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BUDGET 2017 INCLUDED the reinstatement of free dental cleaning for PRSI employees.
It was welcome news for many, but for those who are nervous about visits to the dentist, it will probably change very little.
A recent study found that the anxiety experienced by some people about going to the dentist may be due to genetic influences inherited from their parents.
Genetic influences or no, experts recommend people visit their dentist once a year.
So, we want to know: Have you visited the dentist in the last year?
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I have no fear of the dentist.. I have a major fear of the cost of the dentist.
@Fergal Barry: not a quarter as much as not caring for your teeth
@Peter Buchanan:
Show your workings
I simply can’t afford to go and my dental health is suffering badly because of it.
2 years ago, one of my front teeth came loose after a collision playing football. The dentist told me that it would eventually fall out and recommended that I get a Dental Implant. I can vividly remember sitting in the dentists chair as she explained that they would need to drill a hole in my Jawbone before screwing in the Abutment. That’s the first time I was scared at the dentist. Although it wasn’t a pleasant experience, I’m very happy with the result and you’d never know I have a dental Implant for one of my front teeth.
Thats Super Ted.
The anxiety is probably due to the cost
I think it just boils down to cost. . There is always something else that needs to be paid out for first and the dentist is usually last on the list .. unless you’re in agony!
@Suzie Sunshine: A dental check up (including xrays) is free if you are in full time employment under the PRSI scheme. If you have a medical card this covers an annual check up as well. Know your rights, this country provides these schemes which many do not avail of because of false information about cost.
Any dentist will have their prices displayed online, in the waiting room (this is mandated by the dental council of ireland), and on the phone when you book your appointment.
Self-employed, students, and some part time workers may not be qualified under any of these schemes may have to pay for a check up. This will cost between 0 – 50 euro in most places, average 30 euro.
Note I am not talking about a scale and polish of your teeth, which is a different thing. It is like bringing your car to a mechanic, a ”Pre-NCT check over” is not the same as a ”Service”. Many people conflate the two when it comes to dental treatment.
Dukezeal , thanks for the information. .cheers !
If the Government had not removed dental coverage from PRSI …… so if you work you pay the dentist, if you don’t, it’s free ……
I don’t work and can assure you the dentist is not free.
But what I think he is trying to say PRSI was used in the past to contribute towards the upkeep of health service, and towards dental work that now it’s merely a stealth tax that does not do what it was suppose to do.
Your only allowed 1 removal if your medical card pushing it for 1 filling
You will get a free check up and clean from January if you work.
Actually you are allowed 2 fillings and as many extractions as required
@Wynnner: Please do not spread misinformation. This info is readily available from any dentist, or from the HSE website. For the record:
PRSI entitlements per year: One dental CHECK UP including xrays
Medical card entitlement per year: One dental CHECK UP including xrays. Two fillings. Any emergency treatment i.e. extractions, prescription, abscess, hemorrhage, dressings (unlimited). Root canal on front tooth. Plastic dentures, and denture repairs. Finally you are entitled to extra treatments such as cleanings, or extensive work, if you qualify as having particular medical conditions such as type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, special needs, or pregnancy, this is decided and planned out at a dental visit.
Always know your rights and don’t let casual, badly researched commenters tell you otherwise.
Wynner… wrong! Medical cards pay for 2 fills per calendar year and will pull all your teeth for free! So that they (Hse) won’t have to pay for those teeth again… in other words; when they’re gone they’re gone..
Going to the dentist for a check up is like going to a mechanic
They can tell u all sorts, and who are you to know if they are BS you or not!
You have to take them at their word, and when your mouth is being held open by a nurses gloves and this fella/lady has a drill gagging you, its hard to ask “excuse me sir/madam, but could you explain the cost of this unexpected procedure please”
I have been blessed with having good teeth and never had a problem. However, 2 years ago I had some discomfort and my dentist told me I would have to have one of my side/back teeth removed because of some decay in the root. I was so disappointed. I took home my trophy but everyone who saw it thought it looked like a totally healthy tooth. I thought so too. Hmmm
Agreed! After moving to Dublin I went in to a new dentist for my first visit to have a broken tooth fixed. I asked how much it would cost and was quoted a price. When I went to pay the bill was 4 times what I was quoted because “they found other stuff that needed attention”. Of course I wasn’t informed they were doing this work. I never returned to that dentist. That was the mid 90s and apparently there are rules about dentists being more up front with charges. But I still find it hard to trust them and have continued bouncing around from dentist to dentist trying to find one I like.
@TellingItAsItIs: And those people you showed it to were all experts of course……..
@Liam Dunne: If you have a fear of the dentist ripping you off, go to a dentist who will take the time to show you your xrays on a screen and explain what you are seeing.
Many dentists will also have a camera which can take pictures in the mouth nowadays, which can show you your own teeth and can point out EXACTLY what they need to do. Pretty much anything can be explained using these two tools and it can put your mind at ease.
Also, price dentists outside the city..country prices seem to be cheaper
Which city?
A few times. I’m going in a couple of weeks as it happens. It turns out that if you go regularly and not just when you’re in excruciating pain that it’s easier all round. Who knew?
