Dental Visit Issue

Class Act

Hi, I’m looking for some advice.

I changed dentist recently after I moved to a new county. The first visit (about 6 months ago) was for an exam, x-rays & hygiene treatment. At the end of that first visit, I was booked in for a scale & polish in 6 months.

The scale & polish appointment was this week. At the end of the visit, the dentist said I would have my next appointment with the Hygienist. I asked will that be for a scale & polish and he said yes.

I then went out to reception & the dental nurse told me what the price was for that visit. What she said was 30 euro above their scale & polish price, so I queried it. She was quite abrupt and told me I had a hygiene treatment. I told her I was booked in for a scale & polish, she just said no. I asked what my next visit would be, she said hygiene treatment, contradicting what the dentist had just told me. She gave me an appointment for 4 months time. I ended up paying the hygiene treatment price.

Afterwards, when I looked at my receipt, I saw there was another item "oral examination" for 33 euro, which was covered by PRSI.

Here are my questions:

1) Is there anything I can do at this stage, after being booked in for 1 treatment but being charged for another. This has really annoyed me and I am considering looking for a new dentist.

2) Is it necessary to have a hygiene treatment every 4 months? So 3 times a year. My impression before this incident was that I would have a scale & polish twice a year. Would that not be sufficient? Big difference in price!

3) On the service covered by PRSI, what would an oral exam be? I understood scale & polish was covered by PRSI once a year. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong on this?

Thanks,

davo10

Prsi does not cover anything beyond a check up once a year, it does not cover scale and polish. Call the clinic again and ask to speak to the dentist, as often happens the cause of the problem may be lack of clarity and communication. Hygienists work on Dentists prescriptions and treatment plans, if I am concerned about something or I see something on the X-ray which needs to be monitered, the patient is booked in with me rather that the Hygienist.

Phone him and ask to clarify why you were seen by him and the price.

Dianthus

It sounds like a case of miscommunication, either between you and the dentist, the dentist and the receptionist, or you and the receptionist....as advised, go directly to the source (the dentist) to clarify all your queries. The other alternative is remain annoyed& confused,& silently disappear from their business without any explanation/feedback as to why you were dissatisfied with the service.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Yep, I often think that in a fee for service profession like dentistry, dentists and patients need to be much more upfront about money.

Class Act

Thanks for the replies. I will contact the dentist to get clarity.

Though I did ask him a straight question (on the next visit being scale & polish) & he did say yes.

Could anyone tell me if 3 hygiene treatments per year is excessive? Would 2 visits be sufficient? Or does it depend on the patient? Thanks

Dianthus

[quote="Class Act;91024440"Could anyone tell me if 3 hygiene treatments per year is excessive? Would 2 visits be sufficient? Or does it depend on the patient? Thanks[/quote]
It depends on the patient.
If you have, or are at high risk of developing, periodontal disease.
If you are a heavy smoker or drink a large quantity of tea/coffee/red wine.
If you have poor oral hygiene.
If your teeth are quite crowded& difficult to access to keep clean.
All those sort of scenarios- it wouldn't be unreasonable to have an extra hygiene visit a year.
Again, ask your dentist what category you fall into,& how you can aim to return to bi-annual visits.