How many fillings per year are allowed on the medical card?

stevek93

Hi all,

I had a filling there before the Christmas, now need another one rang dentist there wont say the name but was told you can only get two fillings done every five years on the medical card that can't be right can it?

Oral Surgeon

stevek93 wrote: »

Hi all,

I had a filling there before the Christmas, now need another one rang dentist there wont say the name but was told you can only get two fillings done every five years on the medical card that can't be right can it?

2 fillings every year I think....

stevek93

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

2 fillings every year I think....

So they got it wrong, told them I am pretty sure it is 2 a year. Even the student nurse today in dental hospital told me 2 a year and still disagreed.

davo10

stevek93 wrote: »

So they got it wrong, told them I am pretty sure it is 2 a year. Even the student nurse today in dental hospital told me 2 a year and still disagreed.

You used to not be able to get the same tooth filled within 5 years on med card.

Red Nissan

davo10 wrote: »

You used to not be able to get the same tooth filled within 5 years on med card.

I've never had a filling last five years?

My wife was told two fillings a year.

She got an extraction free outside of that.

davo10

Red Nissan wrote: »

I've never had a filling last five years?

My wife was told two fillings a year.

She got an extraction free outside of that.

As far as I know (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), you are entitled to a check up plus to fillings per year plus as many extractions as necessary.

The same tooth could not be filled free of charge within any five year period.

Red Nissan

davo10 wrote: »

The same tooth could not be filled free of charge within any five year period.

This IS the question. Is this correct or not. I don't know but it's a slippery eel if it is so.

My fillings have all gone to some degree within a year and in the second year the pain usually drives me back for treatment.

It raises other questions.

stevek93

davo10 wrote: »

You used to not be able to get the same tooth filled within 5 years on med card.

Its actually the same filling but broke, didn't know it was every five years for same one.

davo10

Red Nissan wrote: »

This IS the question. Is this correct or not. I don't know but it's a slippery ell if it is so.

My fillings have all gone to some degree within a year and in the second year the pain usually drives me back for treatment.

It raises other questions.

Yip, like why you don't look after your teeth. I think you are suggesting that if you have a med card, a dentist puts a filling in hoping that it would fall out again and he/she can then charge you, is this correct?

Here's a few things for you to consider, this rule applies in HB clinics which do not charge patients at all, often the teeth need more extensive treatments such as crowns but as patients cannot afford these, dentists have no option but to patch the teeth up or extract them, often med card patients cannot afford to have a treatment redone privately so elect to have the tooth extracted, how does this benefit the dentist?

davo10

stevek93 wrote: »

Its actually the same filling but broke, didn't know it was every five years for same one.

Afraid so, you can confirm this by phoning your local HB dental centre.

Red Nissan

I'm not getting into a war here, I've paid my €90 a filling and since my heart bypass I have not gone back to the dentist on my medical card.

I only have a dentist in the last few years as I've had the work needing to be done again and considered each dentist in turn to be perhaps less than qualified.

A suggestion that extra work needs to be done, maybe so, I was never instructed that this was necessary in my paying years and so far I've not had medical card treatment, my fillings need attention now again, and it will be within the five years as advised in this thread.

It's news to me, so be it. People have experiences and they post their stories.

davo10

Red Nissan wrote: »

I'm not getting into a war here, I've paid my €90 a filling and since my heart bypass I have not gone back to the dentist on my medical card.

I only have a dentist in the last few years as I've had the work needing to be done again and considered each dentist in turn to be perhaps less than qualified.

A suggestion that extra work needs to be done, maybe so, I was never instructed that this was necessary in my paying years and so far I've not had medical card treatment, my fillings need attention now again, and it will be within the five years as advised in this thread.

It's news to me, so be it. People have experiences and they post their stories.

I'm sorry but I can't make head nor tail of what you are trying to say. You haven't had dental treatment on your med card? So the five yr rule should not be relevant to you. If you are not a regular attendee then it is not beyond the realms of possibility that treatment may be necessary, particularly after serious illness. Dentists have to be "qualified" it is a requirement for registration and license to practice.

By all means post stories but it helps if they are legible.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

This thread is getting strage, The answer is 2 fillings a year and five years between filling on the same tooth. Lets keep it on topic.

Red Nissan

Finn Nice Gauze wrote: »

The answer is 2 fillings a year and five years between filling on the same tooth. Lets keep it on topic.

I was unaware of the five years between fillings. I don't understand it. I have not researched the subject further today.

For me it raises many questions. My experiences encompass filling almost annually which lead me to trying many, many dentists over the years and my quest for a good one.

Are fillings supposed to last five years? Is it only medical card patients? Can someone get as many fillings in the same tooth as they like if they pay for them? Do failed fillings imply poor medical practice or advice from the dentist?

Sorry. That's a whole new discussion, and I have not looked to see if it's discussed already.

Dianthus

Red Nissan wrote: »

My experiences encompass filling almost annually which lead me to trying many, many dentists over the years and my quest for a good one....Are fillings supposed to last five years? Is it only medical card patients? Can someone get as many fillings in the same tooth as they like if they pay for them? Do failed fillings imply poor medical practice or advice from the dentist

Every profession has a bad egg or two. However, it would be most unusual & most unfortunate for a patient to only experience the bad eggs, over a period of many years!
The average filling lasts 7-10 years. You can get as many fillings as you like in the same tooth, but you eventually run out of tooth to fill "in".
Common reasons for fillings failing are new decay, if there's too little remaining tooth to anchor the filling, if a patient is a heavy grinder/has very few teeth& is putting a lot of pressure on the remaining ones....
Dentists don't like fillings falling out either as it gives them a bad rep (most practices are one-man bands, & rely on word of mouth for business), & noone likes failure.
Try to locate a dentist you trust & build up a rapport with them.
Discuss the viability of crowns as opposed to fillings, if this option is financially available to you. Best of luck.

Qualitymark

Was just talking to a dental nurse and she said one filling every five years.

Edit - However, it appears she's wrong; HSE's own page says two fillings per year

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/dental/

What Dental Services are provided to people with Medical Cards?

Adults (over 16 years of age) who have a valid medical card can access a range of dental services and treatments under the Dental Treatment Service Scheme.

All medical card holders are entitled to specific dental treatments e.g., a dental examination, two fillings in each calendar year, extractions as necessary.

Some treatments such as the provision of dentures require the approval of the HSE before the dentist can proceed and in this case, the dentist applies directly to the HSE.

Additional treatments for example, teeth cleaning are available to those persons with specific medical conditions and again, your dentist will be able to advise you of your entitlement if this is the case. The HSE dental section may require written documentation outlining your medical condition and/or medications from your G.P. or other relevant medical person.

Edit again - so unless things have changed and the HSE's webpage hasn't, that's the deal.

Pretty odd they don't cover cleaning; dental cleaning is a big weapon against gum disease, and gum disease is a huge factor in heart disease. Seems like bad economy, considering the cost of heart disease to the medical system in Ireland.

davo10

Qualitymark wrote: »

Was just talking to a dental nurse and she said one filling every five years.

On the same tooth, if you get a filling in a particular tooth today, you cannot get a free one on that same tooth within the next 5 yrs.

Oral Surgeon

Qualitymark wrote: »

and gum disease is a huge factor in heart disease. Seems like bad economy, considering the cost of heart disease to the medical system in Ireland.

I think that we overplay this one bigtime....

Qualitymark

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

I think that we overplay this one bigtime....

Seemingly not from all the reports on the link between diseased gums and heart damage.

I know many people who haven't visited a dentist in the seven years of austerity.