Medical Cards - Dental Care?

Ruby_Woo

Does anyone know what the current situation is for Medical Card holders regarding dental treatment?

I'm after chipping a tooth and after ringing around a few dentists to get an appointment I was told that as of today (Yes, just my luck!) that medical cards will no longer cover any dental treatment - it appears that dentists received a letter to this effect today from the HSE..

Does anyone have any further info on this?

Thanks

Xiney

I read something in the indo to that effect a couple months back.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/dentists-told-take-cheaper-option-and-pull-more-teeth-2108840.html

itsonlywords

Ruby_Woo wrote: »

Does anyone know what the current situation is for Medical Card holders regarding dental treatment?

I'm after chipping a tooth and after ringing around a few dentists to get an appointment I was told that as of today (Yes, just my luck!) that medical cards will no longer cover any dental treatment - it appears that dentists received a letter to this effect today from the HSE..

Does anyone have any further info on this?

Thanks

Yes it is true. I called my dentist today and he verified it. Emergencies only. No dentures, fillings, cleaning etc. Harneys attitude you are proleterian and so beg. Harney should change her name to Marie Antoinette of "Let them eat cake"
Bet she stays as fat as ever with her huge salary and her husbands who was boss of Fás once. Bet her hairdo's are not reduced. God I hate that lot. Time for a new party to throw this mob in the river. The cops will get what they demand as will all the public service but the poor and vunerable will still be s**t on.Next budget will see poor further "punished". Time to rise up people.

itsonlywords

Ruby_Woo wrote: »

Does anyone know what the current situation is for Medical Card holders regarding dental treatment?

I'm after chipping a tooth and after ringing around a few dentists to get an appointment I was told that as of today (Yes, just my luck!) that medical cards will no longer cover any dental treatment - it appears that dentists received a letter to this effect today from the HSE..

Does anyone have any further info on this?

Thanks

http://www.independent.ie/health/latest-news/holders-of-medical-card-wont--get-routine-dental-care-2158977.html

vampire of kilmainham

itsonlywords wrote: »

Yes it is true. I called my dentist today and he verified it. Emergencies only. No dentures, fillings, cleaning etc. Harneys attitude you are proleterian and so beg. Harney should change her name to Marie Antoinette of "Let them eat cake"
Bet she stays as fat as ever with her huge salary and her husbands who was boss of Fás once. Bet her hairdo's are not reduced. God I hate that lot. Time for a new party to throw this mob in the river. The cops will get what they demand as will all the public service but the poor and vunerable will still be s**t on.Next budget will see poor further "punished". Time to rise up people.

i totally aggree with you the goverment are a right shower of fat cats who dont give a dam about any of us they are on a different wavelength to us ordinary folk it's allways been the same as for voting them out and bringing in any other govermant well as far as iam conserned they are all the same iv seen other goverments performances in past yrs and found they werent any better power and big saleries is all they are after.

caramel0

This is a joke. I believed this country to have a democratic approach, which means its people have to be consulted, but no. They tell us what to do and not the other way around.
Well now they will get their emergencies, people who cannot pay for their dental care, like myself, will wait till their teeth fall out and then they will get the care for free.
Minister for health, she is a f**king picture of unhealth and the only one she cares for is her fat ass. This woman does not care for anyone's health. Her days in the government are numbered.

itsonlywords

caramel0 wrote: »

This is a joke. I believed this country to have a democratic approach, which means its people have to be consulted, but no. They tell us what to do and not the other way around.
Well now they will get their emergencies, people who cannot pay for their dental care, like myself, will wait till their teeth fall out and then they will get the care for free.
Minister for health, she is a f**king picture of unhealth and the only one she cares for is her fat ass. This woman does not care for anyone's health. Her days in the government are numbered.

