Dentist Charges for Adult Check-up/X-ray/Filling

eddiem74

Ok, so I am back again now with a post for myself.

Went to my dentist for a check-up (been over a year since my last one):

- he examined all my teeth
- called out the details to the nurse
- took 2 x-rays
- told me I needed a good clean, and one filling of a back tooth

NO CHARGE !

Next appointment:

- Had teeth cleaned thoroughly (man that hurt )
- Had gums numbed
- I then had a filling (silver)

CHARGE: 85 euros

Does this sound right ?

In the past I thought a filling only cost me about 30-40euros, but it has been a few years since I had one.

Trampas

i got a filling the other day €60

LadyE

Sounds about right

Why didnt you get charged for your first app?

feylya

Who is this dentist? I must know

eddiem74

LadyE wrote: »

Sounds about right

Why didnt you get charged for your first app?

I didn't get charged as my PRSI covers me for a annual check-up from what I know. I think you are also covered for a cleaning every 6 months

feylya wrote: »

Who is this dentist? I must know

You asking me, or Trampas ?

feylya

You Eddie

eddiem74

feylya wrote: »

You Eddie

I will just say he is located in Skerries, Co Dublin, close to the Church.

faigs

I need a few fillings so I went to a dentist on Baggot St, got two white fillings so far, €150 each!!! :eek: And PRSI only cover €30 of each one, I cant go to a different dentist now or I wont get the refunds, unless I leave it for a year. Really annoyed about it actually, need 4 or 5 more 'small' fillings and they'll still cost the same.

jdivision

Why didn't you ask how much they'd cost beforehand. That's completely ridiculous.

sunnyjim

- he examined all my teeth
- called out the details to the nurse
- took 2 x-rays
- told me I needed a good clean, and one filling of a back tooth

Thats not a routine check up. You had X-rays taken aswell, so that appointment should have cost you about 50/60 euro.

- Had teeth cleaned thoroughly (man that hurt )
- Had gums numbed
- I then had a filling (silver)

CHARGE: 85 euros

Eddie, I have to tell you, that you saved about 80 quid right here. A dental hygienist would charge you about 80 quid for the cleaning only, so you did well mate getting all that for 85 euro.

As well as getting your check up free, you did well. You saved about 140 euro with that Dentist! My girlfriend would have charged you that anyway :pac:

WIZWEB

I remember visiting a dentist while living in Manchester a few years back. After waiting 2 hours for an appointment I was offered a full check up, a full clean and scraping and two fillings for the grand total of £20.

eddiem74

sunnyjim wrote: »

Thats not a routine check up. You had X-rays taken aswell, so that appointment should have cost you about 50/60 euro.

Eddie, I have to tell you, that you saved about 80 quid right here. A dental hygienist would charge you about 80 quid for the cleaning only, so you did well mate getting all that for 85 euro.

As well as getting your check up free, you did well. You saved about 140 euro with that Dentist! My girlfriend would have charged you that anyway :pac:

To be honest I think most of this is covered by PRSI. I would not have expected to pay for the check-up, etc.. I was just surprised by the filling cost! The dentist also told me to come back in 6 months for another 'free' clean, so I must get 2 free per year, and 1 free check-up.

TheDriver

sometimes, they get you to come back again to charge for the cleaning which is wrong, it should be included as part of your prsi, each filling is 30 euro and thats all.

Zzippy

The check up and cleaning should have been free, all you should have been charged for was the filling.
See http://www.welfare.ie/publications/dental_sof.html for the fees payable by PRSI patients.

On another note, does anyone know what the average charge would be to have an amalgam (dark) filling replaced with a white one? I'm considering having this done but I have quite a few that I'd like to get done...

DublinWriter

Does this sound right ?
Sounds fantastically cheap to me.

Who is this dentist? Is he any good? Considering my dentist charges €60 for a check up and refers all the cleaning work to a hygienist.

DublinWriter

Zzippy wrote: »

On another note, does anyone know what the average charge would be to have an amalgam (dark) filling replaced with a white one? I'm considering having this done but I have quite a few that I'd like to get done...

Make sure that he's using a gum-dam if he's doing that.

