Children's dental treatment

Phil1969

Hi Folks,

My family and I moved to Wexford last year, we have 3 children ages 11yrs, 10yrs and 7yrs.

They all need quite a bit of dental treatment and I was wondering what is the best option? When I have looked at some of the costs for dental treatment for kids it has stressed me out, we could never afford to pay these prices so was wondering if there was any type of schemes? Would anyone recommend dental treatment abroad somewhere?

Thanks

Ghekko

How bad are they? They should be seen by the HSE dentist through school. You can ring your local clinic and request an appointment in case they have been missed via school.

Call me Al

Have that been assessed by their local HSE paediatric dental clinic? Or through a previous school they attended?
In Meath this is arranged through the local schools, and children are seen in juniors (I think), 2nd/4th/6th classes. What type of work do you feel they need? We had fissure seals applied on adult molars, cleaning and polishing done. But once completed the child is only called back after 2 years.
Failing that I don't know of any schemes. Any non-urgent work children get done is usually paid for privately.
There are very strict parameters regarding eligibility for braces. And the waiting lists for this orthodontic treatment is usually lengthy... as in years and years.

Phil1969

They are pretty bad and they need a number of teeth taking out. However, we were told by the HSE dentist nurse they only take 2nd year and 6th year primary school students. They said they do emergency treatment but then said need to come back tomorrow, so not real emergencies.

Anyway, we will try tomorrow and see what they say and will then go from there.

Thanks

Phil1969

I think they need a number of teeth pulled and some fillings, they still have some baby teeth. My other problem is they are terrified of dentists, but they can not wait much longer.

We were told the only 2nd year and 6th year get seen now.

We were told to go back to the emergency dentist tomorrow so hopefully we will get more info on best options.

Thanks for the advice.

Ghekko

If the 3rd child is in pain he/she should also be seen at the emergency clinic, regardless of what class they're in.

Call me Al

In my experience that won't fill baby teeth if they will be losing them in the not too distant future.
Obviously if its an adult tooth it's a much bigger problem.

Phil1969

Thanks Guys, the dentist was very good and explained it all to us. Basically, the same as you guys have said.

I think a nurse also said that a medical card can not be used for dental treatment as private dentists. Do you know if I heard that correctly and it sounds right?

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

Call me Al

Phil1969 wrote: »

Thanks Guys, the dentist was very good and explained it all to us. Basically, the same as you guys have said.

I think a nurse also said that a medical card can not be used for dental treatment as private dentists. Do you know if I heard that correctly and it sounds right?

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

No private dentists won't accept medical cards.

witchgirl26

Just so you know they may be reluctant to pull baby teeth. I still have 2 and I'm 32! They'd have to investigate first to see if there is an adult tooth behind the baby before considering pulling. If they're not loose and there's no adult tooth, it'll be left and monitoring done.

Ghekko

Medical card holders over 16 are entitled to certain free dental services but only if private dentist takes on medical card patients - some don't. Kids are seen through the HSE up to the age of 16 through school system, with or without a medical card. Did the dentist arrange for your kids to come back for the work they need?

If they need braces as they get a bit older, they may be assessed through the HSE but tbh they need to be fairly bad to get them.

greensheep777

Are you sure they need teeth extracted and what is the reason?
Multiple extractions and fillings seems a bit extreme for 11yrs, 10yrs and 7yrs.

Phil1969

Call me Al wrote: »

No private dentists won't accept medical cards.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Phil1969

Thanks Witchgirl26, yes it seems they are going to monitor her.

Ghekko Yes the dentist has asked my daughter to go back for some further treatment.

Greensheep777 thanks, we were told in the past that their teeth worth need extracting, mind you this was in Cambodia where dental treatment is poor.

Thanks guys.

Bravobabe

Im going to have a rant here - the public dental system in Ireland is actually worse than the mainstream health system (hard to believe but true).
You will have to keep on pushing to get treatment done in a timely manner. There are some insurance plans but how good or you will be covered is in doubt?
Basically its a Cartel rather than a service where patients are pushed in to the private sector service (and pay over the top prices which are 2, 3 , 5 times more expensive than other European countries.
Going to Newry saved my wife €600 last year compared to local dentists (and that's after factoring in petrol and food costs). She was quoted between €1800 - €2400 in Dublin/Kildare and €1100 in Newry. We could have gone to Spain/Poland for cheaper again than the €1200.

The Irish Dental Association are going to say that the treatment here is better, or that its dangerous to travel abroad. And while one has to be cautious about selecting the service/dentist, the same applies here - some are better than others. The CAR industry issued the same propaganda about Japanese imports and more recently UK car imports and undoubtedly some cars were/are bangers, but is it a higher proportion than "Irish" first owned cars. Any imported cars I've seen are better specimens.
Anyway, please do not rely on the public system (school) alone. You will have to keep on their case to ensure that treatment is given. Fissure seals (while of some benefit) is basically a sticky plaster solution.

