Orthodontist Waiting Times in Slovenia 2026: Up to 7 Years (and 2 Ways Around Them)

In 2018 the wait for a first orthodontic exam was 263 to 491 days – from just under 9 months to a little over a year. Even that was too long, but today the same journey is measured in years. In less than a decade, waiting times have grown more than fivefold:

Sources: NIJZ, cakalnedobe.ezdrav.si. Data for the »regular« priority level.

A child who receives a referral at age ten today may simply not reach the first exam in time through the regular queue.

Why are the waiting times so long?

Surprisingly, not because of a shortage of orthodontists. Slovenia has 97 actively working specialists – 77 in the public network and 20 fully private. According to the Medical Chamber’s analyses, the real causes lie elsewhere:

• An underfunded public programme: ZZZS (the national health insurance fund) pays public providers for a limited number of treatments per year, which has lagged behind demand for years.
• Too many referrals: roughly a third of referrals are issued prematurely or without a genuine indication, often under pressure from parents. Every such referral lengthens the queue for children who truly need treatment.
• Inconsistent criteria: the severity assessment is applied unevenly between providers, so the queue also fills with children who don’t belong in it.

The Medical Chamber proposes expanding the public programme, bringing the 20 private orthodontists into the network and introducing an electronic EFO index to standardise scoring. The Ministry of Health rejects part of these proposals, so no quick systemic fix is in sight – which means it makes sense to rely on the solutions available already today.

One more telling figure: although more and more families seek orthodontic care abroad, in 2024 only about 4% of ZZZS’s total orthodontics budget was spent on treatment abroad – most parents simply don’t know this legal option exists.

Here lies the trap that makes a long waiting time more than an annoyance – it can permanently cost your child the right to ZZZS-covered treatment. The need for treatment (16+ EFO points) must be established before the child’s 16th birthday. If the orthodontist establishes it only after 16 – even if the sole reason is that the child spent six years in the queue – the ZZZS entitlement no longer exists.

Now do the simple maths: a child who gets a referral at 11 with a 6-year queue will reach the first exam at 17 – too late. The queue therefore doesn’t just mean »we’ll wait a bit longer«; it can mean the right expires while the child is standing in it. At today’s waiting times, the critical age for entering the queue is around 9 or 10 – any child referred later realistically risks missing the deadline through the regular queue.

Two more deadlines parents often overlook: if the child misses a scheduled appointment without justification, the provider removes them from the waiting list and the journey starts over. And if the orthodontist terminates treatment because the child has missed check-ups without excuse for more than 6 months, the right to continue at ZZZS’s expense is lost.

The good news: the queue is not the only path to straight teeth. There are two entirely legal alternatives – one faster and more comfortable, the other built on your rights under EU law. Below we break both down step by step, then put them side by side so you can judge which fits your family.

The fastest and simplest way past the queues is self-paid treatment. At OrthoDental there are no waiting lists: we book your free first consultation within days, and treatment can begin as soon as your digital 3D plan is ready.

• ✅ More than 3,000 successfully treated patients – by confirmed cases we are Slovenia’s leading Invisalign clinic in 2026, and our specialist orthodontist Gordana Čižmek holds the Invisalign Diamond Apex Provider title
• ✅ all types of irregularities treated – from mild to the most complex, in children (Invisalign First from age 7), teens and adults
• ✅ the latest digital technology – 3D scanning with the iTero Element 5D Plus, no impressions, and a simulation of your final smile before you start
• ✅ instalment payments via Leanpay, up to 84 instalments, tailored to your budget
• ✅ 5 locations: Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Novo mesto and Kozina · Google rating 4.9/5

How does treatment with us work? Six simple steps:

1. Free consultation – the orthodontist examines your teeth and confirms whether Invisalign is suitable (it is in over 90% of cases).
2. 3D scan – with the iTero scanner, no unpleasant impressions; you see a digital simulation of your aligned smile the same day.
3. Digital plan – the orthodontist designs the precise movement of every tooth; you approve it before anything begins.
4. Receiving your aligners – you get a series of clear aligners, changed at home every 1–2 weeks.
5. Check-ups every 7–10 weeks – less often than with fixed braces, with digital remote monitoring in between.
6. Retention – after treatment, Vivera retainers lock in the result.

Average treatment takes 9 to 15 months, with first visible changes within 60 days. Compare that with 6 years of waiting just for a first exam.

One more thing you should know: clear aligners (Invisalign) are not covered by the public insurance – ZZZS does not pay for them in any scenario, even if your child waited out the queue and scored 16 points. Anyone who wants an aesthetic, comfortable treatment without metal wires is a self-payer either way – the only difference is whether you start now or in 6 years.

The lesser-known but entirely legal route stems from the EU Cross-Border Healthcare Directive (2011/24/EU), transposed into Slovenian law by Articles 44.b and 44.c of the health insurance act (ZZVZZ). The essence: as a Slovenian insured person you may have certain services performed in another EU country, and ZZZS reimburses the cost. For orthodontics the key route is Article 44.c: because it is an outpatient specialist service (no hospitalisation), prior ZZZS approval is generally not required – you only need a valid referral issued before you leave. A parallel route under Article 44.b with prior approval exists, tied precisely to exceeded maximum waiting times, but for outpatient orthodontics the first one is simpler in practice.

The procedure, step by step:

1. Obtain a referral from your child’s chosen dentist. It must be issued before you travel for treatment – there is no such thing as a retroactive referral.
2. Choose a provider in an EU country. The most common choice for Slovenian families is Croatia: Zagreb and Rijeka are an hour or two from the border and have well-established orthodontic clinics with long traditions. The provider may be public or private.
3. Have the first exam and start treatment – appointments are typically available within days to weeks. Conventional treatment with fixed braces takes around 2 years, with check-ups roughly every 2 to 3 months.
4. Pay all invoices yourself and keep them carefully – together with the medical documentation (diagnosis, X-rays, treatment plan).
5. File a reimbursement claim with ZZZS – easiest electronically via the ZZZS portal (choose »treatment abroad« → »planned treatment in an EU member state«) or in writing. Attach the referral, documentation and paid invoices.
6. ZZZS issues a decision within 60 days and reimburses costs up to the average price of the service in Slovenia (capped at your actual costs). Intermediaries in practice quote reimbursements of up to roughly €3,000–4,000 for a full treatment – always verify the figure for your own case with ZZZS.

That this is no theory is shown by the statistics: in 2024 alone, ZZZS paid Croatian orthodontists roughly €1.5 million for treating Slovenian patients, and several thousand Slovenian children have already crossed the border for orthodontic care.

How to choose a clinic abroad? Check that treatment is led by a specialist orthodontist (not a general dentist), ask about their experience with Slovenian patients and the reimbursement paperwork (established clinics prepare the ZZZS documentation routinely), agree in advance what happens if something goes wrong between check-ups – a detached bracket or a poking wire means an extra trip across the border – and get the full price confirmed in writing with everything included (appliance, check-ups, retention).

Which route is right for you?

Let us be completely honest: we would of course prefer to treat you ourselves, here in Slovenia – no border crossings, no paperwork. But our first goal is that your child doesn’t get stuck in a 6-year queue. If treatment abroad is the right path for your family, use it – it is your legal right.