Dentist prices !! advice please

ollybally

Hi thank you for reading my first boards post !!!
I am a 32 year old male and recently visited a dentist here in Australia.

I have a tooth which on ocassion can be a wee bit sore also my teeth tend to be a bit sensitive some times plus the fact that i had not seen a dentist in along time made me book an appointment and have a check up which I am aware was long overdue .

The first visit i got an inspection had some x rays done etc and got my teath cleaned . I paid $ 382 dollars for this vist ( aprox 300 euro ).

I was told my teeth need a lot of work !!!! and recieved a quote for the work needed which is attached .

I respect that dentists are very skilled professionals and charge a lot for their services. I have been quoted $ 5205 australian dollars which is approxiametley 4000 euro !!!

I will be returning to Ireland in the next couple of months and am wondering what to do ???
do i A/ pay to have work done in Australia

B/ maybe stop in Thailand on route home

c/ Have the work done in Ireland or the UK

I would really appreciate any advice as cash in scarce in these economic times.
Attached is the quote for remaining work bearing in mind
100 aus dollars = 75 euro approx
thank you !!!!!

mush500

Hi Ollybally

Having worked in Oz as a dentist(publicly) I know how crazy the prices can seem- I believe this is mainly due to close to everyone having medical/insurance whereby the patient never really pays but simply lets the insurance deal with it and this has led to escalated costs.

From a quick scan of your quote- and assuming you do indeed need everything quoted you need 11fillings, 1RCT with a core build up and crown and an extraction.
While there is variation in prices here i would say you should pay no more than an average of 100/tooth to fill so roughly 1100.
A RCT costs 500-800 depending on the practice/dentist and a similar price ranges exists for crowns.
Extractions range from 50-100 usually
So best case scenario you could pay around 2200 here in Ireland

Hope that helps!

Oral Surgeon

ollybally wrote: »

Hi thank you for reading my first boards post !!!
I am a 32 year old male and recently visited a dentist here in Australia.

I have a tooth which on ocassion can be a wee bit sore also my teeth tend to be a bit sensitive some times plus the fact that i had not seen a dentist in along time made me book an appointment and have a check up which I am aware was long overdue .

The first visit i got an inspection had some x rays done etc and got my teath cleaned . I paid $ 382 dollars for this vist ( aprox 300 euro ).

I was told my teeth need a lot of work !!!! and recieved a quote for the work needed which is attached .

I respect that dentists are very skilled professionals and charge a lot for their services. I have been quoted $ 5205 australian dollars which is approxiametley 4000 euro !!!

I will be returning to Ireland in the next couple of months and am wondering what to do ???
do i A/ pay to have work done in Australia

B/ maybe stop in Thailand on route home

c/ Have the work done in Ireland or the UK

I would really appreciate any advice as cash in scarce in these economic times.
Attached is the quote for remaining work bearing in mind
100 aus dollars = 75 euro approx
thank you !!!!!

Oz dentistry is pretty expensive...
A. if you are happy with your dentist and have the money
B. you'd be barking mad to do this, look up " false economy"
C. Depends on how long you are home for... Funny Ireland being considered as the destination for dental tourism.... Oh the irony....

problemchimp

Yesterday my wife visited a dentist just outside Newry in N.I. for the second visit for root canal treatment. So for full root canal treatment, and two fillings on other teeth it cost 375euro. And this included x-rays and a full clean and polish of all teeth. Not bad, cheaper than the South.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Quality, quality, quality that's all that matters. A cheap, fast, root canal is far more likely to fail. I have seem patients with root canals from all over the world, USA, UK, Poland, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy, Russia.....the thing they all have in common is that the ones done fast (see cheap) especially while on holidays (times short, no interim dressing etc) nearly always then to have residual infection. This is most often found as an incidental when I am X-raying another tooth.

There are dentists that specialist in root canal, they cost more but I have rarely seen a specialist root canal going wrong. 375 for the above work is not much cheaper than the south. Infact is not far off my prices, depends on the root canal. The myth of cheaper NI prices still lingers in the Irish mind.