Well fat arse Harney has history. Her now husband was appointed as the DG of Fás and how much he made from it we will never know. How many haircuts did he authorise for her during his term there? She has no party now as the PD's are disbanded as the people spoke and rejected them as ultra right wing. Prepare yourselves for what comes next. Medical cards will be restricted further, prescription charges will raise to 2 or 3 Euros per item, numnber of visits to doctors limited. That woman and FF are anti working class and people who are unfortunate enough to have lost their jobs because of FF corruption.They cost us our jobs and now it is double whammy when they further cut our benefits that we paid for for many years. Only 2 partys' now who care for ordinary people and that seems to be Labour and SF. Waiting to see FF arrive at my door for next local election to replace Cullen the waster, or the general election. Hope they are wearing their armour as I will not be responsible for what I do to the crooks

CreamCrackers

The last time I went to the dentist I went to the orthodontic unit in the Louth County Hospital. I want to book an appointment but Im not sure what my dentist's name is (its been a while) or if the unit is still open because of the current closing of the hospital. I also dont know what number to call if it is still open. If its not do I just book an appointment with another clinic? How does changing dentists work? Any advice is greatly appreciated as always!

coco200066

Wow that sucks...I just got my medical card and I desperately need to get some work done!

If anyone hears any updates on this please post.

mary55

Hey I went to the dentist yesterday and I got a filling done without any charge as I have a medical card and it wasn't an emergency situation. I say ring around a few more dentists.

gustafo

mary55 wrote: »

Hey I went to the dentist yesterday and I got a filling done without any charge as I have a medical card and it wasn't an emergency situation. I say ring around a few more dentists.

Hey and i also went lastweek for a cleaning and i wasn't charged but saying that the appointment was booked with 6 months since my last cleaning, so maybe they left me off seeing that it was booked before the changes came in

mp3ireland2

I went last week, got 2 fillings for free... just booked it the day before. Had to pay for a cleaning and have to pay for my next two fillings..... She said I only get two free a year.... Hang on just thinking if I went to a different dentist could I get another two free? or whats the story does anybody know?

davo10

mp3 I'm afraid its not as simple as that. When you visit a dentist and present your med card number, the receptionist always contacts the local HB office to confirm eligibility, name and address, also approval must now be sought from the HSE. If you have fillings in one clinic then go to another and do not inform them, the dentist will be notified on his payment schedule the following month that you were not entitled to have more fillings done as another dentist has already been paid for 2.
Now 2 things will happen, the HB who provided the card to you will be informed and this may have consequences regarding your med card, and secondly the dentist will be pissed off and will without a shadow of a doubt follow you via debt collectors/small claims.
If you want to do something about this, write to your TD and inform him of your situation and the effect their cost cutting is having on your health. In case you think this is just an issue with high street dentists, the HSE has imposed the same cuts on their own Health Board dentists who work with kids, imagine that, a child/elderly/sick person needs 4 fillings, the parent brings him/her to a health board dentist and is told they can only do 2 this year and 2 more next year.

mp3ireland2

davo10 wrote: »

mp3 I'm afraid its not as simple as that. When you visit a dentist and present your med card number, the receptionist always contacts the local HB office to confirm eligibility, name and address, also approval must now be sought from the HSE. If you have fillings in one clinic then go to another and do not inform them, the dentist will be notified on his payment schedule the following month that you were not entitled to have more fillings done as another dentist has already been paid for 2.
Now 2 things will happen, the HB who provided the card to you will be informed and this may have consequences regarding your med card, and secondly the dentist will be pissed off and will without a shadow of a doubt follow you via debt collectors/small claims.
If you want to do something about this, write to your TD and inform him of your situation and the effect their cost cutting is having on your health. In case you think this is just an issue with high street dentists, the HSE has imposed the same cuts on their own Health Board dentists who work with kids, imagine that, a child/elderly/sick person needs 4 fillings, the parent brings him/her to a health board dentist and is told they can only do 2 this year and 2 more next year.

Yeah i figured it wasn't that simple so didn't even try! Was jus checking that the 2 fillings thing is standard!