It's never a good idea to get too many old Mercury/Amalgam fillings replaced with White/Composite fillings in the one sitting.

faigs

jdivision wrote: »

Why didn't you ask how much they'd cost beforehand. That's completely ridiculous.

Well the dentist was close to work and was recommended to me so I went to him because I thought I only needed one or two fillings. Now I need around 6 apparently, even if they are only small ones. Think I'll have to cut back on nights out and restaurants so I can pay for it

TheDriver

Go to another dentist, some are desperate for recommending lots of work. I had this happen to me, went to another dentist and the 7 fillings became one and he reviews them at each visit for no charge and only ever charges for filling at 30 euro, cleaning and xrays always free along with 6 month checkups

eddiem74

TheDriver wrote: »

Go to another dentist, some are desperate for recommending lots of work. I had this happen to me, went to another dentist and the 7 fillings became one and he reviews them at each visit for no charge and only ever charges for filling at 30 euro, cleaning and xrays always free along with 6 month checkups

Yeah, for me in the past a filling was always around the 35euro mark, however this time 85euro was a shocker hence my post here ! My wife is due a visit soon, so I will make sure she asks for a cost breakdown to see what the story is.

hamiltron

faigs wrote: »

I need a few fillings so I went to a dentist on Baggot St, got two white fillings so far, €150 each!!! :eek: And PRSI only cover €30 of each one, I cant go to a different dentist now or I wont get the refunds, unless I leave it for a year. Really annoyed about it actually, need 4 or 5 more 'small' fillings and they'll still cost the same.

faigs, you should still ask for a clear breakdown of the charges for work done. Most dentists are not properly applying the PRSI scheme guidelines. As detailed on the DSFA site mentioned by Zzippy, dentists participating in the scheme have to charge:

Normal private charge for filling - 15% - €35.25

e.g.

€150 - €22.50 - €35.25 = €92.25

...and that is if he charges €150 per filling normally, which is a bit of a rip-off in itself.

So remember, if you are shopping around for a PRSI dentist, ask how much they charge for work before letting on that you are covered by PRSI - then do your own calculation.

jafeu

The_Conductor

The filling price varies, depending on the tooth and the amount of amalgaman that has to be used. It costs lots more for the material for a back filling than it does for the cosmetic stuff for a front tooth. PRSI pay the first EUR30. OP- I think you did really well. Its far more than that for the 2 x-rays (neither of which are covered by PRSI........) and the filling. You did well......

Zzippy

smccarrick wrote: »

The filling price varies, depending on the tooth and the amount of amalgaman that has to be used. It costs lots more for the material for a back filling than it does for the cosmetic stuff for a front tooth. PRSI pay the first EUR30. OP- I think you did really well. Its far more than that for the 2 x-rays (neither of which are covered by PRSI........) and the filling. You did well......

Actually, according to the DSFA they do cover x-rays:

http://www.welfare.ie/publications/dental_sof.html


A complete oral examination of hard and soft tissue, medical and dental history, recording of missing teeth, diagnosis and treatment plan.

The fee for examination includes any necessary intra-oral radiographs. Except on grounds of exceptional clinical necessity, a fee shall not be payable by the Department unless a clear interval of not less than 12 months has elapsed since such an examination was last completed.


DSFA €33.55

CLAIMANT
Earnings under €60,000 No Charge

CLAIMANT
Earnings over €60,000 No Charge

The_Conductor

The going rate is EUR15-20 for a small intra-oral x-ray (i.e. the tiny little x-ray that they do of a tooth) but between EUR60-80 per x-ray for OPGs.
The DSFA hardly pay for the OPGs? My reading of the PRSI thing is that it simply covers an exam and possibly one or two of the intra-oral x-rays, but not the OPG that you'd need if you haven't been at a dentist in a while?

From dealings with my own dentist the next question I would ask is did you visit the dentist in a private capacity (they will still fill out the PRSI forms etc)?

Ok- so it only covers intra-oral radiography (not x-rays). 2 or more x-rays on PRSI is 11.45 + PRSI contribution of 26.50.