Phil1969

Bravobabe wrote: »

Im going to have a rant here - the public dental system in Ireland is actually worse than the mainstream health system (hard to believe but true).
You will have to keep on pushing to get treatment done in a timely manner. There are some insurance plans but how good or you will be covered is in doubt?
Basically its a Cartel rather than a service where patients are pushed in to the private sector service (and pay over the top prices which are 2, 3 , 5 times more expensive than other European countries.
Going to Newry saved my wife €600 last year compared to local dentists (and that's after factoring in petrol and food costs). She was quoted between €1800 - €2400 in Dublin/Kildare and €1100 in Newry. We could have gone to Spain/Poland for cheaper again than the €1200.

The Irish Dental Association are going to say that the treatment here is better, or that its dangerous to travel abroad. And while one has to be cautious about selecting the service/dentist, the same applies here - some are better than others. The CAR industry issued the same propaganda about Japanese imports and more recently UK car imports and undoubtedly some cars were/are bangers, but is it a higher proportion than "Irish" first owned cars. Any imported cars I've seen are better specimens.
Anyway, please do not rely on the public system (school) alone. You will have to keep on their case to ensure that treatment is given. Fissure seals (while of some benefit) is basically a sticky plaster solution.

Thanks Bravobabe,the Irish dental care system did seem expensive at first but when I visited the UK the costs were pretty much the same. And, in the UK even if we pay for the kids there, it seems you will not get them done any quicker and still take a long time.

So, now I am debating whether to get them done here in Wexford which is most likely or consider visiting another country to have them done. I have friends in Bulgaria who have told me dental work is very good there and much cheaper. I will do a bit more research and see what happens.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

witchgirl26

Bravobabe wrote: »

Im going to have a rant here - the public dental system in Ireland is actually worse than the mainstream health system (hard to believe but true).
You will have to keep on pushing to get treatment done in a timely manner. There are some insurance plans but how good or you will be covered is in doubt?
Basically its a Cartel rather than a service where patients are pushed in to the private sector service (and pay over the top prices which are 2, 3 , 5 times more expensive than other European countries.
Going to Newry saved my wife €600 last year compared to local dentists (and that's after factoring in petrol and food costs). She was quoted between €1800 - €2400 in Dublin/Kildare and €1100 in Newry. We could have gone to Spain/Poland for cheaper again than the €1200.

The Irish Dental Association are going to say that the treatment here is better, or that its dangerous to travel abroad. And while one has to be cautious about selecting the service/dentist, the same applies here - some are better than others. The CAR industry issued the same propaganda about Japanese imports and more recently UK car imports and undoubtedly some cars were/are bangers, but is it a higher proportion than "Irish" first owned cars. Any imported cars I've seen are better specimens.
Anyway, please do not rely on the public system (school) alone. You will have to keep on their case to ensure that treatment is given. Fissure seals (while of some benefit) is basically a sticky plaster solution.

I agree that some costs are higher here but at the same time I did some research into major dental treatment as I'll need it in a couple of years. One thing that struck me was that yes I could get it cheaper someone in Eastern Europe (incl. flights & accom) but it was the follow up aspect.

I was looking at dental implants and that's up to a 6 month process. If I go to a local enough based dentist, if there is a problem or I'm having issues during the healing months after initial surgery, I can pop in (covered by the overall cost) and be checked within a couple of hours. What would happen if I'd had the surgery somewhere else? Yes I could still go to the dentist here but they're going to charge me for an appointment and possibly not be in a position to deal with it.

Phil1969

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies and good info.

I am now considering in using SMILES.IE, they say they focus on kids more and seem to have much lower prices than most private clinics. According to their main website they have the prices below BUT they then say prices vary depending on location, anyway I have email my local Wexford clinic 3 days ago for them to confirm prices before we visit but no answer yet so not a good start but I suppose if they are more of NO FRILLS type dentist then I do not mind as long as they are decent dentists

Kids Routine Exam……€30
Scale & Polish……€30
Fissure sealants……€35
Tooth Extraction……€40/100
Fillings (white/silver)……€60/90
Space Maintainers……€100

*Our Smiles Pricelist is dedicated to children under 16 years of age. Prices may vary nationwide.

Anyway, does anyone recommend or have used them? Am I right in thinking these prices are much cheaper than your average dentist costs?

Cheers Phil

ovalu

Phil1969 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

0

Am I right in thinking these prices are much cheaper than your average dentist costs?

not right i'd say

Phil1969

ovalu wrote: »

not right i'd say

Yeah it seems very cheap compare to other dentists, but then again why would they post these prices as that would be false advertising. I think I will pop in to see them, they still have not replied to my email or my FB message to them.

Thanks

judeboy101

A fissure seals becoming a default go to treatment in yes for kids who get their 1st check up. I've heard from so many parents who have had to get this done after 2nd class check up.

Phil1969

judeboy101 wrote: »

A fissure seals becoming a default go to treatment in yes for kids who get their 1st check up. I've heard from so many parents who have had to get this done after 2nd class check up.

Thanks for that, my daughter had a 2nd check up from another dentist and they said pretty much the same. She required 1 filling and 5 extractions. However, the dentist will not do the extractions and will refer us to somewhere in New Ross. We are in Wexford without a car so not sure if we should make the trip as it will be difficult if my daughter is not feeling so good after been sedated for the extractions. And, the dentist did not mention what the cost of these extractions would be. My daughter is also on a waiting list to get the same extractions at the Wexford hospital after a previous visit to the emergency dentist.