I bit the bullet today (if u pardon the pun) and paid the €120 for the two fillings! Least I didn't need too much done! Although I also paid for a cleaning last week? Did these used to be on the medical card?
I'm new to the medical card myself so was really just checking what the story was!

davo10

It used to cover all treatments which the HSE considered "essential" ie amalgam fills on back teeth, white fillings on front, extractions, dentures, root canal on front teeth etc, it did not cover "cosmetic" treatments like whitening, veneers, crowns, implants etc. The removal of the scheme is idiotic as the people who may need treatment most now have no access to it either with high street dentists nor with the HSE's own dentists.

mary55

Hey just went dentist last week and this week and got 2 fillings havent be charged anything so far as I have medical card. They were 2 white front teeth fillings. Just been reading other posts and from what I can gather does this mean I will have to pay from here on as I can just get 2 fillings a year on the medical card?

Also I thought there was an injuction brought against the HSE preventing them putting these changes through? according to
http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0616/dentists.html. Does this mean the changes have not been implemented yet ? Very confused.

davo10

mary I'm not sure what effect latest developments have had on the scheme but according to todays paper Mary Harney told a represenative from the HSE's own public dentist association to go jump, she was not for turning so just contact your dental clinic in advance of future treatment to find out what your status is.

Tedious Bore

I reckon I go see the dentist every 3 to 4 years maybe, and all i ever get is a checkup and he ends up giving my teeth a good clean, - drilling plaque off I think.

so, is a standard checkup still free on the medical card?

tenchi-fan

Guys, stop slamming the government.

Ultimately this will drive down the cost of dental care.
I know it will be difficult for some, but a lot of welfare recipients have a good bit of discretionary income.

tommy21

tenchi-fan wrote: »

a lot of welfare recipients have a good bit of discretionary income.

Back this up please.

tenchi-fan

tommy21 wrote: »

Back this up please.

do you want me to start naming people?

tommy21

tenchi-fan wrote: »

do you want me to start naming people?

Nope just want to know what your basing your statement on - that a lot of people on social welfare have money to spare?

davo10

tenchi, I think you missed the forest for the trees there, over 1.6 million people had their right to free dental treatment removed, if they could afford to pay for dental treatment they would not need a medical card. As for treatment going down in cost, med card treatments were poorly paid for by HSE, the cut in the PRSI scheme had a far greater effect on dental clinics, incidently with that scheme 2 million people lost out on dental benefits which they were already paying for in their monthly PRSI contributions. Stand back a bit and see the bigger picture.

mary55

went to dentist 3 weeks in a row now havent gotton 3 fillings. am on medical card if anyone is interested.

tomo536

I came down with shingles few weeks ago,went to the doctor cost 55 euro to see her.I was put on anti viral tablets for one week they cost 98 euro for seven tablets.Went back week later was put on two other tablets which cost over 200 euro was first of month so cud not claim anythig of the 98 euro had to pay 120 euro for them plus 30 to see the doctor and 10 euro for doctors note for work,and am on flat weeks wages in work ,so struggling to pay morgage and bills.So much for health service.Also every one seems to be taking wage cuts except for doctors,dentists,and chemists for price of medication.(EXCEPT FOR DRUGS PAYMENT SCHEME)

tomo536

vampire of kilmainham wrote: »

i totally aggree with you the goverment are a right shower of fat cats who dont give a dam about any of us they are on a different wavelength to us ordinary folk it's allways been the same as for voting them out and bringing in any other govermant well as far as iam conserned they are all the same iv seen other goverments performances in past yrs and found they werent any better power and big saleries is all they are after.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY WE PAY PRSI CAUSE WE DONT SEEM TO GET ANYTHING FOR IT

tomo536

davo10 wrote: »

tenchi, I think you missed the forest for the trees there, over 1.6 million people had their right to free dental treatment removed, if they could afford to pay for dental treatment they would not need a medical card. As for treatment going down in cost, med card treatments were poorly paid for by HSE, the cut in the PRSI scheme had a far greater effect on dental clinics, incidently with that scheme 2 million people lost out on dental benefits which they were already paying for in their monthly PRSI contributions. Stand back a bit and see the bigger picture.