To be honest for every 100 euro you save today you will spend 300 euro when it goes wrong. Quality, quality, quality.

However Oz has the most expensive dentistry going at the moment, there is a boom on there...but the fundamentals are sound you understand

res ipsa

$382 is pretty pricey for a first visit, i had a look at your treatment plan & the treatment prices are not high for oz, at least compared to canberra prices. However you seem to need a lot of fillings done, not every dentist will recommend the same amount of fillings.If you can get copies of the xrays & post then here most of the dentists here would be happy to comment on whether they all are necessary or not. Some dentists are drill happy motivated either by greed or a disregard for anyone else's work but their own.Although xrays dont give all the answers, they give a good indication as to your treatment need. Dentists are more expensive over here in the same way that hotels are more expensive over here, I stayed in the Galway Bay Hotel for 69 euro B&B in march but the hilton in brisbane with no breakfast is costing me $189. Just be glad the petrols cheap:D, tipping 1.70yoyo @ home now I hear:eek:

problemchimp

problemchimp wrote: »

Yesterday my wife visited a dentist just outside Newry in N.I. for the second visit for root canal treatment. So for full root canal treatment, and two fillings on other teeth it cost 375euro. And this included x-rays and a full clean and polish of all teeth. Not bad, cheaper than the South.

This is a dentist we have been using for many years without any problems. My dads family have been using them for over 20 years.

Oral Surgeon

problemchimp wrote: »

problemchimp wrote: »

Yesterday my wife visited a dentist just outside Newry in N.I. for the second visit for root canal treatment. So for full root canal treatment, and two fillings on other teeth it cost 375euro. And this included x-rays and a full clean and polish of all teeth. Not bad, cheaper than the South.

This is a dentist we have been using for many years without any problems. My dads family have been using them for over 20 years.

Really??!! How can you tell that it the same dentist??

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Seriously what does your wife's dentist have to do with the op,s problem? If its convent for her then that's great, if your spending 50 on travel and a day off your mental you can get it as cheap closer to home. However the cheapest dental work is rarely the best, and compromising on quality is rarely something to brag about. In the u.s people brag about how good their dentist is " oh yeah dr. X is fantastic, expensive mind you but great" in Ireland it " went to some chap, don't know his name, traveled 4 hours and he is 100 cheaper, don't give a crap about the quality of the work "

ollybally

Excellent thank you for all the replies
Australia is a non runner as just too expensive.
so is Thailand real a false economy surley their dentists are qualified and fit to do the task??
I have a sister that had her teeth polished and cleaned in bangkok a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the treatment and the service .

I am still uncertain what to do Ireland / U.k or am a taking a risk with Thailand !!!
Happy Easter all !!!

ollybally

Thank you your reply is very informative much appreciated

helimachoptor

Op there is a massive difference between a cleaning and what's on your list.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

OP if you wont drink the water from the tap done have medical proceedures done. Trite but true. Holiday dental tourism is never a good idea. Your not going to get ten quality fillings in a couple of visits. If you really believed that standards were the same you wouldnt even ask.

peggie

Hi OP
where you get treatment it entirely up to you, you have suggestions and advice from others. personally i think that if you have a dentist in ireland and you have time while home talk to them before you come home and make a plan for the work to be carried out over your time frame.

i would like to add a little suggestion- time to think prevention. if you plan to be in oz longterm expensive dental care is going to be your reality as its not always feasible to travel home for cheaper treatment- so as the old saying goes prevention is better than cure!

first prevention of pain- seems like you may wait a few months before accessing treatment- it may be worth asking your dentist are any of these teeth likely to cause pain/infection in short term- if so while treatment is expensive it may be worth getting one or two done now, even as temporary fillings, rather than the teeth getting worse and the treatment bigger and more expensive

secondly i would suggest prevention of further decay
consider the following...
are you brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste?
do you floss daily?
if answer is no- start, a fluoride mouthrinse may be worth considering

also-do you snack frequently on sugary food/ drink sugar containing drinks frequently? (more than 3 times a day would be considered frequent)
if yes- cut down-
water is safest for your teeth, have something sweet after a meal rather than in between meals

are you sucking mints for bad breath?- switch to sugar free mints or sugar free chewing gum

best of luck,
peg

digzy

have to say how ironic it was over the xmas hols, all the lads home from oz getting their intense dental work sorted over 2 weeks. was telling me that where he was it took 1 day to get to a dentist and an extraction was about 200 yo's!

