€165 per filling

NervousNude

I went to a dentist in D4 today and was quoted €165 per filling. These are all largish fillings, and are being done because of decay underneath existing fillings so not particularly straightforward I guess. Unfortunately I've only been working for 20 months so I can't qualify for PRSI cover and I'll have to pay the full whack myself. I really liked the dentist and he spent nearly an hour explaining all my options to me with photos, x-rays etc. I don't mind paying a little extra for this service but €165 seems like a LOT to pay for fillings. I need 3 in total so it's the guts of €500.

I realise that I also pay a little extra for a D4 practice, I understand that he must have higher overheads.

What's the average charge?

kleefarr

Try and get some quotes from the North. Then see if anyone in Dub is prepared to match it or make it worth your while not traveling North.

4Sheets

Stuff him,go up North..if it being said once then its being said a million times on these forums..Dentists in the republic have being riding the gravy train far too long..youd think they where brain surgeons the prices they charge

brian ireland

NervousNude wrote: »

I went to a dentist in D4 today and was quoted €165 per filling. These are all largish fillings, and are being done because of decay underneath existing fillings so not particularly straightforward I guess. Unfortunately I've only been working for 20 months so I can't qualify for PRSI cover and I'll have to pay the full whack myself. I really liked the dentist and he spent nearly an hour explaining all my options to me with photos, x-rays etc. I don't mind paying a little extra for this service but €165 seems like a LOT to pay for fillings. I need 3 in total so it's the guts of €500.

I realise that I also pay a little extra for a D4 practice, I understand that he must have higher overheads.

What's the average charge?

I went to the Czech Republic last year , got two fillings in my front teeth (white). a filling done by an irish dentist removed and fixed, and scaled 86 euro all in. went back this year for a check up. all is ok! back next year for a check up. sorry paid 15 euro for the check up this year

davo10

Before considering 4sheets drivel, perhaps you could post the type of filling your dentist is planning to place, if it is a large composite (white) filling which will require a number of supporting pins, extends over all surfaces of tooth and will take a considerable amount of time to place, then the price is not bad. If it is a straight forward amalgam filling then it is on the high side.

4sheets, what did your last visit to a brain surgeon cost you?

NervousNude

Thanks for the responses.

They are all amalgam (non white) fillings. One is my back molar and requires pins. I can understand that this would be more expensive. The other 2 are straightforward replacement fillings, as the dentists suspects the tooth is decaying underneath the existing filling.

However, he quoted me €165 charge per filling regardless of the differences between them. I rang around a few recommended dentists last week and got some quotes for the same work. The average came in at €250 for all 3 fillings. I then rang the dentist I'd first gone to to find out if there was something particularly specialist about the fillings that these other dentists wouldn't have known about. His answer was "you're paying for me". I don't know what sort of a magic touch his hands have that justify charging €200 extra for 3 fillings, but they won't be going anywhere near my mouth or my pockets.

BryanL

Price varies, before and afters

fiddlemeragged

I had some work done in the city centre recently (Dublin) and paid 90 Euro for a standard amalgum filling (non-white) and 140 for a front tooth white filling.
I was pretty happy with that price as it included a couple of X-rays.

kleefarr

Is €1600 a bit expensive for a replacement screw in tooth?

My brother-in-law is about to pay that for one.

niceirishfella

I had a filling last week - €80.

Frankiestylee

I think I need a check up asap... I'm pretty sure my last filling was €35! :eek:

niceirishfella

Frankiestylee wrote: »

I think I need a check up asap... I'm pretty sure my last filling was €35! :eek:

Yes, you pay €35 and your prsi covers the rest if you are a paye worker.

georgieporgy

What do you think you are paying for when you go for dental treatment? Is it the skill of the operator or the commodity?

You stated in your first post that he spent an hour explaining things to you and that you liked him. Sounds pretty good. He has been upfront and told you that you are paying for his skill. He seems to know the value of his work. The guy/gal down the road also know the value of their work........

If you think all fillings are more or less the same then why do you think the ones in your mouth need replacing?

I hope I don't come accross as argumentative. I'm just talking to you like I would talk to my kids.

NervousNude

georgieporgy wrote: »

What do you think you are paying for when you go for dental treatment? Is it the skill of the operator or the commodity?