JUST WHAT ARE WE GETTING FOR PAYING PRSI

Thoie

davo10 wrote: »

tenchi, I think you missed the forest for the trees there, over 1.6 million people had their right to free dental treatment removed, if they could afford to pay for dental treatment they would not need a medical card.

That's not entirely accurate. There are a variety of schemes that entitle people to medical cards without the normal means testing.

I would suspect that the majority of medical card holders do fit your criteria, but certainly not all.

Thoie

tomo536 wrote: »

JUST WHAT ARE WE GETTING FOR PAYING PRSI

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/irish-social-welfare-system/social-insurance-prsi/social_insurance_in_ireland/#howtoapply

davo10

Thoie I accept there are many reasons why people may be entitled to a medical card.
Tomo, not much and in future a whole lot less, it is now a tax in all but name.

dudara

tomo536 wrote: »

JUST WHAT ARE WE GETTING FOR PAYING PRSI

tomo536 - please refrain from using all capitals in your replies, it is the online equivalent of SHOUTING. Also, please try to make useful contributions to the forum.

dudara

blahblah06

Just back from my gp and the receptionist said that i cant get a medical on the medical card I wanted this done amongst a new prespription i needed but she said i had to pay now the reason I have a medical card is because I cant pay. is she correct in what she is saying

hawthorne

Unfortunately all medical card holders do have to pay now for their dental care.
As a medical card patient you have the right to the following free treatments:
a.) One free examination of your dentals per year. Any idiot can do that at home in front of a mirror.
b.) Two emergency fillings per year. NOTE: Emergency fillings only- that is the white stuff which falls out after 24 hours with the first brushing. You have to pay for the real ones yourself.
c.) One emergency extraction per year- means your gums are already half rotten when the doctor does something....
All treatment only at parcitipating dentist- and there are not many around !
This is all what is left for us !
Does anybody remember Mary Harney being on TV sometimes in the end of the ninetees, cheering "Hey- the celtic tiger is here-and it is here to stay. Everybody is getting a job "!
Or the incredible bull**** spin in the news some years back about Ireland overtaking Britain in the standard of living in the year 2010.
It seems to me that we are slowly overtaking countries like Bangladesh or Cambodia in the race to the bottom when it comes to health care.
And who is protesting ? A handfull of people in front of Dail Eireann- the rest is sitting at home whinging teethless.
This what we are deserving people !

tenchi-fan

hawthorne wrote: »

Unfortunately all medical card holders do have to pay now for their dental care.
As a medical card patient you have the right to the following free treatments:
a.) One free examination of your dentals per year. Any idiot can do that at home in front of a mirror.

this isn't true. A dental profession knows what to look out for, not just holes in teeth but also gum disease and possible problems with wisdom teeth, etc.

It could be argued if you take good care of your teeth by avoiding certain food and drink you will not need fillings and extractions.

Ciaram123

Heya can anyone help, every few months i get an infection in my gums which causes a lot of pain.. I was just told by the dentist that its 75 euro just to be seen even though i have a medical card.. Aparantly its free if its an emergency.. Is pain and infection classed as an emergency?? Basically i now have to suffer on with this because i dont have 75 euro to go to the dentist as i am currently out of work with a broken leg.. Can anyone give me some suggestions?? The pain is unreal and painkillers are not helping..

tommy21

Ciaram123 wrote: »

Heya can anyone help, every few months i get an infection in my gums which causes a lot of pain.. I was just told by the dentist that its 75 euro just to be seen even though i have a medical card.. Aparantly its free if its an emergency.. Is pain and infection classed as an emergency?? Basically i now have to suffer on with this because i dont have 75 euro to go to the dentist as i am currently out of work with a broken leg.. Can anyone give me some suggestions?? The pain is unreal and painkillers are not helping..

