In brief

• Children up to the age of 18 have free access to a dentist under the NFZ, covering prevention and treatment of both milk and permanent teeth.
• In Warsaw, the waiting time for an appointment at a dental clinic is, according to the data, about 3 days, which is one of the shortest waiting times.
• The pacjent.gov.pl search engine helps you find a practice with a free appointment and compare facilities near your place of residence.

Who is entitled to a free dentist

Children up to the age of 18 may count on free dental care financed by the National Health Fund (NFZ) (Dentysta dla dzieci na NFZ. Co przysługuje za darmo? Lista bezpłatnych zabiegów i usług – gazetaprawna.pl). It covers both prevention and treatment of milk and permanent teeth. For services on the NFZ list, there is therefore no need to pay extra for basic procedures.

What is provided for free

Under the NFZ contract, a child can have an oral cavity check-up, sealing, treatment of caries, and tooth extraction. The list of free services for the youngest is broader than many parents expect, and includes basic preventive procedures as well. It is worth asking at the clinic before the visit whether a given procedure falls under the contract, because some procedures performed at the same facility may be paid.

How long you wait in Warsaw

In the capital, dentist appointment times are among the shorter ones. According to data from the pacjent.gov.pl service, the waiting time for an appointment at a dental clinic is about 3 days, which makes it one of the fastest available clinics under the NFZ ([Kolejki do lekarzy na NFZ w Warszawie. Gdzie najszybciej dostać się do specjalisty? [ADRESY, TERMINY] – se.pl](https://www.se.pl/warszawa/gdzie-najszybciej-dostac-sie-do-specjalisty-kolejki-do-lekarzy-na-nfz-w-warszawie-adresy-terminy-aa-XYYB-NeCi-QGiG.html)). For comparison, a gastroenterologist and a neurologist have a wait of about 2 months, and an ophthalmologist about a month. Waiting times change with the season, so the values given from the beginning of 2020 may already be outdated.

How to find a practice with a free appointment

Instead of calling clinics one by one, you can use the search engine at pacjent.gov.pl, which works with NFZ facilities and shows the nearest free appointments. The Naszemiasto.pl portal also publishes a list of Warsaw centres where a child can see a dentist the fastest, near their place of residence (Kolejki na NFZ do dentysty dziecięcego w Warszawie. Sprawdź oczekiwane terminy wizyt – warszawa.naszemiasto.pl). The list lets you compare several facilities at once before calling a specific one.

Preparing for the visit

For the first visit, bring the child's identity card or another identity document and the insurance card, if the parent has one. When registering, you need to provide the patient's details and choose a clinic contracted with the NFZ, because only such a clinic settles services without extra payments.

What to do if the appointment is far away

If the nearest free appointment is too far off, you can call several clinics in different districts and sign up for a waiting list. Some offices also conduct visits within prevention programmes, so it is worth asking whether a check-up can be done sooner than treatment.

Frequently asked questions

Until what age does a child have the right to a free dentist?

Until the age of 18.

Does a dental visit under the NFZ require an extra payment?

For services on the NFZ list, no extra payment is needed.

How can I check free dentist appointments in Warsaw?

You can use the search engine at pacjent.gov.pl, which shows the nearest appointments at NFZ facilities.