I hadn’t been in years and needed a root canal recently. Visited a cheap and friendly dentist in Galway, dentistry has certainly improved, i hardly felt a thing. I paid 300 for the root canal, it took 3 visits and about 2.5 hrs of work, i think thats good value considering all the overheads dentist have. I would’ve paid double to get rid of the pain
@Kerril – do share the name. Needed root canal this week myself and was quoted €750, so had it removed instead – €80.
300 excellent for root canal!! A dentist in Dublin charges €800
@Mark Gerard Lochlain: Different teeth have a different amount of canals. A back (molar) tooth will have as many as 4-5 different canals, all of which have to be cleaned. 4 canals could take up to 4 times as long as a single root canal on a front tooth, so 800 euro might actually be quite a discount of per hour cost!
A big problem with people saying what a dentist cost them is they don’t understand the difference in the treatments they are getting. It’s like saying ”My friend bought a car for 5 grand”, and then complaining your BMW cost 20 grand.
@dukezeal…you a dentist?…or work in a dentistry?
@Turlough O’ Connor: Yep. I try to only comment on things I have expertise about.
@Mark Gerard Lochlain: Cuddy Dentist in Galway, although Dukezeal is right it’s like comparing apples and oranges. The tooth I had done was one of my lower 1st premolar and a root canal is only half the story as I have to return for a crown in the new year, i was quoted 6-800 for the crown from the same dentist.
I haven’t been to the dentist since 2004. Brush and floss twice daily. All good.
@john culhane: It is your body and your right to go for examination and treatment or not.
BUT I would say you are simply losing out on your entitlements to free check ups by a professional if you are covered by either medical card or PRSI. People paying the government and not taking the service is how the government makes money right!
As another point, there are plenty of things which can be happening in the mouth to a minor degree (small cavity, early gum disease) which if caught early are treated very simply. Most dental disease will only be felt by the patient (sore, sensitive, bleeding) at a later stage, complicating and increasing the cost of your treatment.
Finally, dentists doing an annual check up will also screen for head, neck and mouth cancer. A quick simple check of this nature may save someones life and is not to be neglected. Mouth cancer in ireland has among the worst treatment outcomes, not because it is hard to treat, but because the detection of this disease is always so late, probably because people who don’t ”feel anything wrong” feel they should not go for check ups.
Just some food for thought, I respect your right to do as you wish though but I thought I would provide the alternative viewpoint.
Just completed 5 trips to dentist last Wednesday…root canal and crown it cost a fortune so can claim small amount back through tax….checked out prices down in Newry but didn’t see any major saving so got done here.
@Josephine Carroll: Most peoples experience is similar to this nowadays.
Even with the subsidies that northern Irish dentists get from the government (they are given fee’s for building and maintenence of their clinic as they are part or fully public funded), you will find republic dentists are usually roughly the same cost as those in the north for the same treatment.
I hear of stories where people go on tourism for dental treatment, the problem is usually they are being fitted with crap treatment, stuff that irish dentists do not have the licence to use any more, like crowns made in china/turkey, poor standard quality materials. Ask any dental tourist what the material or grade of porcelain is in their PFM crown and you will usually see a blank look, because they cannot comprehend that dental treatment may differ.
My theory is that this is probably a side effect of having a very high standard dental service in Ireland, they don’t realize that standards can differ in other countries and you get what you pay for.
I have to disagree. I had excellent quality work done in Budapest at half the price quoted here, even taking into account the travel costs. Follow up treatment if needed in Dublin, so if there’s any problems (which there haven’t been) there’s no need to go far to get it sorted.
@Sanity: What price was quoted here that it is half of exactly?
I’d love for you to take my test I posted above though if you are game:
Since you presumably got more expensive work done, what type of porcelain or metal crowns did they use? What grade of alloy was used (if any). If you DIDNT get more expensive work done ie crowns bridges, then you are simply incorrect. No basic dental treatment will be cheaper including flights.
My point is, how can you know it is good quality other than ”It appears to have lasted so far”. How long has it lasted, and in fact, do you know how long a crown SHOULD normally last on average, so you can compare it?
Maybe you have been lucky and had great work (and I hope so!), but I can tell you that in my experience the standard of dentistry, (particularly ”advertised dental tourism” which is all about driving down costs at every corner) from eastern europe is generally far inferior to any work done here.
Ask me how I know.
I always had the fear and didn’t go for 30 fcekin years because of it. Then I paid the price. Filling fell out, abscess, cracked chomper at the back and it had come out. One of the big teeth….but it actually turned out quite painless in the end. It took the dentist a 20 minute struggle but I was pleasantly surprised…..as pleasantly surprises go. I think my fear was based on what my parents went through. The anesthetic and Solpadeine of today saves the day :)
@Paul Furey: 20 minute struggle sounds like a nightmare…I had an uncomplicated wisdom pulled in about 5-7 mins…
I have horrible weak teeth thanks to coeliac disease. One dentist said to stop drinking coke, I only drank it on nights out. I still stopped for about 5 years. Another dentist got a piece of the tool stuck in my tooth and it’s still in there, the specialist I was referred to couldn’t remove it either. I’ve had 3 root canals, can’t afford the crowns. I have 23 teeth left, most of them with fillings and I hate showing my teeth in photos. I’m afraid to go back because of the cost.