You stated in your first post that he spent an hour explaining things to you and that you liked him. Sounds pretty good. He has been upfront and told you that you are paying for his skill. He seems to know the value of his work. The guy/gal down the road also know the value of their work........

If you think all fillings are more or less the same then why do you think the ones in your mouth need replacing?

I hope I don't come accross as argumentative. I'm just talking to you like I would talk to my kids.

Do you need to justify taking €165 per filling out of your kids pocket money?!

I would imagine that the variation in the price of the filling materials doesn't vary half as much as dentist's opinions of themselves. Like I said, I don't mind paying a bit extra for service and skill but how do you quantify what good value is? What I don't want to be paying for is his fancy sofa, polished floor, D4 address and flash car! It's a bit like only buying brand name goods in the belief that because they cost more, they must be better. I'm not going to know until a long way down the road whether or not he's been worth the money.

I would imagine that about 70% of dentist's work is fillings. Therefore, any reputable dentist with a bit of experience must be pretty proficient at them. Seeing as it's not specialist work, how do you justify an extra €200?

The fillings he wants to replace are ones that he suspects have decay underneath them. I've had these for about 10 years now, I don't think this means that they were poor quality fillings to start with.

My problem is that there's just no way to determine the quality before coughing up the money.

georgieporgy

My kids don't listen to me either.

However I do understand your point. It is hard for the consumer to know the difference in quality.

And for all we know the D4 guy may be a real quack.

I think at the end of the day you have to get references from people you know.

BryanL

The other issue is that property in D4 was selling for the highest prices in Europe per square metre, before the tiger was found dead

kimberlyw

have you ever considered going to Poland for your treatment? I've been couple of times myself. It's way cheaper and a service is outstanding!! I can give you their contact details if anyone interested

NervousNude

For the amount of work I need to get done I don't think it's worth travelling abroad. If you included flights and accommodation I reckon I'd save €100 max. I'd pay that to have the convenience of not flying, not being in a strange city, not being on my own afterwards (I'm a serious wimp!) etc.

I've got another recommendation so I'm going to try him. Does anyone know what the chances of getting a copy of my x-rays (for free) off the original dentist are?

georgieporgy

kimberlyw wrote: »

have you ever considered going to Poland for your treatment? I've been couple of times myself. It's way cheaper and a service is outstanding!! I can give you their contact details if anyone interested

I have treated a lot of Polish patients in my office over the past few years when the country was full of them. Invariably they had mouthfuls of really bad dental work which had been done back home before they came to Ireland.
Lots of badly done white fillings (leaking with decay underneath) and LOTS of very bad root canal treatments. They would turn up at my door in great pain and were surprised to hear their teeth were in poor shape.

aero2k

NervousNude wrote: »

Does anyone know what the chances of getting a copy of my x-rays (for free) off the original dentist are?

I had a panoramic X-ray done in Newry in December '08. When I was preparing to meet my Hungarian dentist, they said to bring along a copy. I rang the surgery and they were happy to post me a copy FOC. If you've paid for it, I don't see why they shouldn't give it to you.
I try to minimise the amount of x-rays I get.

davo10

If x-ray is digital, it is no problem to print a copy off or email it to a patient. If it is a film, they must be sent to a film copying laboratory which takes time and is expensive. it is unlikely that your dentist will give you the original as it forms part of your clinical chart and the basis on which a particular treatment may have been provided.

Zeppi

I do not want to derail this thread, but I have a question to ask. This is my first time that I need dental attention in this country since I always lived abroad. I have full medical card and I need some small filling to be done, now my question is as follows ....Does every dental clinic accept medical cards or I need to go through the local health center?

thanks,
Zeppi

the-lad

Zeppi only some practices accept med cards, ask when you ring to make an appointment. It also only covers certain treatment options.

Zeppi

thank you for your answer

Fran Costello

There's a guy in Dalkey who's much much cheaper

NervousNude wrote: »

I went to a dentist in D4 today and was quoted €165 per filling. These are all largish fillings, and are being done because of decay underneath existing fillings so not particularly straightforward I guess. Unfortunately I've only been working for 20 months so I can't qualify for PRSI cover and I'll have to pay the full whack myself. I really liked the dentist and he spent nearly an hour explaining all my options to me with photos, x-rays etc. I don't mind paying a little extra for this service but €165 seems like a LOT to pay for fillings. I need 3 in total so it's the guts of €500.