If the gum looks infected and is causing you pain, I would classify this as an emergency. Ring your dentist and say so - they will ask your symptoms and will decide on that basis.

Failing that/In addition to that, Cordosyl mouthwash will clear up any infection presuming it is not a cavity or a very serious infection.

Ciaram123

tommy21 wrote: »

If the gum looks infected and is causing you pain, I would classify this as an emergency. Ring your dentist and say so - they will ask your symptoms and will decide on that basis.

Failing that/In addition to that, Cordosyl mouthwash will clear up any infection presuming it is not a cavity or a very serious infection.

Was just onto them and was told they can give me a prescription under the medical card but i would need a cleaning too and that would not be covered.. I think i will get the mouthwash.. Thanks a million

tommy21

Ciaram123 wrote: »

Was just onto them and was told they can give me a prescription under the medical card but i would need a cleaning too and that would not be covered.. I think i will get the mouthwash.. Thanks a million

Will they at least provide the prescription without a cleaning? Get in touch with one of the dental hospitals for a clean, you may have to wait months but it will be free. Make sure to change your toothbrush too as this may harbour any infection. Cordosyl is good but it will stain your teeth - read the directions which essentially tell you to be careful around having tannin containing drinks/foods (e.g. tea, coffee, wine) before and after using. If you don't follow this advice, you really will need a proper clean!

hawthorne

My wife got a toothache just on the day before Christmas. She was limbing over the Christmas and phoned an emergency number after the holidays. Needless to say- all dentists were closed until the 4th of January. No help- the nearest treatment center would be in Galway- 80 kms away. Roads full of ice and snow...She managed to get some painkillers from the local pharmacy. Suffered on until the 4th of January when she stormed into the local dentists office. She had to fill out paperwork that all treatment was done to her satisfaction under the medical card sheme- before any treatment was done at all....
The dentist examined her and told her that the reason for her pain was that she would grind her teeth in her sleep. He started to fool around with a drill and took bits and pieces of her back teeth so " that they fit better against each other"(quote) and will give her less pain. He also drilled a little hole in one of the back teeth and gave it a filling. My wife had examined her teeth many times over the Christmas- but never spotted any cavity.
The doctor told her that the pain will be gone in the morning.
But the pain was not gone in the morning- and neither the next or the one after...
So she took the train and travelled 40 kms to another dentist. The dentist listened to her story and took a set of x-rays. He suspected an infection under one of the back teeth and had thoughts about a moving wisdom tooth besides it. My wife got a prescription for some pain killers and antibiotics to clean up a possible infection. She was charged 50 euros for the xrays- the examination was free under the medical card sheme.
She also had to pay for the drugs in the pharmacy.
The days passed by- but in spite of the antibiotics and the pain killers nothing changed. She could not sleep anymore at night due to the pain and was swallowing any painkiller she could get.
So she travelled back to the dentist she had seen last.He told her that it would be the wisdom tooth which is causing all the pain. He refered her to a collegue 20 kms further away and handed her the x-rays taken the last time. No charge this time.
My wife came home, swallowed more pills and travelled the next day 60 kms to the new dentist. He examined her for some minutes, looked at the x-rays his collegue had made and told her that he has to take out the wisdom tooth. This would be an operation under local anesthetic and would cost her between 400 and 500 euros. Plus the aftercare like pulling the stitches,etc.
A date was set for the extraction of the wisdom tooth- next Thursday.
She was also charged 80 euros for the examination.
She came home in bits- and popped more pills she had bought in the pharmacy.
Costs at the moment are about 300 euros- dentist fees, train journeys, taxis, medication. More costs are looming with the operation and travel costs, aftercare, etc hitting probably another 800 euros.
So much about the medical card sheme and the help in an emergency.
Does anybody know any way to solve this thing quick and without this amount of money?
We are living on my illness benefit- which, by the way- has not been paid for some time due to an appeal. I won the appeal- but the department has not resumed payment yet, although the decision in my favour was taken in early December.
Money is very tight...
Any suggestions or help would be very much appreciated !

donegal11

Wisdom tooth removal is free under the medical card and 500 for one tooth extraction seems a little over the top even privately and why do you need stitches? and why did you have to go to another dentist is he not qualified for a tooth extraction??

