With the recent changes to the way that Irish patients can claim money back on dental treatment, the cost of treatment for many looks set to rise. I thought now would be a good time to benchmark what treatments Irish patients were enquiring about over the last year and see how this changes over the coming year. Here are some statistics about the different types of treatment that Irish dental patients are interested in based on where they are having the treatment performed. First of all here are the treatments that people are enquiring about through dentists in the Republic.

Republic of Ireland dental treatments

Braces and orthodontics top the list, with new treatments like Invisalign helping to increase their share of the market. Of interest also is the fact that optional cosmetic treatments like teeth whitening and veneers are still so prominent in the list despite the downturn. It will be interesting to see if they remain so prominent over the coming year.

Next, we take a look at what patients from the Republic are looking for from dentists in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland dental treatments

An even greater proportion of patients looking for treatment in Northern Ireland are interested in braces, not surprising given that it is one of the more expensive treatments available – starting prices for treatment in Dublin are close to €4,000.  I’d be interested to hear what prices people are being quoted for orthodontics in Northern Ireland by way of comparison.

Root canal treatment also accounts for a far greater share of the market here than with local dentists. It is a necessary precursor to many other treatments, but again they can be quite costly, especially as it is done as needed per tooth.

Finally, here is a look at which treatments patients are looking at having done abroad.

Overseas dental treatments for Irish patients

Dental implants jump to the top of the list here. From our own survey of previous dental tourism patients we know that price is their primary concern, and with implants starting around €1,500 at home and around €600 in Hungary it is no wonder that they are asking about treatment abroad. Surprisingly the relatively inexpensive teeth whitening is also very popular, as is the other cosmetic favourite, dental veneers.

Even more surprising though is that braces abroad are so popular. With regular visits needed to tighten and adjust most braces, traveling abroad each time can prove to be very expensive if you’re not careful. As you’ll hear in a patient case study later this week, even with the greatest planning there can be unexpected problems that can force the price up to more than the cost here in Ireland.

We’ll take a look at this information again in the months to come to see how things are changing. In the meantime, if there is more information like this you’d like to see, please leave a comment below. We’ll be publishing similar information for the UK market soon too.