I realise that I also pay a little extra for a D4 practice, I understand that he must have higher overheads.

What's the average charge?

tbh

Fran Costello wrote: »

There's a guy in Dalkey who's much much cheaper

Funnily enough, someone was asking me if I'd seen this show yesterday. Anyway, Fran, if you want to publicise your link, do it in your sig. If you pimp a link again, you'll be sitebanned.

NickyNin

Hi All,

I just got a quote for 130 per filling

Posterior Composite Filling in two molars. The Dentist said they were very small but now was the time to have it done. They are white fillings but that seems really expensive to me. It's in the Dublin City Centre


Anyone know a better quote than this?


Thanks,
Nicky

My parents live in Poland as my dad is working there for the next few years, I got root canal for 60 Euro, and 2 white fillings for 48 Euro.

The dentist I went to for is a brand new place called Sdent, they have much more advanced stuff in their surgery than any dentist ive ever been to in Ireland, and I've never felt so calm and relaxed in the dentist chair!

Its just so cheap because they arent money hungry bastards over there :rolleyes:

BryanL

Just out of interest, how much is a loaf of bread in Poland?

gwhiz

NervousNude wrote: »

I went to a dentist in D4 today and was quoted €165 per filling. These are all largish fillings, and are being done because of decay underneath existing fillings so not particularly straightforward I guess. Unfortunately I've only been working for 20 months so I can't qualify for PRSI cover and I'll have to pay the full whack myself. I really liked the dentist and he spent nearly an hour explaining all my options to me with photos, x-rays etc. I don't mind paying a little extra for this service but €165 seems like a LOT to pay for fillings. I need 3 in total so it's the guts of €500.

I realise that I also pay a little extra for a D4 practice, I understand that he must have higher overheads.

What's the average charge?

I had same type of deep root filing up in Newry for £40 about four weeks go. I can pm you the name of the dentist.
I also got the following work done about three years ago:
10 veneers on top, bottom teeth zoom bleached, a few fillings, two root canals and a crown for £3,000stg. The exchange was really bad at the time but it was still worth it. Dentists are rip off merchants in Dublin. :mad:

Morlar

gwhiz wrote: »

Dentists are rip off merchants in Dublin. :mad:

Couldn't agree more. Does anyone know are Polish Dental qualifications recognised here ? Is there a reason why more of them do not come over here to setup shop ?

gwhiz

Morlar wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. Does anyone know are Polish Dental qualifications recognised here ? Is there a reason why more of them do not come over here to setup shop ?

I don't know if their qualifications are recognised here. I know dentists from Hungary are always advertising consultations here trying to get people to fly over and have there dental work done over there. Supposed to be really really cheap especially for dental surgery ie. implants etc. The only qualm I would have about this is the aftercare. If there is a problem, you will have to book flights and accommodation to go back, time off work etc etc... more hassle than it's worth for me.

georgieporgy

Morlar wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. Does anyone know are Polish Dental qualifications recognised here ? Is there a reason why more of them do not come over here to setup shop ?

Yep there are Polish dentists practising in Ireland (and some other european nationals also). Guess what fees they charge over here:cool:

nesf

Morlar wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. Does anyone know are Polish Dental qualifications recognised here ? Is there a reason why more of them do not come over here to setup shop ?

I'm fairly sure that if you adjusted the price of dental treatment there to account for the average wage there you'd find that the prices in Ireland and Poland match up if you take into account the currency differentials.

netwhizkid

niceirishfella wrote: »

I had a filling last week - €80.

Yeah, I got a composite (white) filling to my upper Wisdom tooth today and paid €80 for it, it was fairly painless and I was very impressed by my Irish Dentist and she definitely knew her stuff and was friendly polite and courteous. I can't say Dental Tourism is something I'd ever do tbh.

ani_mal

every 6 months I fly over to Poland for check up and all work that need to be done. My dentist over there charges 50 PLN (about 12 euro) for cleaning, then 100 pln for fluor to be put on my teeth for extra protection (around 25Euro) and any fillings starts from 60 -120 pln (13Euro-27Euro)

fly over to capital city (Warsaw) costs me 150 Euro, buses (60 cents) or taxi (from 12-20 euro) to city center.