Your dentist seems to be very tight charging you for x rays during the consultation, my dentist includes it in the free consultation with the medical card. In my opinion your dentists sound like two money grabbers, but in saying that I don't know how specialist the x rays where i.e panoramic or how specialist the extraction is but for 500 euro l think he's taking advantage of your wives pain for his own benefit, thou I could be wrong.You should post this over on dental issues to get a more qualified response.

hawthorne

The second dentist had no equipment for wisdom tooth removal, that's why my wife was refered to the third dentist.
Wisdom tooth removal is not like ordinary tooth removal. The gum has to be cut, parts of the jaw will be cut as well. The wound has to be closed with stitches afterwards- it will be too big to be left open.
X-rays were panoramic- I had a look at the one my wife brought home.
Dentists were never cheap- that's why the medical card sheme was around for people with no or low income...
Thanks for the tip with the dental issues section.

tenchi-fan

hawthorne wrote: »

Dentists were never cheap- that's why the medical card sheme was around for people with no or low income...

... and that's why the dentists were able to put their prices through the roof.

Hundreds of thousands of people popping in to the dentist without any consideration or contribution towards the cost to the taxpayer. The dentists were raking it in.

As the recession bites, dentists will be forced to offer treatment at lower prices.

girlonfire

Hey, I had two fillings in June 2010. I think I need another filling, but I'm wondering if anyone can clarify something for me.
Medical card holders are entitled to two fillings per year free of charge. Is this within the calendar year (Jan-Dec) or is it from the date of the last filling (June-June)?
I'm in a bit of pain (slight) so I'm going to have to get it done regardless. I just wanted a heads up if possible.

Graces7

I came across the new situation re dental treatment when I accidentally broke my lower denture just before Christmas.. to be told that it would cost over E80 for a simple repair.

NB English and the dentures are over 20 years old. And I have, as a disabled pensioner, an Irish medical card.

There seems to be a wide interpretation as to what constitutes emergency treatment. ( I of course had googled it before I set out, teeth in hand and gumming my way along.. with bad indigestion also by then.)

One dental nurse mentioned another practice; the young dentist mentioned that even though he could get over E30 back on the work, he would still be out of pocket.

He had it done as a charity case, free. Deeply grateful for that; would have tried superglue else.

it concerns that they spare no thought for old ones whose teeth are no longer viable and who cannot get dentures at all now; the cost of around E500 is impossible for many. And old ones need a good diet; this is very hard without teeth, and thus other health issues arise.

And care of teeth depends a great deal on good diet.

It is very care - less legislation. OK; so the servce was being over used, but they could have made a better fist of it than this. While still cutting back.

Sad to see folk blaming patients too...

nikkisclearout

Hi all,

Im due to have root canal done on my front tooth on Tuesday, its being done on the medical card as the dentist said that the treatment qualifys as emergency work.
This is great but the problem i have is: I have already had the 2 free fillings on the medical card this year. Now the dentists receptionist rang me yesterday and said that she spoke to the dentist who told her that the root canal is covered by the medical card but that i will have to pay €60 for the filling of the tooth after :eek:??

To my understanding if you are having emergency root canal work done which involves drilling a hole in the tooth to carry out this work then surely filling that hole at the end is all part and parcel of the treatment?

