Medical card holder entitlements

nd

Hi I'm a medcial card holder and was at the dentist today. He told me the medical card only covers two fillings(I apparently need 7) and also does not cover x rays.

I'm wondering is this the case with all dentists or might this be specific to denstists who may not be participating "fuly" in w/e goverment schemes. Does anyone know if this restriction applies to all dentists?

I should have asked him but i'm also wondering if I get two fillings now, can I get another 2 in 6 monmths or a year ect(if I still have a medicxal card)?

Thanks.

trixie_belle12

The medical card now entitles you to very little with regards to any dental treatment.

This is across the board unfortunately. You can't even get a cleaning done anymore!
:rolleyes:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/dental_aural_and_optical_services/

DubMam

yeh our lovely government cut the entitlements right back:rolleyes:
if you get 2 fillings now u can get another to in a year from the date of the first 2...if that makes sense!

cmbutterfly45

i was at dentist recently too she told me u can get two fillings a year so u could get 2 now and 2 in january

davo10

cmbutterfly45 wrote: »

i was at dentist recently too she told me u can get two fillings a year so u could get 2 now and 2 in january

Afraid not, it is two fillings within a twelve month time period from date on claim form, not per calender year. In case you are considering going from one dentist to another having 2 fillings, each dentist checks with HSE to see if patient is eligible to have fillings, they will be told if you have had fillings within the lst 12 months.

This is a shocking situation and it amazes me that more fuss was not made by the public when these changes were announced in April. Incidently the same restrictions apply to dentists working in the Health Boards for the treatment of children, i.e each child can only have 2 fillings per year even if they need more.

DaveTwenty7

nd wrote: »

I'm wondering is this the case with all dentists or might this be specific to denstists who may not be participating "fuly" in w/e goverment schemes. Does anyone know if this restriction applies to all dentists?

Thanks.

Only two dentists that can do all the old treatments - Dr James Turner, Co Wicklow and Dr Martin Reid, Co Donegal - They were granted interlocutory injunctions in June restraining the introduction of the scheme pending the case, which is set to begin on December 7th.

flahavaj

davo10 wrote: »

Afraid not, it is two fillings within a twelve month time period from date on claim form, not per calender year. In case you are considering going from one dentist to another having 2 fillings, each dentist checks with HSE to see if patient is eligible to have fillings, they will be told if you have had fillings within the lst 12 months.

This is a shocking situation and it amazes me that more fuss was not made by the public when these changes were announced in April. Incidently the same restrictions apply to dentists working in the Health Boards for the treatment of children, i.e each child can only have 2 fillings per year even if they need more.

Unless I've misunderstood you badly this isn't true at all.

davo10

Flahavaj I have a friend who works in the HSE and he was instructed by his principal that irrespective of age, they were only to provide two fillings per patient. The Irish Times got hold of a letter sent by this principal to the HSE dentists which outlined this policy and they published an article about it a couple of months ago. This stratagy as applied to children has been confirmed by a number of parents who have visited my clinic, though I am not in the HSE scheme I will however bow to your superior knowledge on this matter.

Perhaps you would see your way clear as a HSE employee to post an informative and exact account of the entitlements of med card patients and perhaps comment on the level of conservative/restorative treatments you carry out as opposed to emergency treatments.

Lastly if a five year old child and their mother/father attended your clinic with cavities in their teeth, would you fill them to prevent them having pain/abcess/early loss?

flahavaj

davo10 wrote: »

Flahavaj I have a friend who works in the HSE and he was instructed by his principal that irrespective of age, they were only to provide two fillings per patient. The Irish Times got hold of a letter sent by this principal to the HSE dentists which outlined this policy and they published an article about it a couple of months ago. This stratagy as applied to children has been confirmed by a number of parents who have visited my clinic, though I am not in the HSE scheme I will however bow to your superior knowledge on this matter.

Definitely not the case in our area or any other are that I am aware of anyway. It certainly isn't a HSE wide policy - maybe a local measure brouht out by a principal in a particular area. Seems bizarre to me. Have you a link to the Irish Times article? Could you be confusing it with the recent little furore that made the papers regarding restoration of primary teeth which is a different story entirely?