i wonder if the aussie dentists are giving out yards about 'cheapo' irish dentistry!

complicit

I'm not a dentist OP but
1. Aussie dentists are a rip off so forget about that
2. You may not need all of those fillings as dentists have been known to do unnecessary work
Thailand is fine as long as you pick your clinic carefully
But Irish dentists are a safer bet and better value than Australia .

All of this is just my opinions mind .

dory

Dexter Blue Numerical wrote: »

OP if you wont drink the water from the tap done have medical proceedures done.

Racist much? I wouldn't drink the water in Spain, but that doesn't mean I'd insult their medical professionals.

OP, asking on this board is like asking a plumber if you should fix the tap yourself or call him out. As long as you're not rushing and trying to get everything done in a week I don't see a problem. I've lived all over the world. Haven't been to an Irish dentist since 2003. I gave up on them because of price/terrible quality. Couldn't be happier with my Hungarian dentist (who incidentally has a clinic in Cork once a month in case anyone would like to get anti-Hungarian).

btkm8unsl0w5r4

dory wrote: »

Racist much? I wouldn't drink the water in Spain, but that doesn't mean I'd insult their medical professionals.

OP, asking on this board is like asking a plumber if you should fix the tap yourself or call him out. As long as you're not rushing and trying to get everything done in a week I don't see a problem. I've lived all over the world. Haven't been to an Irish dentist since 2003. I gave up on them because of price/terrible quality. Couldn't be happier with my Hungarian dentist (who incidentally has a clinic in Cork once a month in case anyone would like to get anti-Hungarian).

Thats great, what would I know, only see about 50 cases a year personally of botched dental tourism. Only write about 10 legal reports a year. You cannot get quality dental work in a rush on holidays. Have about 10 documented cases posted here on boards. If he is one of the dentists that has done some of the terrible things I have seen then I would love to have a few choice words with him. Tell him to come on boards and defend himself against the archive of evidence I have on record, he can come to my clinic and I am sure I have one of two of his patients on file.

helimachoptor

dory wrote: »

Racist much? I wouldn't drink the water in Spain, but that doesn't mean I'd insult their medical professionals.

OP, asking on this board is like asking a plumber if you should fix the tap yourself or call him out. As long as you're not rushing and trying to get everything done in a week I don't see a problem. I've lived all over the world. Haven't been to an Irish dentist since 2003. I gave up on them because of price/terrible quality. Couldn't be happier with my Hungarian dentist (who incidentally has a clinic in Cork once a month in case anyone would like to get anti-Hungarian).

What happens if he leaves on the monday and you have a serious issue on the Tuesday?
Do you fly to Hungary or would he fly back?
This is a serious question btw

dory

Dexter Blue Numerical wrote: »

Thats great, what would I know, only see about 50 cases a year personally of botched dental tourism. Only write about 10 legal reports a year. You cannot get quality dental work in a rush on holidays. Have about 10 documented cases posted here on boards. If he is one of the dentists that has done some of the terrible things I have seen then I would love to have a few choice words with him. Tell him to come on boards and defend himself against the archive of evidence I have on record, he can come to my clinic and I am sure I have one of two of his patients on file.

There are two things here. One is a quick - 5 crowns in a week holiday. The other is all dentists in other countries. I think we agree that No. 1 is bad. But to insult every dentist in a country in which you cannot drink the water (ie less well off countries) is just not on.