Anyways, I recommend if someone has more then 1 thing to be done.

BryanL

It sounds like your paying €187 to have your teeth cleaned?

It's be cheaper and easier to spend the €150 from your flight on an exam and cleaning in Ireland and you'd have money left in your pocket!

ani_mal

I mentioned that in case you travel there often.
besides if you are looking for extraction normal dentist can do it so.- you dont need a surgeon to do so, unless it's your eight tooth, and it is complicated, then proper arrangements are made and price is bit higher.(exam is done before extraction) -and at my dentist it costs 60 polish zloty (14 euro) of course you get dental anaesthesia in the price.

however the unconvinient thing is that in case of persistent or too long pain you would have to pay again for flight. which I agree might be expensive.
but the good thing is that you can do some good shopping as everything in Poland is much cheaper then in Ireland and choice of clothes is much bigger.and you don't need to stay in fancy hotel where they charge you 80euro per night, you can choose from appartments/rooms to rent from around 40Euro in city center.

pauloc

ani_mal wrote: »

I mentioned that in case you travel there often.
besides if you are looking for extraction normal dentist can do it so.- you dont need a surgeon to do so, unless it's your eight tooth, and it is complicated, then proper arrangements are made and price is bit higher.(exam is done before extraction) -and at my dentist it costs 60 polish zloty (14 euro) of course you get dental anaesthesia in the price.

however the unconvinient thing is that in case of persistent or too long pain you would have to pay again for flight. which I agree might be expensive.
but the good thing is that you can do some good shopping as everything in Poland is much cheaper then in Ireland and choice of clothes is much bigger.and you don't need to stay in fancy hotel where they charge you 80euro per night, you can choose from appartments/rooms to rent from around 40Euro in city center.

Hi
Could you PM me the contact details for the dentist you had in Poland.
Cheers

btkm8unsl0w5r4

ani_mal wrote: »

I mentioned that in case you travel there often.
besides if you are looking for extraction normal dentist can do it so.- you dont need a surgeon to do so, unless it's your eight tooth, and it is complicated, then proper arrangements are made and price is bit higher.(exam is done before extraction) -and at my dentist it costs 60 polish zloty (14 euro) of course you get dental anaesthesia in the price.

however the unconvinient thing is that in case of persistent or too long pain you would have to pay again for flight. which I agree might be expensive.
but the good thing is that you can do some good shopping as everything in Poland is much cheaper then in Ireland and choice of clothes is much bigger.and you don't need to stay in fancy hotel where they charge you 80euro per night, you can choose from appartments/rooms to rent from around 40Euro in city center.

Most people in Ireland who pay PRSI are entitled to this for free twice a year with their irish family dentist, who is a small business person, employing staff, and adding to the economy of your local town. Flying to poland for a check up is insane, Most dentist would charge around 60-80 euro for that treatment that if it was fully private.

ani_mal

of course they are entitled, but denstists do not say that, and you would be suprised how many people don't know about that.

anyways, I mentioned that going overseas is only a good deal when you have something more but cleaning to be done, and also you can do some shopping as well, because clothes are cheaper and much more choice of stores.

Big_G

ani_mal wrote: »

of course they are entitled, but denstists do not say that, and you would be suprised how many people don't know about that.

Wrong. Just plain wrong. You don't know what you are talking about. Sweeping generalisations.

Every patient in the practice I work in gets asked for their prsi details to check if they are qualified under the scheme even though it is the patient's responsibility to find out their entitlements.

I'm not surprised about how many people don't know about the scheme. Nor am I surprised about how many people get annoyed when they find out they are not qualified and how much more annoyed they are when they find out it is not the fault of the dentist. That it is their responsibility. That their sense of entitlement has been insulted.

I'm beginning to see the positive side of the scheme being abolished. All the man hours saved on processing forms and checking patients entitlements for them free of charge.:cool:

btkm8unsl0w5r4

ani_mal wrote: »

of course they are entitled, but denstists do not say that, and you would be suprised how many people don't know about that.

You be supprised how many people think getting cheap, fast and nasty dentistry done while on holidays is a good idea too. :rolleyes:

Every dentist I know who participates in the PRSI scheme, ALWAYS asks or finds out if you are entitled to some benefit. What you are saying is just plain wrong.

