The SSO search: the Swiss Dental Association’s dentist search (opens in a new tab) filters by distance and by languages spoken, English included, and lists SSO members (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• MedReg: the federal register shows a dentist’s diploma, specialist titles, cantonal licence and recorded languages (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026).

What to ask the practice

• Does the dentist treat patients in English?
• Are you taking new patients?
• What is your point value for private patients (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026)?
• Will you give me a cost estimate before larger treatment (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026)?

• Zurich: English-speaking dentists in Zurich, or every medical listing on the Zurich doctors and dentists page.
• Geneva: the city is French-speaking, and every practice listed here also works in English: dentists in Geneva and the Geneva doctors and dentists page.
• Basel: dentists in Basel and the Basel doctors and dentists page. The website of the Basel SSO sections, which lists their members, has an English version (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Emergency numbers and walk-in hours for all three cities are in the next section. Living there: our city pages for Zurich, Geneva and Basel.

The cantonal sections of the SSO run the dental emergency services and publish the numbers for every canton (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). In Basel, for example, the line refers you to the practice on duty (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026), so ask whether the dentist can treat you in English.

Open today without an appointment

• Basel: the university dental centre UZB, Mattenstrasse 40, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 18:00, for adults and children (UZB, checked 20 Oct 2026). At other times, 061 261 15 15 answers around the clock (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Geneva: the dental emergency unit of Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), rue Lombard 19, Monday to Friday 8:00 to 15:30, phone 022 372 80 08 (HUG, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Zurich: AERZTEFON is free and connects you to dental as well as medical services, around the clock (Canton of Zurich, checked 20 Oct 2026).

The UZB sees at once, for example, bleeding you cannot stop, swelling that comes on fast or a knocked-out tooth; a lost filling can wait for an ordinary appointment (UZB, checked 20 Oct 2026). Toothache from decay is billed like any other treatment. After an accident, report it to your employer or accident insurer without delay (UVG Art. 10, 45, checked 20 Oct 2026).

The rule is Art. 31 of the Health Insurance Act (KVG) (KVG Art. 31, checked 20 Oct 2026). The KLV ordinance lists every covered condition in Art. 17 to 19a, and the list is exhaustive; the FOPH names fillings for decay and children’s braces as not covered (KLV Art. 17–19a, checked 20 Oct 2026) (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026).

• Chewing-system diseases (KLV Art. 17): for example certain jaw tumours, cysts or jaw-joint disorders (KLV Art. 17–19a, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Severe general illnesses (Art. 18): for example leukaemia; the insurer must approve the treatment beforehand (KLV Art. 17–19a, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Support for medical treatment (Art. 19): for example with a heart-valve replacement or chemotherapy (KLV Art. 17–19a, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Congenital conditions (Art. 19a): such as cleft lip and palate; before age 20, disability insurance usually pays (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

In a covered case, the dentist sends the insurer a treatment proposal first; the insurer pays the bill and charges you the deductible and co-payment (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Accidents

If you work at least 8 hours a week for one employer, its accident insurance (UVG) covers accidents off work too (UVV Art. 13, checked 20 Oct 2026) (FOPH guide, checked 20 Oct 2026), including dental treatment by the dentist you choose (UVG Art. 10, 45, checked 20 Oct 2026). Children, people not in work and the self-employed claim from their health insurer (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026) (KVG Art. 31, checked 20 Oct 2026). Biting on something hard counts as an accident only if something unusual caused it (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Insurance models and medical emergency numbers are in our guide to finding an English-speaking doctor; basic cover is explained in Swiss health insurance for expats.

Insurers can refuse an application, set premiums by age and sex, or attach conditions because of your health (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026) (FOPH guide, checked 20 Oct 2026). Legal questions go to FINMA, the supervisor of private insurers (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026). The FOPH warns against cancelling a supplementary policy before another insurer has said on what terms it would take you (FOPH guide, checked 20 Oct 2026).

We don’t compare or recommend policies. For questions about your own cover, ask your insurer or a health insurance adviser from our directory.

The tariff has about 500 services, each with a number of points that roughly reflects the time it takes (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). The SSO’s example: a check-up for a returning patient is 48.8 points, so CHF 48.80 at CHF 1.00 a point (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). In the rare cases basic insurance covers, the older 1994 catalogue applies at CHF 3.10 a point (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

For private patients, each practice sets its own point value, up to CHF 1.70 under the SSO tariff, and posts it in the practice and on the bill (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). It reflects the practice’s running costs, location and the urgency of the treatment; laboratory work and special materials are billed separately (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Estimates and disputes

For larger treatment, ask for a cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag in German, devis in French). The SSO says that if extra costs go more than 15% over it, the dentist will tell you early (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). The SSO suggests getting treatment proposals from two or three practices, because the option you choose moves the price more than the point value does (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). If the dentist is an SSO member, a cantonal review board (ZBK) can assess a disputed bill (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

Dental hygiene is done by a dental hygienist, in a dental practice or a separate hygiene practice; a hygienist working on their own responsibility needs a cantonal licence, as in Basel-Stadt (Basel-Stadt, checked 20 Oct 2026).

MedReg covers doctors, dentists, pharmacists, vets and chiropractors; dental hygienists are not in it (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026). Search it at healthreg-public.admin.ch (opens in a new tab). An English entry means the dentist proved at least B2 level, for example with a degree taken in English; a missing entry proves nothing (FOPH, checked 20 Oct 2026).

The majority of dentists practising in Switzerland belong to the SSO (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026). The cantonal dental review boards (ZBK) take a complaint only when the dentist is a member (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026).

• Zurich city: a compulsory yearly check for every public-school class, free for parents, who get a letter with the result (City of Zurich, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Geneva: a free yearly check for primary pupils by the school dental service (SDS); at cycle d’orientation, a voucher for a free yearly check, run with the Geneva dental association (AMDG). Letters to parents come in English too (Canton of Geneva, checked 20 Oct 2026). The SDS treats children at rates adapted to the family’s situation (Canton of Geneva, checked 20 Oct 2026).
• Basel-Stadt: yearly checks in schools by the UZB children’s clinic, with a free catch-up if a child misses one (UZB, checked 20 Oct 2026). The Basel SSO sections offer a voucher for a free yearly check from age 2 to 5 (SSO Basel, checked 20 Oct 2026).

The SSO gives every commune guidelines for school dental care (SSO, checked 20 Oct 2026). The Zurich check is for public-school classes; if your child attends a private or international school, ask the school or your commune what applies. See also paediatricians in our directory and our international schools guide.