Myself and mother are two cases of botched dentistry in Ireland. I wouldn't tar you all with one brush. I will however avoid you for the rest of my life.

helimachoptor wrote: »

What happens if he leaves on the monday and you have a serious issue on the Tuesday?
Do you fly to Hungary or would he fly back?
This is a serious question btw

I have weighed up the pros and cons and for me having a dentist qualified outside of Ireland is worth not being able to go to them at the drop of a hat. I could go to an Irish dentist if I needed to. But I will not. Newry for orthodontic treatment, Budapest for all other dental work.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Dory you sound like an ideal candidate for dental tourism. Best of luck with it.

Big_G

dory wrote: »

There are two things here. One is a quick - 5 crowns in a week holiday. The other is all dentists in other countries. I think we agree that No. 1 is bad. But to insult every dentist in a country in which you cannot drink the water (ie less well off countries) is just not on.

Myself and mother are two cases of botched dentistry in Ireland. I wouldn't tar you all with one brush. I will however avoid you for the rest of my life.



I have weighed up the pros and cons and for me having a dentist qualified outside of Ireland is worth not being able to go to them at the drop of a hat. I could go to an Irish dentist if I needed to. But I will not. Newry for orthodontic treatment, Budapest for all other dental work.

By saying you will never attend an Irish dentist again, you are tarring us all with same brush:rolleyes:

bladed

Dexter Blue Numerical wrote: »

Quality, quality, quality that's all that matters. A cheap, fast, root canal is far more likely to fail. I have seem patients with root canals from all over the world, USA, UK, Poland, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy, Russia.....the thing they all have in common is that the ones done fast (see cheap) especially while on holidays (times short, no interim dressing etc) nearly always then to have residual infection. This is most often found as an incidental when I am X-raying another tooth.

There are dentists that specialist in root canal, they cost more but I have rarely seen a specialist root canal going wrong. 375 for the above work is not much cheaper than the south. Infact is not far off my prices, depends on the root canal. The myth of cheaper NI prices still lingers in the Irish mind.

To be honest for every 100 euro you save today you will spend 300 euro when it goes wrong. Quality, quality, quality.

However Oz has the most expensive dentistry going at the moment, there is a boom on there...but the fundamentals are sound you understand

so according to you, the rep of ire is the only country capable of producing dentists to do this work properly?:rolleyes:

this wouldnt just be scaremongering to try and stop ppl from going up North? :rolleyes:

biased much...............

btkm8unsl0w5r4

This thread is nearly a year old.

There are good dentists everywhere and bad ones. The good ones tend to take longer and cost more. Dentistry is also very prone to complications so local treatment is always better.

Its also as cheap now to have treatment in the south as the north if you want to go down the low cost route. Australia is still very expensive.

So no its not scaremongering, people can go wherever they want and are comfortable going. I would rather somebody got a good job done in the UK than a poor job in Ireland and vice versa, however what most people do is think that a filling is a filling or a crown is a crown, this is simply not true no more than a meal is a meal, a car a car or a house a house regardless of who does it or how long it takes or what it costs. Price is only one variable, and its patients who are biased to price and put on the blinkers to everything else.

res ipsa

Dexter Blue Numerical wrote: »

This thread is nearly a year old.

There are good dentists everywhere and bad ones. The good ones tend to take longer and cost more. Dentistry is also very prone to complications so local treatment is always better.

Its also as cheap now to have treatment in the south as the north if you want to go down the low cost route. Australia is still very expensive.

So no its not scaremongering, people can go wherever they want and are comfortable going. I would rather somebody got a good job done in the UK than a poor job in Ireland and vice versa, however what most people do is think that a filling is a filling or a crown is a crown, this is simply not true no more than a meal is a meal, a car a car or a house a house regardless of who does it or how long it takes or what it costs. Price is only one variable, and its patients who are biased to price and put on the blinkers to everything else.

As Warren Buffet says "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."Would you buy a "cheap" parachute or cheap condoms from Hungary or Thailand ?

ballsymchugh

res ipsa wrote: »

As Warren Buffet says "Price is what you pay. Value is what you get."Would you buy a "cheap" parachute or cheap condoms from Hungary or Thailand ?

has that rash cleared up yet?!!