I visit my dentist every year to thank him for the wonderful job he did and at the price. He is in Turkey where they take all health matters seriously.
I find Dcare insurance good around €120 per year get two examinations and dental cleans per year
80% off fillings and extractions Entitled to a crown after 5 years
We have a family plan with de care, find it fantastic value too. Even paid out on a claim for a visit while in Poland last year.
Turkish dentists are generally brilliant, the surgeries are like something from Star Trek, can’t even go into the waiting room without shoe covers. Partner had 2 crowns done three years ago in Kusadasi, both still perfect, €300 for the two
Defo the cost of the dentist keeps me away! Got a tooth pulled last year cost €150 and he wanted a follow up clean at €50 yea yea great I said never went back
I go for regular check ups its €90 to have a filling and €75 to have your teeth cleaned
@Janet, where I go it’s €80 for a check up AND filling, every 6 months it’s €60 for a checkup & routine cleaning, and once a year with PRSI , if eligible, is free
Hey Thank you for that yeah i think i will be looking for another Dentist he seems to be a bit dear im on disabilty and with the Medical Card he told me im only entitled to a check up and a filling every 5 years and to pull a tooth its free ??
@Janet Jan Coyle: according to my dentist the medical card covers one check up 2 fillings per year and unlimited extractions. Doesn’t cover cleaning. Also covers one full set of dentures every five years and partial dentures
@Lily Martin yeah i thought a filling every 5 years was a bit much wont be going back to him Thank You for that information x
Cheaper than a doctor any day. A visit to a doctor then for medication then it probably does not work so back to doctor again.
@Janet Jan Coyle: Hi Janet, you are entitled to two fillings per year on the medical card.
However, your dentist may be referring to the clause in the HSE which says ONE TOOTH can only receive a filling on the medical card ONCE every five years. If you have stayed with the same dentist, I know many who would do a new filling for free on this tooth, but that is their discretion and they are making a loss.
If it is a newly developed cavity on a different area on the same tooth, then it is your own hygeine/diet which has caused the issue and the dentist would probably be inclinded to charge you. If it is the same portion of the tooth which broke the dentist would probably do it again for free
Just so you know, that is probably the reason.
Should have a long time before that
I go twice a year. I kind of enjoy going! I I go once a year to the dentist for a check-up and twice a year to the hygienist for a cleaning. I’m 34 and have only one filling, which I had to get 4 years ago, which incidentally was just after a period when I hadn’t gone for almost three years. By not going to try “save” money you’re just causing yourself more pain (financial and literal) and cost down the road.
My PRSI covers the cost of the yearly dental trip and I spread the cost of the two hygienist visits over the year by paying €12 a month into the dentist’s payment plan so I never really notice the cost. Keeping good care of your teeth isn’t that expensive guys! Though a lot of Irish people could be a bit more ‘American’ in their attitude torwards dental care and their smiles.
The only way up here to get affordable dental work is to go over the border. I can be up to 50% cheaper now so I’m off to get some work done. I personally think the standard is higher too.
Once the government dropped the prsi dental benefit I stopped going. Now it’s back, I’ll go again. Dennis costs are high and they have anti competitive rules amongst themselves to keep prices high.
I’ve had 3 c sections I’d rather have a 4th than dentist
Friend had his jaw damaged from a wisdom tooth removal. So naturally I wanted to find a reputable dentist if they were going near my mouth when I knew I had to get 4 out of which 2 were impacted lower ones. €1300 was what I was quoted in Dublin. Rang around other ones, close enough to that price. Some wouldn’t give me a quote unless I went for a consultation with them.
Rang a clinic down in Offaly. €580 and good after care service.
Pays to look around. Convinced the ones in Dublin are working together to rip people off!
Glad they’re gone! Pain wasn’t too bad after, so don’t be scared. Get them out if you need to. Well worth it!
My criticism of dentists is the they have NO after hours service. Also, I hate dentists with bad breath and those that pull your lips with tools and rubber gloves as thought they were inanimate. Some are too mean to put a petroleum jelly on them.
Great dental services here in Canada. Employer provides extended health benefits which includes dental. Got 25 grands worth of work last year didn’t pay a penny. Sweeet!
Too expensive!
600 on a filling, removal of a filling and root canal all on the one tooth.. Dentist mentions a cleaning.. My response was wait till my bank account recovers.. Now I won’t have to! Any ideas when it’s effective from ?
I go twice a year. I used to be terrified but it was putting it off which made it worse.
Yes I visited my dentist in Vietnam this year, Portugal last year and Thailand the year before! All better than any service I received here at home and cheaper! Happy days!
Crescent dental Limerick are brilliant !
My local dentist in the open on Saturdays, so I have to take time off work to visit.
The dentist is fine, some people are dramatic. I’ve had braces, wisdom teeth removed and one or two filings over my lifetime doesnt stop me going once a year which is a minimum requirement really to looking after your teeth and gums.
have your say