VHI & Surgical Extractions

batman75 · 23-09-2021 3:01pm #1

I'm due to get teeth extracted by an oral surgeon. When I rang re a referral I asked about cost. The secretary said that as far as she is aware it is covered by VHI except the consultation. Can anyone shed any light on this. Do you need a certain standard of policy.

23-09-2021 3:59pm

Ask the VHI.

The J Stands for Jay · 24-09-2021 12:13am

Got it done years ago, vhi covered it. When I rang vhi they said the guy was on their list and I didn't need to pay. They didn't cover the consultation though, it was something like €100 for the guy to ask if I was scared of dentists and since I wasn't I could have it done under local instead of general anaesthetic.

coylemj · 24-09-2021 11:40am

The secretary said that as far as she is aware it is covered by VHI except the consultation.

If she asked you for the name of your VHI Plan, you would have got a definite yes or no. Anything prefixed with 'as far as I'm aware' counts for nothing.

Can anyone shed any light on this. Do you need a certain standard of policy.

Yes, because a lot of plans have no dental cover. You need to go to https://www.vhi.ie/downloads and download the table of benefits for your specific plan.

L1011 · 24-09-2021 11:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117932573#Comment_117932573

This is covered by a lot of plans with no dental cover as its not routine dentistry. But you will need pre-approval regardless.

coylemj · 24-09-2021 11:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117932585#Comment_117932585

A tooth extraction?

L1011 · 24-09-2021 11:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117932625#Comment_117932625

A surgical tooth extraction, specifically. Absolutely non routine and can have significant health complications if not done / be a requirement for other medical reasons.

Mine was covered by Laya on a plan with zero dental. They required the xray imagery to confirm that it required surgical extraction - if a dentist in normal practice could take it out it wouldn't be covered.

coylemj · 24-09-2021 1:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117932632#Comment_117932632

I take your point. But some people go to an oral surgeon becuse they want an extraction done under general anasthetic. Which, I suspect, a general plan with no dental cover will not cover if, as you say, the extraction itself is capable of being done by a regular dentist.

The vague answer ('as far as I know...') the OP got from the suregon's secretary is what makes me suspect that there may be a problem getting it approved under a plan with no dental cover.

batman75 · 24-09-2021 9:50pm

Just to clarify I rang to get an idea of how much my tooth extractions would cost. The secretary asked me if I had VHI and I confirmed I did. It was her understanding that it would be covered but not the consultation. She is due to check with the oral surgeon to clarify this for me.

Jim2007 · 25-09-2021 7:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117935356#Comment_117935356

The first response to your question was the correct one. Nobody but VHI can tell you with accuracy and accountability, whether you will be covered or not. The surgeon and their secretary will not cover your costs if they get it wrong.

Allinall · 25-09-2021 9:02am

OP. Every medical procedure has a code for health insurance purposes.

It could be something like IP239.

You need to ask your dentist for this code, and then ask the VHI if you’re covered.

VHI & Surgical Extractions

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