Perhaps you would see your way clear as a HSE employee to post an informative and exact account of the entitlements of med card patients and perhaps comment on the level of conservative/restorative treatments you carry out as opposed to emergency treatments.

All I know about medical card patients is what has been posted already about the cuts to the service and being allowed two fillings per year. As far as I know no such sanctions apply to children treated in the public srvice. It would make no sense at all to me to limit dentists who are salaried to two fillings per patient. How would that save money? At least with the MC you can see how it saves a few bob what with the pot having being reduced to 2008 levels.

As for emergencies vs routine treatment, its very hard to quantify. The area I'm in has been reasonably well staffed and I feel we are well on top of thing -we aren't overrun with emergencies and would cary out far far more routine treatments.

Lastly if a five year old child and their mother/father attended your clinic with cavities in their teeth, would you fill them to prevent them having pain/abcess/early loss?

HSE policy is not to routine restore asymptomatic primary caries. We had a long thread discussing this recently.

davo10

So what you are saying is that I was wrong to post that the HSE will only fill two teeth, in fact you will not fill/extract ANY teeth unless the child is in pain/has an abcess?.

Fentdog84

Two fillings a year, not much wrong with that IMO, unless you eat a lot of sticky sweets, you shouldnt be needing more than two a year. As for the dental clean, ever hear of a toothbrush?

trixie_belle12

Fentdog84 wrote: »

Two fillings a year, not much wrong with that IMO, unless you eat a lot of sticky sweets, you shouldnt be needing more than
two a year.

As for the dental clean, ever hear of a toothbrush?

how lovely your life must be in a perfect world...

different kind of cleaning.

flahavaj

Primary teeth davo, as we have discussed at length before, are treated on a symptomatic basis for the most part.

There is no restriction on filling of permanent teeth - if a patient under 16 needs 6 permanent teeth filled that can and will be one - a opposed to the MC where the restriction is 2 at the most.

ballsymchugh

trixie_belle12 wrote: »

how lovely your life must be in a perfect world...

different kind of cleaning.

he has a point. basic oral hygiene is not difficult.

trixie_belle12

ballsymchugh wrote: »

he has a point. basic oral hygiene is not difficult.

not arguing that but teeth do have the habit of staining/plaque build up which usually requires a dental visit..

ballsymchugh

trixie_belle12 wrote: »

not arguing that but teeth do have the habit of staining/plaque build up which usually requires a dental visit..

prevention is better (and cheaper) than the cure.

trixie_belle12

ballsymchugh wrote: »

prevention is better (and cheaper) than the cure.

but not always sufficient

flahavaj

trixie_belle12 wrote: »

but not always sufficient

Perhaps then the preventive methods in question aren't being applied adequately.;)

cmbutterfly45

davo10 wrote: »

Afraid not, it is two fillings within a twelve month time period from date on claim form, not per calender year. In case you are considering going from one dentist to another having 2 fillings, each dentist checks with HSE to see if patient is eligible to have fillings, they will be told if you have had fillings within the lst 12 months.

This is a shocking situation and it amazes me that more fuss was not made by the public when these changes were announced in April. Incidently the same restrictions apply to dentists working in the Health Boards for the treatment of children, i.e each child can only have 2 fillings per year even if they need more.

sorry if i was wrong am starting to wonder now if my dentist is aware of it because i was with her last week and am getting 3 fillings two before christmas and one in january ........ am very confused now???

DaveTwenty7

cmbutterfly45 wrote: »

sorry if i was wrong am starting to wonder now if my dentist is aware of it because i was with her last week and am getting 3 fillings two before christmas and one in january ........ am very confused now???

The letter circulated to Dentists back in April was very vague and does not say if its 12 months from the day the letter was recieved (ie if I placed a 2 fillings for a patient in April are they still entitled to 2 more?), weather its January 1st to December 31st or 12 months from the date you have your 2 fillings.

Hard as it maybe to believe the HSE has made a bit of a mess of this and no one seems to know anything