If anyone knows where i stand with this i would appreciate a bit of advice as i have already gotten stung by the same dentist before (went in for one fillling and she did 2 without asking/telling me and got stuck for €65 when i was leaving :mad:)

gustafo

nikkisclearout wrote: »

Hi all,

Im due to have root canal done on my front tooth on Tuesday, its being done on the medical card as the dentist said that the treatment qualifys as emergency work.
This is great but the problem i have is: I have already had the 2 free fillings on the medical card this year. Now the dentists receptionist rang me yesterday and said that she spoke to the dentist who told her that the root canal is covered by the medical card but that i will have to pay €60 for the filling of the tooth after :eek:??

To my understanding if you are having emergency root canal work done which involves drilling a hole in the tooth to carry out this work then surely filling that hole at the end is all part and parcel of the treatment?

If anyone knows where i stand with this i would appreciate a bit of advice as i have already gotten stung by the same dentist before (went in for one fillling and she did 2 without asking/telling me and got stuck for €65 when i was leaving :mad:)

if i was you i wouldn't be complaining to much what would you rather pay 60 or a couple of hundred euro for the root canal?

the medical card has never really covered root canal treatment even in the good times.

nikkisclearout

gustafo wrote: »

if i was you i wouldn't be complaining to much what would you rather pay 60 or a couple of hundred euro for the root canal?

the medical card has never really covered root canal treatment even in the good times.

Hi thanks for your reply, just to clarify though i was not complaining about having to pay, i was wondering if this was common practice or what the situation was as it sounded a bit odd to be honest.

For anyone in the same situation just to let you know i rang the dental benefit section and they said that "of course the filling is covered on the medical card, that is included in the fee that the dentist is being paid to do the root canal"...... guess it pays to double check these things then hey?

davo10

just to clarify a few things about the costs of hawthorn's situation. Wisdom teeth extraction is not routine and few general dentists extract impacted wisdom teeth. The teeth tend to be under the gum encased in bone and quite often are lying sidewards, most importantly the roots of impacted wisdom teeth tend to be in close proximity to the inferior dental nerve which supplies the tongue, lip and teeth. Temporary or permanent damage can be done to this nerve during extractions which can lead to paralysis. This is a surgical procedure rather than a dental procedure so most dentists refer to an Oral Surgeon. Also the €500 may have included general anaesthetic or sedation which requires specialized equipment.

As for the cost of the xray, one of those panoramic x-ray machines costs in the region of €40,000.00 so you cannot expect them to be taken for free.

Incidently Hawthorn your wife would have been entitled to free treatment at a HSE clinic, including extraction by one of their oral surgeons, problem is you would be placed on a waiting list which is approx 1 year in my area.

If you attended this clinic in Enniskillen (http://www.belmoredental.co.uk/fee.htm) where treatment is supposedly cheaper you would have paid £45 for your consultation and £30 for your panoramic xray (£75 = €90)

hawthorne

My wife got the wisdom tooth removed a couple of weeks ago.
We had no choice but to go private. Going for a waiting list would have been too long- a year waiting with continious strong pain was out of the question. Going abroad as mentioned above would have saddled us with a lot of further travelling and accomodation costs.
We paid 520 Euros for the extraction. The service was first class- the doctor phoned us up for the first three days after the operation to ask about any difficulties. He still sends us e-mails asking for updates.
You would not get such a care under the medical card sheme.
The stitches were removed by another dentist working in tandem with the operating doctor under the medical card sheme at no futher costs.It seems to be that the current rules about treatment under the medical card sheme are also up to the decision of the participating dentist. The new rules from the department seem to be strict- but the dentist can have a say in the seriousness of the situation as well and this takes away a bit of the sting of the new rules...
The whole affair has cost us about 850 euros for the operation,x-rays,medicine and travelling,etc.

miss dakota

Hi is there a charge for an x-ray if getting filling on medical card?

hawthorne

miss dakota wrote: »

Hi is there a charge for an x-ray if getting filling on medical card?

Yes- but it is only around 10 euros or so.