In short: You can get a second opinion at any time, without giving a reason and without leaving your current practice. It is particularly worthwhile before extensive restorative work, before several teeth are removed, with high cost plans, and whenever only one solution has been named. You need your cost plan, the written findings and current X-rays — and you have a right to those records.
A second opinion is not a vote of no confidence. It is normal for decisions that are meant to last years and cost several thousand euros. No good practitioner takes it personally, and one who does has told you something about themselves.
When it is particularly worthwhile
- Before extensive restorative work — several crowns, larger bridges, restoring a whole jaw
- When several teeth are to be removed. An extracted tooth does not come back; that decision deserves two assessments
- When only one solution was named. For almost every diagnosis there are several routes with different levels of effort
- With a cost plan you cannot follow — not because it is high, but because it was not explained
- When implants are recommended and it remains unclear why a bridge is not an option
- When it simply does not feel right. That is a legitimate reason. Trust is part of treatment, not a nice extra
What you need
Ask your current practice for the treatment and cost plan, the written findings and your current X-rays. You have a right to inspect your records and to receive copies; image data is usually transferred digitally. This is a routine request you do not have to justify. With existing images, a second opinion often needs no new X-ray — which saves both radiation dose and cost.
How a second opinion works with us
We examine independently, review your records and tell you how we assess the findings. Three outcomes are possible and all three are a good result. The proposed treatment is professionally sound — we confirm it, and you go back with more confidence. There is an equivalent, simpler or cheaper route — we name it. Or we see it differently, and explain why.
What we do not do is talk down another practitioner's work in order to win a patient. A second opinion that always concludes in favour of our own treatment is not a second opinion; it is sales.
Cost and timing
For patients with statutory insurance, examination and consultation are covered in principle. If additional services are needed, we say so beforehand. You do not have to change practice — many patients get a second opinion and then have the treatment where they already are. That is also a good result.
One practical note on timing: get the second opinion before you sign the cost plan and before treatment has started. Afterwards it becomes more complicated — not impossible, but more expensive.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell my practice I am getting a second opinion?
No. You can request the records without giving a reason. Being open about it is possible and, in a good treatment relationship, unproblematic.
Will I be given my X-rays?
You have a right to inspect and to copies of your records. Images are usually transferred digitally; the originals stay with the treating practice.
Do I need new X-rays?
Usually not, if current images exist. Only where a specific question cannot be answered without a new image is one taken — every X-ray needs a justification.
How quickly can I get an appointment for a second opinion?
Call and say it concerns a second opinion with an existing cost plan. We schedule the appointment so there is enough time to go through it properly.
This article provides general information and does not replace a dental examination. Medically reviewed by Dr. F. J. Rodríguez Ruíz, MSc., dentist at A+ Dental, Düsseldorf-Oberkassel.