Big_G

Just had a patient in who went to bulgaria 4 years ago for extensive treatment. What I saw yesterday was nothing short of assault, this patient will be in dentures in 6 months. He has been back once to the same dentist with pain (which I diagnosed as an infected tooth). The dentist gave him antibiotics and told him he would be fine.

One of two things happened. The dentist either didn't diagnose the problem (which was obvious and probably caused by him in the first place) or worse knew and subsequently lied to the patient.

If that was here in this country the dentist would be sued off the face of the earth and face disciplinary action from the Dental Council.

Stheno

I'd a series of fillings and root canals last year with a dentist in the IFSC and the fillings all cost at least €140 they were all white fillings, and some needed pins in the big back teeth (sorry I don't know the dental terms)

Anyhow I was happy to pay (one root canal was €750, another of those big back teeth) as I was so dentist phobic prior to seeing this dentist that even after I saw him, my phobia of fillings kept me cancelling appointments for over a year and a half (and doubtless adding to the work needed )and finally I got in there.

To me, the expense was well worth it, he did a fantastic job, when I had a problem with one of the root canals, he redid the entire procedure free of charge, he's also consulted with my orthodontist on my behalf, so overall the value for me in paying for my dentist is him as a dentist, yes others could do the same work, but few could actually get me to be a willing and happy patient.

I've dental insurance however which covered a fair whack of the cost.

ani_mal

fitzgeme and Big G... you think I am wrong.. fair enough

but I can show you at least 20 ppl I met not long ago, that they weren't aweare of this. Even my Irish partner, not mentioning myself!! loads of foreigners that come here for work don't know this.

so either dentists are a liers or I don't know the dentists you know.

tbh

ani_mal wrote: »

fitzgeme and Big G... you think I am wrong.. fair enough

but I can show you at least 20 ppl I met not long ago, that they weren't aweare of this. Even my Irish partner, not mentioning myself!! loads of foreigners that come here for work don't know this.

so either dentists are a liers or I don't know the dentists you know.

ah come on ffs, you can't make a generalisation like that. Either you are wrong, or all dentists are liars?

I don't know either of the two dentists you're talking to, but when I went to the dentist they took my PRSI number and I didn't even have to pay - they claimed it directly.

You're making the mistake of assuming that your experience is mirrored everywhere in society, and it isn't. I would say most people know that some dental treatments are covered by PRSI anyway, and if they don't, they are usually told.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

ani_mal wrote: »

fitzgeme and Big G... you think I am wrong.. fair enough

but I can show you at least 20 ppl I met not long ago, that they weren't aware of this. Even my Irish partner, not mentioning myself!! loads of foreigners that come here for work don't know this.

so either dentists are a liars or I don't know the dentists you know.

I am assuming from your post, correct me if I am wrong, that you are not Irish and most of the people you asked are not Irish. PRSI benefit is for people will many years paying PRSI and I would suggest that such a population sample might not all be entitled. However 80% of the Irish workforce are. It is in the dentists interest to ask as it is revenue for them.

To see if you are entitled check here
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW24/Pages/2HowdoIqualify.aspx

Also An board Snip have their eye fixed on abolishing this benefit. This is a disaster for patients and dentists (who lets not forget are small businesses and employ people in nearly every town in ireland).

ODD-JOB

ani_mal wrote: »

of course they are entitled, but denstists do not say that, and you would be suprised how many people don't know about that.

agreed

NervousNude

OP here, just wanted to follow this up. I finally got around to getting this work done. I shopped around and went to a reputable dentist, still in Dublin city centre. It cost me €500 instead of the €700 odd I was quoted by the first guy. I also got white instead of silver fillings for this price. I'm happy with the quality of work, so far anyway. It still left a MASSIVE hole in my pocket but I feel slightly less ripped off!

Just goes to show it does pay to shop around....

White_Feather

Every single dentist that I have gone too have always asked for my PRSI number when making an appointment.

Yes, dental treatment in this country is expensive, but I would rather pay that extra few bob to somebody that I know I can return to easily if I have a problem, who is qualified and knows what they are doing.

I would never put my foot over to these foreign countries to get my teeth worked on. I am not saying that dentists operating in these countries are not qualified, just that they might not be qualified to the level of irish dentists. Would not like a butcher working on my teeth!!! :eek: