Tooth extraction with HSE. Is there a long waiting list?

RedTie

I've an abscess on my tooth that needs to be extracted. I've been given quotes of upto 500 to have it done privately which is crazy. Or is this the average for private dental work?

I dont have a Medical Card.

Does anyone know if there's a long waiting list with HSE for this kind of thing?

BetsyEllen

RedTie wrote: »

I've an abscess on my tooth that needs to be extracted. I've been given quotes of upto 500 to have it done privately which is crazy. Or is this the average for private dental work?

I dont have a Medical Card.

Does anyone know if there's a long waiting list with HSE for this kind of thing?

No idea.
However €500 is quite expensive...I had a wisdom teeth extracted privately.

It was very impacted and took over an hour to remove, I was charged €350.00.

I wasn't asleep mind you, so maybe the €500 is correct if it includes sedation?

RedTie

BetsyEllen wrote: »

No idea.
However €500 is quite expensive...I had a wisdom teeth extracted privately.

It was very impacted and took over an hour to remove, I was charged €350.00.

I wasn't asleep mind you, so maybe the €500 is correct if it includes sedation?

€400 without sedation and including consultation was the price I was given.

€500 with sedation and including consultation.

my3cents

RedTie wrote: »

€400 without sedation and including consultation was the price I was given.

€500 with sedation and including consultation.

Paid that less 50 for one difficult extraction last year, money well spent imo.

RedTie

my3cents wrote: »

Paid that less 50 for one difficult extraction last year, money well spent imo.

Mine is too expensive, but that price almost sounds too cheap

RedTie

my3cents wrote: »

Paid that less 50 for one difficult extraction last year, money well spent imo.

I missread your post initially, I thought you said you paid just e50 for an extraction. But you meant you paid 50 less than the 500 so e450?

BetsyEllen

RedTie wrote: »

I missread your post initially, I thought you said you paid just e50 for an extraction. But you meant you paid 50 less than the 500 so e450?

It must have been edited, I'm sure it said paid €50 too! Probably a typo.

Remember you will get 20% back in the new tax year too.
I know it's not a huge amount and doesn't help you now but you may be glad of it after Christmas!

RedTie

BetsyEllen wrote: »

It must have been edited, I'm sure it said paid €50 too! Probably a typo.

Remember you will get 20% back in the new tax year too.
I know it's not a huge amount and doesn't help you now but you may be glad of it after Christmas!

The poster has since confirmed to me via PM he meant e50 less than the e500 I mentioned. So e450 was what he paid.

An update to this: Ive since got a quote from a surgeon recommended by my dentist for e270 without sedation.

Again, does anyone know if there's a long waiting list with HSE for this kind of thing?

davo10

RedTie wrote: »

The poster has since confirmed to me via PM he meant e50 less than the e500 I mentioned. So e450 was what he paid.

An update to this: Ive since got a quote from a surgeon recommended by my dentist for e270 without sedation.

Again, does anyone know if there's a long waiting list with HSE for this kind of thing?

Assuming it's a wisdom tooth, waiting lists can be years. This is not a high priority for the HSE, they will look after medical card holders before they will ltreat those who don't/can pay.

If you take out private health insurance, you only pay for the consultation and you have the benefit of a year of the insurance for the price you would pay without it.

Oral Surgeon

Unfortunately it's not so davo.

The medical insurers will now see this as a preexisting condition and the wait for treatment with insurance will be 5 years,so it makes no sense to do it that way...

Back to the op,
The hse will take forever... if you can wait ok but most have current pain and infection and can't wait for the hse...

A surgical extraction with an oral surgeon is about 250 to 300 euro depending. Some will charge for consults and X-rays. Sedation is extra because it takes a lot more time to do...

You might get an oral surgeon to treat on the day with no seperate consult....

davo10 wrote: »

Assuming it's a wisdom tooth, waiting lists can be years. This is not a high priority for the HSE, they will look after medical card holders before they will ltreat those who don't/can pay.

If you take out private health insurance, you only pay for the consultation and you have the benefit of a year of the insurance for the price you would pay without it.

davo10

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Unfortunately it's not so davo.

The medical insurers will now see this as a preexisting condition and the wait for treatment with insurance will be 5 years,so it makes no sense to do it that way...

Back to the op,
The hse will take forever... if you can wait ok but most have current pain and infection and can't wait for the hse...

A surgical extraction with an oral surgeon is about 250 to 300 euro depending. Some will charge for consults and X-rays. Sedation is extra because it takes a lot more time to do...

You might get an oral surgeon to treat on the day with no seperate consult....

That's a new one on me. When I refer a patient with private insurance for wisdom tooth extraction, I wasn't aware of a 5 year rule, they are seen within weeks..

RedTie

Thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify, it's not a wisdom tooth, rather a tooth with an abscess infection that needs surgical removal once the infection has cleared.

Question: so what would happen to me if I hadn't got money to get this done? I'd have to wait years on the HSE list?

That can't be right surely. No one can take painkillers for a tooth for years!

Oral Surgeon

It's a minefield...

If you already have insurance, then develop wisdom tooth infection, get referred and then have treatment.... that's ok....

If you get a brand new health insurance policy and we're never insured before and then have a wisdom tooth problem and get referred then you have a 6 month lead in period before you can avail of treatment....

But, in this case....
The op has no medical insurance, has developed a problem and knows of the need for treatment.... this is now a know condition.... if the patient now gets a new medical insurance policy this know preexisting condition is excluded from the policy for 5 years....

Sorry op, I see that you say it's not a wisdom tooth...

Minefield eh??

davo10 wrote: »

That's a new one on me. When I refer a patient with private insurance for wisdom tooth extraction, I wasn't aware of a 5 year rule, they are seen within weeks..

Oral Surgeon

Op, there are plenty of dentists out there who can do a surgical extraction of a root and if it's a real difficult one there plenty of oral surgeons who can see you too... you don't need to wait years... you just need to pay for the treatment....

RedTie wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify, it's not a wisdom tooth, rather a tooth with an abscess infection that needs surgical removal once the infection has cleared.

Question: so what would happen to me if I hadn't got money to get this done? I'd have to wait years on the HSE list?

That can't be right surely. No one can take painkillers for a tooth for years!

RedTie

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Op, there are plenty of dentists out there who can do a surgical extraction of a root and if it's a real difficult one there plenty of oral surgeons who can see you too... you don't need to wait years... you just need to pay for the treatment....

No, have a read again

I said, hypothetically, what would happen if I didnt have this money for private treatment? Are there really poor souls in tooth pain for years on HSE waiting lists?

Oral Surgeon

Got it, I meant "you" generally and not specifically you....


I've come accross plenty of patients sitting on hse waiting list for extractions for 1, 2, even 3 years....

The patients I see have become fed up and come up with money to have it done privately....

RedTie wrote: »

No, have a read again

I said, hypothetically, what would happen if I didnt have this money for private treatment? Are there really poor souls in tooth pain for years on HSE waiting lists?

TheBeach

That's awful that you'd have to wait so long. What would happen if you turned up at a&e?

RedTie

TheBeach wrote: »

That's awful that you'd have to wait so long. What would happen if you turned up at a&e?

Good point.

Surely this is worth a go at the Dental Hospital A&E and just paying them the e100?

Oral Surgeon

TheBeach wrote: »

That's awful that you'd have to wait so long. What would happen if you turned up at a&e?

Antibiotics, pain killers and see ya later... go get yourself on the waiting list.....

Oral Surgeon

RedTie wrote: »

Good point.

Surely this is worth a go at the Dental Hospital A&E and just paying them the e100?

The dental hospital runs a triage system for it's a and e.
They see dental trauma and large acute infections, these are infections where the patient has a visible and increasing swelling on the face/ neck that potentially will compromise the eye/airway or general health through sepsis.... the op does not sound like they fit the bill...

Often the a and e will temporise these patient and refer them in house to the oral surg Dept where they wait for years and still when to pay for treatment if they don't have a med card....

RedTie

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Antibiotics, pain killers and see ya later... go get yourself on the waiting list.....

That's shocking. I'm glad Ive a few quid saved for things like this.

Has anyone in this thread heard of people on the HSE lists taking a pliers to their mouth and doing DIY tooth pulling? It can't be that uncommon if the waiting lists are that long.

Onthefence

Sorry to hijack your thread, OP.

I need two wisdom teeth removed as advised by my dentist. No great urgency. I was initially referred to a private practice when I had health insurance. I didn't go ahead with it because I discovered I was pregnant just before the appointment.

After two phone calls to my dentist in the last fortnight, explaining I no longer have health insurance so would need a hse referral, he told me TWICE that there is no public option, that I would have to go privately and pay accordingly.

Is he wrong, or am I misreading this thread??

davo10

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

It's a minefield...

If you already have insurance, then develop wisdom tooth infection, get referred and then have treatment.... that's ok....

If you get a brand new health insurance policy and we're never insured before and then have a wisdom tooth problem and get referred then you have a 6 month lead in period before you can avail of treatment....

But, in this case....
The op has no medical insurance, has developed a problem and knows of the need for treatment.... this is now a know condition.... if the patient now gets a new medical insurance policy this know preexisting condition is excluded from the policy for 5 years....

Sorry op, I see that you say it's not a wisdom tooth...

Minefield eh??

I suspect you are referring to private dental insurance (DeCare,VHI), I should have made it clearer that I was referring to health insurance (VHI,Laya,Glo), to my knowledge, and I'm 25 years at it, there is no waiting time for teeth extraction on that, if there is, I've never once come across it. Apart from ortho extractions, I've never taken out a tooth that didn't have a pre existing condition.

davo10

Onthefence wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread, OP.

I need two wisdom teeth removed as advised by my dentist. No great urgency. I was initially referred to a private practice when I had health insurance. I didn't go ahead with it because I discovered I was pregnant just before the appointment.

After two phone calls to my dentist in the last fortnight, explaining I no longer have health insurance so would need a hse referral, he told me TWICE that there is no public option, that I would have to go privately and pay accordingly.

Is he wrong, or am I misreading this thread??

I don't know what area you are in, but there is no public surgeon in the area where I work, the nearest one is 90km away in a different HSE region and they will not take referrals from our region so there is no public option here.

Oral Surgeon

No davo, I mean private medical insurance.... I submit about 50 of these forms a week and occasionally get the claim refused as the patient is in their 6 month waiting period....

davo10 wrote: »

I suspect you are referring to private dental insurance (DeCare,VHI), I should have made it clearer that I was referring to health insurance (VHI,Laya,Glo), to my knowledge, and I'm 25 years at it, there is no waiting time for teeth extraction on that, if there is, I've never once come across it. Apart from ortho extractions, I've never taken out a tooth that didn't have a pre existing condition.

TheQuietFella

RedTie wrote: »

I've an abscess on my tooth that needs to be extracted. I've been given quotes of upto 500 to have it done privately which is crazy. Or is this the average for private dental work?

I dont have a Medical Card.

Does anyone know if there's a long waiting list with HSE for this kind of thing?

Which would you prefer to have? The discomfort or the money or maybe I'm just asking a silly question!

WiseMona

Hello - sorry to hijack the post OP.

My hubby needs an extraction and it is not covered on our Health Insurance but we do have a medical card.

Are there Dentists (surgeons) out there that can do the extraction for a patient with a medical card or do we have to get on the HSE waiting list?

He got a quote from a Dental Surgeon in Galway for €500 - which seems quite steep - but similar to others on this thread.

I have looked into buying Dental Insurance (now) but see that even if I buy it now (August 2017) we will have to wait at least 6 months before he can get the extraction?

If he can handle the pain, it almost seems with it as the Insurance costs about that much for a family of 4 for 1 year.

Any advice is most welcome.

boardsuser1

WiseMona wrote: »

Hello - sorry to hijack the post OP.

My hubby needs an extraction and it is not covered on our Health Insurance but we do have a medical card.

Are there Dentists (surgeons) out there that can do the extraction for a patient with a medical card or do we have to get on the HSE waiting list?

He got a quote from a Dental Surgeon in Galway for €500 - which seems quite steep - but similar to others on this thread.

I have looked into buying Dental Insurance (now) but see that even if I buy it now (August 2017) we will have to wait at least 6 months before he can get the extraction?

If he can handle the pain, it almost seems with it as the Insurance costs about that much for a family of 4 for 1 year.

Any advice is most welcome.

I've gotten teeth out on the medical card, just made the appointment, showed up, job done, no limit on extractions i was told, the HSE introduced limitations in 2009 i think it was.

CalamariFritti

I just went to the dentist and paid €150? Having private insurance meant I could claim half that back, but if not I guess it would have been simply the €150?

WiseMona

Thanks CalamariFritti -

I should have mentioned it is a Wisdom Tooth hence the high quote.

CalamariFritti

WiseMona wrote: »

Thanks CalamariFritti -

I should have mentioned it is a Wisdom Tooth hence the high quote.

Ye mine was only a simple number 4. It was dead already too and didn't take very long.

jimmycrackcorm

It would be cheaper to get a Ryanair flight to France with a European health card.

davo10

WiseMona wrote: »

Hello - sorry to hijack the post OP.

My hubby needs an extraction and it is not covered on our Health Insurance but we do have a medical card.

Are there Dentists (surgeons) out there that can do the extraction for a patient with a medical card or do we have to get on the HSE waiting list?

He got a quote from a Dental Surgeon in Galway for €500 - which seems quite steep - but similar to others on this thread.

I have looked into buying Dental Insurance (now) but see that even if I buy it now (August 2017) we will have to wait at least 6 months before he can get the extraction?

If he can handle the pain, it almost seems with it as the Insurance costs about that much for a family of 4 for 1 year.

Any advice is most welcome.

If it's a difficult/surgical wisdom tooth extraction, very few dentists will do this under medical card scheme as it is a surgical procedure rather than a routine extraction. Most likely you will be referred onto the local/regional HSE/public waiting list with the HSE oral surgeon, this can take months or even years to be seen, but it will be free.

At that price you are possibly being quoted for a general anaesthetic/sedation procedure as well. ( an OS has just joined my practice, he charges €250 for a surgical wisdom extraction but €500 if you need to be knocked out or sedated) That will not be covered at your local dentist on the Med card.

AndrewJRenko

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

It would be cheaper to get a Ryanair flight to France with a European health card.

Good point - this scheme might be relevant, though watch out for the need for aftercare with an extraction. My dentist refused to do an extraction on Friday as they wouldn't be round next day (Saturday) to deal with any problems.

http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/services/frequently-asked-questions-health_en

WiseMona

Ok - so was on to the Dentist again today and the story is that we either pay the €500 for the Wisdom Tooth extraction or we go on a 2 year waiting list at the Hospital.

I am still waiting to hear back from our Health Insurance to see if we can get it covered and some refund on the fee.

Oral Surgeon

WiseMona wrote: »

Ok - so was on to the Dentist again today and the story is that we either pay the €500 for the Wisdom Tooth extraction or we go on a 2 year waiting list at the Hospital.

I am still waiting to hear back from our Health Insurance to see if we can get it covered and some refund on the fee.

Is the wisdom tooth impacted or un-erupted (stuck and not fully in the mouth??)

WiseMona

Hi Oral Surgeon

It had a cap/crown on it and that fell off.

Notes from dentist on quote email "Radiographic exam showed a bucco-lingual fracture (on tooth 47) which requires surgical extraction"

Oral Surgeon

WiseMona wrote: »

Hi Oral Surgeon

It had a cap/crown on it and that fell off.

Notes from dentist on quote email "Radiographic exam showed a bucco-lingual fracture (on tooth 47) which requires surgical extraction"

Ok,

Tooth 47 would not be a wisdom tooth.... It is the lower right second molar by my nomenclature.....

Is the whole top of the tooth gone, broken to gum level or has a small portion of the tooth crown come off but a decent amount of tooth above gum remains??

OS

WiseMona

Hi Oral Surgeon - Thank you so much for all this help.

The top of tooth is gone, broken to 'almost' gum level. The entire tooth crown came off.

Oral Surgeon

Ok so if it's broken to gum level then it would probably qualify as insurance code 2930- surgical removal of root....

You need to have been insured for over 6 months with this as a new and not preexisting issue...
The operator needs to be registered with your insurance company as a fully participating consultant.
I'd check this code and the operators name with your insurer...
You will likely still pay €150 consult fee,
You may be charged a sedation fee but only if you need or get it....

So less than 500.....

I have not seen you or your X-ray so don't hold me to that 2930....!

WiseMona

Thanks a million OS - not holding you to anything at all.

Appreciate the advice.

Patricia daisy

There is a public waiting list for wisdom teeth to be surgically removed as I’m on it with the last few years. My advice would be to go get a second opinion from another dentist seeing as your own dentist seems a little stubborn. Although you will be waiting a few years to even be seen on this list, but once in it a certain length of time another hospital had the option of putting in a request to get your referral sent out to them and you can be seen faster that way.. it’s worth a try!