Compound Amalgam filling is Private fee - 15% - PRSI contribution (33.95). Normally its 90-100 privately- so EUR 51 (Note: a white filling on a back tooth can be up to 4 times this- and the PRSI contribution is actually less than for amalgam).

So thats EUR63- still EUR22 short of the 85 you were charged- but within a reasonable shout of it......

Ask for a breakdown of the charges?

Jharrb

I just returned from Smiles Dental Spa where I had a full examination with a scale and polish. They recommend that I need 5 fillings. The total cost of all these fillings is 650.00

I have dental insurance which covers 70% of this and the 100% the examination and cleaning.

Does anyone else think that 650.00 is outragious for 5 fillings?

The_Conductor

650 is expensive, yes- but you haven't given us any details of what exactly is entailed (old amalgam fillings are cheap as peanuts- cosmetic fillings can work out pricey). It sounds expensive, but then again- you'd need to ask exactly what they are charging for. Also- if the dentist knows you have insurance covering a chunk of the cost- from experience I've found that they bump up the price (its the same as calling into a garage with minor cosmetic damage to your car- if they know you're paying yourself they normally are more than happy to do it for a fraction of what they'd otherwise charge).

For your own sake- you really should ask what exactly the work is that they're doing- 5 fillings doesn't really mean an awful lot......

feylya

Sounds fairly similiar to my experience with them - €900 odd for 11 fillings or something like that. I'm still waiting for them to put through my PRSI claim, 6 months later. I won't be returning, that's for sure.

Jharrb

I seem to have a few cavities underneath my older fillings so this is fairly normal. However I thought that around 80 euros would be the standard rate for a filling? My fillings seem to be costing 100 euro and 150 euro.

Does anyone think I should go somewhere else? Can I just request my Xrays from Smiles?

Jharrb

smccarrick wrote: »

650 is expensive, yes- but you haven't given us any details of what exactly is entailed (old amalgam fillings are cheap as peanuts- cosmetic fillings can work out pricey). It sounds expensive, but then again- you'd need to ask exactly what they are charging for. Also- if the dentist knows you have insurance covering a chunk of the cost- from experience I've found that they bump up the price (its the same as calling into a garage with minor cosmetic damage to your car- if they know you're paying yourself they normally are more than happy to do it for a fraction of what they'd otherwise charge).

For your own sake- you really should ask what exactly the work is that they're doing- 5 fillings doesn't really mean an awful lot......

Just looking at the Smiles quote now, I need 5 posterior composite fillings. I forgot to ask if these are white or amalgram fillings this morning. I am assuming bthat they are all white? I might call tomorrow to double check.

KittyKat99

Hello,


I had to get an X Ray done recently and it cost me 150 euro!!!I didnt need any fillings, he just gave my teeth a clean.

Im tired of being ripped off by dentist and doctors, its just gettin crazt at this point!!

I had to get braces and im paying 5 grand. I know this is the average cost but still. In budapest and other places their much cheaper!!

ejmaztec

I came across the Cork University Dental School and Hospital recently. Someone that I know would have had to wait three months for a broken tooth to be repaired and was advised to contact Cork. I think that she had the work done within a couple of days. Here's the link to a pdf file listing all of their fees. I haven't really looked into using them yet, but you might be inspired one way or the other.

http://www.ucc.ie/en/dentalschool/PatientInformation/TreatmentOfferedandFees/04-04-06Pricelist/DocumentFile,15500,en.pdf

The_Conductor

ejmaztec wrote: »

I came across the Cork University Dental School and Hospital recently. Someone that I know would have had to wait three months for a broken tooth to be repaired and was advised to contact Cork. I think that she had the work done within a couple of days. Here's the link to a pdf file listing all of their fees. I haven't really looked into using them yet, but you might be inspired one way or the other.

http://www.ucc.ie/en/dentalschool/PatientInformation/TreatmentOfferedandFees/04-04-06Pricelist/DocumentFile,15500,en.pdf

Would you really want a student pulling your teeth?
Also the price list is from 2 years ago- I very much doubt its stood still.

Even so- getting a student to pull your teeth may be the lesser of the evil of not getting them sorted at all.......?